<P> Jackson's previous album Off the Wall (1979) received critical acclaim and was a commercial success, selling over 20 million copies worldwide . The years between Off the Wall and Thriller were a transitional period for Jackson, a time of increased independence . The period saw him become deeply unhappy; Jackson said, "Even at home, I'm lonely . I sit in my room sometimes and cry . It's so hard to make friends...I sometimes walk around the neighborhood at night, just hoping to find someone to talk to . But I just end up coming home ." </P> <P> When Jackson turned 21 in August 1979, he hired John Branca as his manager . Jackson confided in Branca that he wanted to be the biggest and wealthiest star in show business . He was upset about what he perceived to be the under - performance of Off the Wall, saying: "It was totally unfair that it didn't get Record of the Year and it can never happen again ." He also felt undervalued by the music industry; in 1980, when Rolling Stone declined to run a cover story on him, Jackson responded: "I've been told over and over that black 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 ." </P> <P> 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 Jackson and Paul McCartney recording "The Girl Is Mine; it was completed on the final day of mixing, November 8, 1982 . Several members of the band Toto were involved in the album's recording and production . Jackson wrote four songs for the record: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin"', "The Girl Is Mine", "Beat It" and "Billie Jean". Unlike many artists, Jackson did not write these songs on paper . Instead, he dictated into a sound recorder; when recording he would sing from memory . </P> <P> The relationship between Jackson and Jones became strained during the recording . Jackson spent much of his time rehearsing dance steps alone . When the album was completed, both Jones and Jackson were unhappy with the result and remixed every song, spending a week on each . </P>

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