Popmatters: 1989 very similar to Thriller

[Warholian 6,880]

Shake It Off - 1 Billion Views

Blank Space - 1 Billion Views

Bad Blood - 1/2 Billion Views

Truly her Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller. 

That's only because that's the only way people could listen to the songs without buying them.. It's smart but it's nowhere near what Michael Jackson contributed. He literally created the modern music video.

[Pop 4,541]

That's only because that's the only way people could listen to the songs without buying them..

Millions of people enjoyed them enough to buy the album which is a huge feat in today's market. 

Truly boundary breaking, like MJ was. 

[Warholian 6,880]

Millions of people enjoyed them enough to buy the album which is a huge feat in today's market. 

Truly boundary breaking, like MJ was. 

Millions of people were forced to buy the album because they couldn't listen to her music without it. Anyone can do that. 1989 is a great pop album but its large sales aren't because of the quality of music. 

[Pop 4,541]

Millions of people were forced to buy the album because they couldn't listen to her music without it. Anyone can do that. 1989 is a great pop album but its large sales aren't because of the quality of music. 

You do realize that streams also count for the charts? 

So the sales she might have gained by not putting it on Spotify, she also lost in streaming points. 

 It was a cute reach tho. 

[Tumblr 1,846]

You do realize that streams also count for the charts? 

So the sales she might have gained by not putting it on Spotify, she also lost in streaming points. 

 It was a cute reach tho. 

The only reach in this thread is anyone actually thinking 1989 is in anyway similar to Thriller in impact or acclaim 

[Warholian 6,880]

You do realize that streams also count for the charts? 

So the sales she might have gained by not putting it on Spotify, she also lost in streaming points. 

 It was a cute reach tho. 

You were just talking about how it's sold lots of albums. You literally just agreed with me that her high album sales are thanks to her not allowing people to listen to her music without purchase. You haven't even mentioned "streaming points" or even the charts. 

I'm going to go now before this gets icky. 

Edit: I love Blank Space?

[Higher 2,406]

Musically or sale wise?

 

Musically Thriller ****s on Taylor's entire career, no shade.

[mariomania1234 11,368]

Goodbye. It's a good pop debut from her, but Thriller it ain't. They use MJ's name for headlines. You see this with literally every popular album.

[TheOriginalOne 8,208]

I agree 1898 is one hell of a succesful album, but aside from impacting her bank account i dont see what else it touched. 

[VasilisVas 4,647]

The Fame Monster says hi

[Redstreak 6,651]

Millions of people enjoyed them enough to buy the album which is a huge feat in today's market. 

Truly boundary breaking, like MJ was. 

like MJ wishes  

[Bette Davis 12,742]

I do agree that her current success with 1989 is comparable to MJ's success with Thriller. That's pretty much undeniable. Is she going to have similar cultural impact? With that, only time will tell.

[Harry 26,836]

Well obviously the Taylor stans will think so lol

You simply cannot compare an album that isn't even a year old to arguably the most impactful album in the history of popular music. If you think that an album selling more than any other that year and producing multiple hits = the next Thriller, then there has already been a hundred of those.

Even if 1989 does manage to have a legacy/influence anywhere close to that of Thriller's, it's way too early to judge that.

But that being said, the content is nothing new or interesting... It's cute, marketable, well written pop, she's done incredibly well this year, and that's cool. But it doesn't touch Thriller.

[Juvi 1,639]

okay, taylor IS successful with pop but comparing her to someone who release multiple PERFECT albums?? too much & it's getting really embarrassing....

i would even understand Azealia Banks' BWET being compared to Thriller, 'cause unlike Tay, she has concepts, ideas, uniqnese & overall the album has an appeal that just didn't "impact" because those people who buy music nowadays are still young & in phases in their lives where they go with what the world "gives them permission to listen to" (so to say)

(& i could have used gaga or other artists too but i felt that someone who is mainsteamly known but not as appreciated as taylor would make my point of view clearer!)

[Chic 20,830]

There is no one Thriller of this generation. It's sort of divided:

Adele's 21 has the incredible album sales (in this day and age, at least) and wide marketability and acclaim.

Teenage Dream has the hit singles.

There is yet to be an album in recent years with the amount of cultural impact or consistently iconic/influential videos that Thriller had. Taylor is having a highly spectacular era, but let's be serious here. Sonically, 1989 is neither unique or nothing new. Maybe for Taylor, but not for pop music.

And Born This Way? Really? That sold 1/4 of what Adele's 21 did, none of the music videos are iconic or influential, it has less hit singles (by charging position) than 1989 (although Born This Way by itself was bigger than any one Taylor single this era, and TEOG was pretty massive and influential among singing competitions), and it didn't impact culture that much except for LGBT folk. It was an incredible album and arguably one of the best of the 21st century, but no.

If you push The Fame and The Fame Monster together as one album, you're closer to Thriller. TFM's singles alone could not sustain the chart success Thriller's singles did despite being extremely popular, but Gaga's first two eras were highly influential and held some very iconic videos. The sales of the two were also immense, particularly when combined.

Seriously. 1989 couldn't even achieve the success Teenage Dream had single-wise. It's nowhere near the best selling album of recent years. Shake It Off's video was laughable and good for a few GIF's, Blank Space was great. Style's video was forgettable and the song didn't hit the top five, Bad Blood was successful and its video was impressive, but the help she enlisted for it was unnecessary. Wildest Dreams will have little cultural impact beyond its initial controversy.