Jim is the host of Song Lyric Sunday. Join in to hear music that could be new to you!

the theme this week is to feature a song by a group or an artist that surprisingly never reached #1 on the charts.

My song pick: Michael Jackson’s Thriller. I was about 11 years old when this came out, on my birthday by the way! We knew all the words and all the dances….Oh, the memories

1. Michael Jackson: “Thriller” (Peak Position: 4)

It’s hard to believe that the iconic song did not reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Released on November 2, 1983, Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking single heavily impacted airwaves across America. The accompanying music video came in at a whopping 14 minutes, and starred Jackson and actress Ola Ray as a young couple being hunted by zombies.
Though the song peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the single became certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 4, 1989, and as of November 2016, the song has sold 4.024 million copies in the U.S.
Fun Fact: The famous music video was given a budget of $500,000.

Lyrics

It’s close to midnight
And something evil’s lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight
You see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream
But terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze
As horror looks you right between the eyes
You’re paralyzed

‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one’s gonna save you from the beast about to strike
You know it’s thriller, thriller night
You’re fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight, yeah

Ooh, ooh
You hear the door slam
And realize there’s nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand
And wonder if you’ll ever see the sun
You close your eyes
And hope that this is just imagination
Girl, but all the while
You hear a creature creepin’ up behind
You’re out of time

‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night
There ain’t no second chance against the thing with forty eyes, girl
Thriller, thriller night
You’re fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight

Night creatures call
And the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There’s no escaping the jaws of the alien this time (they’re open wide)
This is the end of your life, ooh

They’re out to get you
There’s demons closin’ in on every side
They will possess you
Unless you change that number on your dial
Now is the time
For you and I to cuddle close together, yeah
All through the night
I’ll save you from the terror on the screen
I’ll make you see

That this is thriller, thriller night
‘Cause I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller
Chiller, thriller here tonight
‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night
Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghoul would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller, ow

I’m gonna thrill you tonight
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y’all’s neighborhood (I’m gonna thrill you tonight)
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse’s shell

I’m gonna thrill you tonight
Thriller, ooh baby (thriller)
I’m gonna thrill you tonight (thriller night)
Thriller, all night, oh baby
I’m gonna thrill you tonight
Thriller, thriller night (oh baby)
I’m gonna thrill you tonight
Thriller, all night (oh baby)
Thriller night, babe (thriller night, babe), ooh

The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Rodney Lynn Temperton

Thriller lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc