Thriller (Fall Out Boy song)

"Thriller" is the first track on the album Infinity on High by Chicago band Fall Out Boy. Named after Michael Jackson's 1982 album Thriller, the track begins with a spoken word introduction by rapper Jay-Z. The song is written in the style of pop-punk and features heavy guitar riffs and the pop style vocals of lead singer Patrick Stump. It was written as a reflection of the band's previous two years and it was also commentary on the band's popularity. Reviewers have described it as one of Fall Out Boy's heaviest songs.

Background and composition

Fall Out Boy began recording their sophomore album Infinity on High after finishing a tour for their album From Under the Cork Tree. They released Infinity on High in February 2007, from which "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" and "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" had been previously released and had reached the Billboard Hot 100. The album led with "Thriller", which was named after the 1982 Michael Jackson album Thriller, and which itself led with a spoken introduction from Jay-Z, who owned the record label that produced the album, Def Jam Recordings. In an interview with Fall Out Boy, drummer Andy Hurley stated that the opening parts in "Thriller" were copied from "Islands to Burn" by Racetraitor, a band he once drummed for.

The song was created as an reflection on the band's previous two years. Some lyrics reflect on previous mediocre album reviews the band received. The lyrics also call out the rise of the band's popularity, "But by fall we were a cover story". In context the song's opening lines are, "Last summer we took threes across the board, but by fall we were a cover story now in stores. Make us poster boys for your scene, but we are not making an acceptance speech." A line in verse two of the song is "the only thing I haven't done yet is die/ and it's me and my plus-one at the afterlife." The song also features the lyric "Fix me in 45" which refers to the way singles were released on vinyl records.

Critical reception and performances

Some reviewers complained that the album did not have a hardcore edge, but the song "Thriller" was an exception. Slant Magazine said the song features "a crunching, emo-fied knockoff of the riff from Metallica’s "One"", while Jack Phinney of the Northern Valley Suburbanite reviewed the album and called the song "spectacular". Alternative Press opined in February 2023 that the song was dominated by the soaring vocals of Patrick Stump and his pop arrangement, and described it as the tenth heaviest song in the Fall Out Boy body of work. Writing in August 2023, Tamzin Kraftman wrote that the song's "chugging pulse", played by Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman, "electrifies the track". In February 2013, the band led a concert at Webster Hall with the track; Rolling Stone's Andy Greene opined that, upon launching into the song, the audience's "squeals were deafening".

Personnel

• Patrick Stump – vocals
• Joe Trohman – guitar
• Pete Wentz – bass
• Andy Hurley – drums

References