‘Thriller’ tops greatest video poll

Michael Jackson’s legendary 9-minute epic ‘Thriller’ has emerged as the UK’s favourite music video in a TV poll.

Based around John Landis’ ‘American Werewolf In London’, the 1983 production cost upwards of USD 1m and revolutionised the music video industry forever. Jackson reportedly told his label he wanted to be depicted as a ‘monster’, shedding his clean-cut image. But the gamble paid off, generating huge interest in the album of the same name, which would go on to sell close to 50m copies globally.

‘Thriller’ landed just ahead of Peter Gabriel’s stop-frame animation epic ‘Sledgehammer’ at two and A-ha’s animated ‘Take On Me’, which reportedly took three months to complete.

The results of ‘100 Greatest Pop Videos’ were announced yesterday on Channel 4. The top ten was as follows:

1. Michael Jackson Thriller
2. Peter Gabriel Sledgehammer
3. A-ha Take On Me
4. Queen Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Madonna Like a Prayer
6. Robbie Williams Rock DJ
7. Michael Jackson Billie Jean
8. The Verve Bittersweet Symphony
9. Madonna Vogue
10. Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit