The late Michael Jackson’s landmark 1982 album Thriller wasn’t a collection of songs as much as it was an event that upended the pop landscape, and birthed much of what would come in its wake. But in addition to thinking about it as a direct influence on today’s pop stars (i.e. the “I heard ‘Billie Jean’ and knew that I wanted to make music my life” narrative proffered by so many artists in the wake of his passing), one can also think about how the songs themselves were sampled by musicians who came in Jackson’s wake, deconstructed so that they became still-recognizable parts of a greater, slightly updated whole. Six of Thriller’s musical descendants after the jump. (Thanks to Idolator emeritus Jess Harvell for helping me with some of the brainstorming here.)
6. Aaliyah ft. Slick Rick, “Got To Give It Up” (samples the drumbeat from “Billie Jean” at the beginning)
5. Public Enemy, “911 Is A Joke” (samples Vincent Price’s laugh from “Thriller”)
4. Rihanna, “Don’t Stop The Music”
(This is a bit of a cheat, since the meat of the sample is Manu Dibango’s sampled-by-Michael “Soul Makossa.” But Michael’s “woo-hoo”s, essential to many of his songs, are laced in as well.)
3. Nas, “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” (samples “Human Nature”)
2. Kanye West feat. T-Pain, “Good Life” (samples “P.Y.T.”)
1. SWV, “Right Here / Human Nature” (Samples “Human Nature”)
Michael Jackson [WhoSampled]
The Michael Jackson Sample Map [Ethan Hein]
To reach further back, Jay-Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” samples “I Want You Back.”
Oh ignore me. I completely forgot that this post was only focused on Thriller songs about halfway through.
“I’m Justin Timberlake, and I approve this message.”
Fergie, “All That I Got (The Make Up Song)”. Also.
You forgot about “That’s The Way It Is” by The Prodigy. It borrows the funky guitar riff from “Thriller”. Badass.
Link if the embed doesn’t work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akR-LgXnYG8
If you’ve never heard Yvonne Gage’s “Doin’ It In A Haunted House”, well, then you are in a for a treat. It’s perhaps the most blatant “Thriller” ripoff ever made.
I have the 45. It’s hilarious: http://sapmusic.blogspot.com/2008/04/yvonne-gage-doin-it-in-haunted-house.html
Found a YouTube of Yvonne Gage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvxSKwUCQ28
Hopefully, someone will do similar with Off The Wall…
Moby’s “Permanent Green” did a great job with the “Get On The Floor” breakdown.