That Stockholm tribute featured 300 dancers performing “Beat It” during the afternoon in a city square. The surprise event produced a video that went viral and amassed 32 million views. Its preparation was unusually brief: the participants convened at 3:30 p.m., learned the routine in 30 minutes and performed it immediately after the rehearsal.

The song “Thriller” achieved Diamond certification in the United States, while its accompanying video became a major factor in the commercial performance of the album with which it shared a name. John Landis directed the video and co-wrote it with Jackson. Released on December 2, 1983, the production was soon being shown regularly by MTV.

Although the video did not arrive until late in the album’s promotional campaign, it had a substantial effect on sales. The production has been credited with increasing the album’s sales twofold and helping propel Thriller to its status as the best-selling album in history.