"Thriller" was written by the English songwriter Rod Temperton, who composed the music and the lyrics. Michael Jackson recorded it for his album Thriller (1982) at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, with Quincy Jones as producer. It is a disco-funk song in C# Dorian at 118 BPM. Its bassline was improvised over bass and drum patterns, and the chord progression builds to a climax to heighten suspense. Temperton first called the song "Starlight". The introduction features sound effects and a spoken part by Vincent Price, written in a taxi.
Epic initially regarded the song as a novelty. It was released as the seventh and final single from the album, in the United Kingdom on 11 November 1983 and in the United States on 23 January 1984, with "Can't Get Outta the Rain" as the B-side. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one in France and Belgium in early 1984. John Landis directed the music video, which premiered on MTV in December 1983 and was among the first music videos added to the United States National Film Registry in 2009. Later versions include recordings by Paul Mauriat, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Glee Cast.
