Producer Quincy Jones called Edward Van Halen and asked him to add a guitar solo to this song. Van Halen initially thought that it was a prank call, until Jones convinced him that this was not the case. He recorded the solo for free.
The single, along with its music video, propelled the album Thriller into becoming the best-selling album of all time. As of 2020, the record still stands.
According to sound engineers, while Edward Van Halen was recording the guitar solo, the monitor speaker caught fire.
The video was inducted into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame.
Michael Jackson: [red jacket] Jackson wears his iconic red jacket in this video. He went on the wear a similar jacket in Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983).