Thriller (Michael Jackson album) people on the cover of magazines doesn't sell copies ... Just wait. Someday those magazines are going to be "begging" me for an interview. Maybe I'll give them one, and maybe I won't." Jackson reunited with "Off the Wall" producer Quincy Jones to record his sixth studio album, his second under the Epic label. The pair worked together on 30 songs, nine of which were included on the album. "Thriller" was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with a production budget of $750,000 (US$1,926,319.15 in 2017 dollars). The recording commenced on April 14, 1982 at noon with
Thriller (Michael Jackson album) sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he fathered her child; in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against media gossip. For "Billie Jean", Jones had Jackson sing overdubs through a six-foot cardboard tube and brought in jazz saxophonist Tom Scott to play the lyricon, a wind-controlled synthesizer. Bassist Louis Johnson ran through his part on a Yamaha bass guitar. The song opens with a long bass-and-drums introduction. "Thriller" includes sound effects such as creaking doors, thunder, footsteps, wind, and howling dogs. The anti-gang-violence "Beat It" became a homage to "West Side Story" and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over