As we continue our 11-day Black Friday journey through history, today’s date — 30 November — gave us almost too many directions to go in.
Born on this day:
- Mark Twain, literary giant
- Winston Churchill, statesman and Nobel Prize–winning author
- Ben Stiller, actor and filmmaker
- Ridley Scott, director of Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, and more
Also on this day, Barbados gained independence, and both George H.W. Bush and Evel Knievel passed away.
But for Day 7, we’re taking a different route — one that shaped culture across entire generations.
Because two of the biggest, most influential albums ever recorded were released on 30 November:
- Pink Floyd – The Wall (1979)
- Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)
Two albums, released three years apart, that changed music in completely different but equally monumental ways.
Let’s revisit them.
🎸 Pink Floyd – The Wall (Released 30 Nov 1979)
Few albums in rock history are as ambitious, theatrical, or psychologically layered as Pink Floyd’s The Wall — a double album exploring isolation, fame, trauma, and the construction (and destruction) of emotional barriers.
Written largely by Roger Waters, The Wall is a concept album following the life of a fictional rock star, Pink, whose memories of childhood loss, school cruelty, and fame-induced paranoia lead him to mentally build a “wall” separating him from the world.
Why The Wall matters:
- It’s one of the most ambitious concept albums ever made.
- It produced the global hit “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2),” complete with its unforgettable children's choir.
- It blends rock, opera, storytelling, and psychological drama.
- It spawned a feature film, arena-shattering live shows, and some of the most iconic imagery in rock, drawn by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, who later was the concept artist for Disney's Hercules.
Musically, it’s sprawling and cinematic — part anthem, part confession, part theatrical spectacle. Tracks like:
- Comfortably Numb
- Hey You
- Run Like Hell
- Mother
have become staples of rock culture.
The Wall isn’t just an album — it’s an experience. It’s introspection turned into art. And more than 40 years later, it still feels raw, relevant, and emotionally devastating in all the right ways.
🕺 Michael Jackson – Thriller (Released 30 Nov 1982)
If The Wall is rock theatre at its peak, then Michael Jackson’s Thriller is pure pop perfection — an album so successful it may never be matched.
Released exactly three years after Pink Floyd’s masterpiece, Thriller became the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of more than 70 million copies worldwide.
And for good reason.
There isn’t a weak track on it:
- Billie Jean
- Beat It
- Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
- Human Nature
- P.Y.T.
- The Girl Is Mine
- And, of course, Thriller
Every song is memorable, added something new to pOp music and shaped the sound of the 1980s and beyond.
Why Thriller is legendary:
- It made music videos into cultural events — especially the 14-minute Thriller video, which transformed MTV and set the standard for decades.
- It fused pop, rock, R&B, funk, and disco into a seamless, modern sound.
- It established Michael Jackson as the biggest superstar on the planet.
- It opened doors for Black artists on mainstream platforms that had previously shut them out.
Thriller wasn’t just successful; it changed the music industry, fashion, music videos, and how albums were produced and marketed.
It’s hard to imagine a world without it.
Two Albums, One Date — A Perfect Snapshot of Musical History
It’s rare that a single calendar date can claim two of the most influential albums ever made. Yet 30 November does exactly that.
-
The Wall pushed rock opera, storytelling, and emotional introspection to new heights.
- Thriller redefined pop music, music videos, and global superstardom.
Different genres, audiences, styles, but both albums left permanent marks on culture that still resonate today.
Tomorrow, we move on to Day 8 — another journey into the strange coincidences, creative milestones, and unexpected moments that line up with our Black Friday calendar.
For now, tell us:
👉 Which album means more to you — The Wall or Thriller?
👉 And what’s your favourite song from each?
Black Friday continues — and so does history.