Thriller, the 1983 groundbreaking video by Michael Jackson and co-produced by Quincy Jones, today (December 30) became the first music video inducted for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. The 14-minute video, which famously featured a zombie graveyard dance, was one of 25 films inducted. The song was taken from Jackson’s Thriller album, which was produced by Jones and featured musical contributions from Paul Jackson Jr., Howard Hewett and James Ingram, among many others.

“Thriller” the video was directed by John Landis.  “I think it’s recognition of how much they changed the music industry in the ’80s, and we thought it was important to represent that,” said Stephen Leggett, the coordinator of the National Film Preservation Board. “We picked this one because it was most iconic from the era.”

Congress established the registry in 1989, and this year’s selections bring the total number of films recognized to 525. Other inductees today included The Muppet Movie, Dog Day Afternoon, Once Upon a Time in the West, and The Incredible Shrinking Man.

(Smooth Jazz Network)

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