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stands alone. His 1982 album Thriller is not just the best-selling album of all time; it is the Rosetta Stone of 80s pop. It produced seven top-10 hits, including Billie Jean , Beat It , and the title track. Jackson fused post-disco groove, hard rock guitar (courtesy of Eddie Van Halen), and cinematic horror into a pop template that was both massively accessible and wildly inventive.
Launched in 1981, MTV transformed the hit single. Before music videos, a great song could come from anyone. After MTV, a great song needed a great look . This created a new tier of stardom for photogenic acts like Duran Duran, Wham!, and Billy Idol. However, it also allowed certain songs to become hits purely on visual power. a-ha’s Take On Me , with its revolutionary pencil-sketch animation video, climbed to number one largely because viewers couldn’t look away. Conversely, some brilliant songs flopped because the artist didn’t fit the “video-friendly” mold. top pop hits 80s
stands alone. His 1982 album Thriller is not just the best-selling album of all time; it is the Rosetta Stone of 80s pop. It produced seven top-10 hits, including Billie Jean , Beat It , and the title track. Jackson fused post-disco groove, hard rock guitar (courtesy of Eddie Van Halen), and cinematic horror into a pop template that was both massively accessible and wildly inventive.
Launched in 1981, MTV transformed the hit single. Before music videos, a great song could come from anyone. After MTV, a great song needed a great look . This created a new tier of stardom for photogenic acts like Duran Duran, Wham!, and Billy Idol. However, it also allowed certain songs to become hits purely on visual power. a-ha’s Take On Me , with its revolutionary pencil-sketch animation video, climbed to number one largely because viewers couldn’t look away. Conversely, some brilliant songs flopped because the artist didn’t fit the “video-friendly” mold.
