It's hard to remember that Michael Jackson was not always the biggest star in the world. Before he released Thriller, he was merely a star. Thriller sold more than 24 million, recalls its director, John Landis, before the title single and video sent the album running back up the charts to create the King of Pop's crowning statistic: 45 million albums sold. But if that number crowned him, it also incarcerated him.

Jackson's inspiration was simple: According to Landis, Jackson called and said that he wanted "to turn into a monster." The clip's elaborate movie-within-a-movie structure allowed three transformations — he becomes a werewolf, a dancing zombie and finally, a cat-eyed changeling.

"What 'Thriller' did," Landis recalls "and not by design, was (one) totally prove the viability of the rock video as selling tool, and (two) establish Michael Jackson as a demigod."

Deified, the superstar reached an unduplicable zenith. And so today, while many artists are overjoyed to sell 1 million, to Jackson, Bad and Dangerous failed by not approaching his previous number. As the superstar lives in Thriller's massive shadow, his greatest glory remains his heaviest ball and chain.