It has been eight months since the passing of Michael Jackson, and his death continues to be felt deeply in the music world (you need only listen to the emotional Jackson part left in the remake of "We Are the World" for proof). It seems certain that Jackson's legacy will be truly immortal, and the reason why is his music. The artist left behind some of the most iconic pop songs ever written -- many of which came from his staggering breakout album Thriller, which came out in 1982 and first topped the Billboard album chart on this day in 1983.

Fueled by huge singles "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Human Nature," Thriller kept a stranglehold on the top spot for most of 1983. After it entered the position on February 26, it stayed there for 17 consecutive weeks before getting bumped by the soundtrack to "Flashdance." Two weeks later, it returned to #1 before getting knocked out again by the Police's Synchronicity. It bounced back for one more week in September before dropping out, but it returned to the top for the last two weeks of the year. It then spent the first 15 weeks of 1984 at #1 as well. All told, Thriller was the top-selling album in America for a grand total of 37 weeks, an absolutely unheard of run.

Thriller sold 15 million copies in 1983 alone and has become the best-selling album of all time. Even more impressive? There are only nine songs on Thriller, and seven of them became Top 10 hits (with "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" both topping the singles chart). In honor of his tremendous feat, check out the video for "Thriller," which would get little argument against its place as the greatest music video of all time.

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