Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” hits #1

Billie Jean Michael Jackson

Writer(s): Michael Jackson (see lyrics here) Released: January 2, 1983 First Charted: January 22, 1983 Peak: 17 US, 16 CB, 14 GR, 12 RR, 9 AC, 19 RB, 11 UK, 12 CN, 15 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 1.44 UK, 11.71 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 1678.35 video, 1636.26 streaming

Awards (Michael Jackson): Click on award for more details. Awards (Chris Cornell):

About the Song: With its “insanely catchy melody atop an insistent beat,” BB “this fabulously funky slice of disco-pop” BBC is “the single that made Jackson the biggest star since Elvis.” RS500 The Thriller album, from which this was the second single, became the best-selling album of all-time with a record-breaking seven top ten pop singles. Michael sings of a supposedly real life situation in which a woman claimed that he was the father of one of her twin sons. In his Moonwalker autobiography, though, Michael described the situation more as the “kind of thing has happened to some of my brothers.” KL On the surface, the song may have been about a paternity suit, but it hinted at something more. It was “not about sex but identity. It’s about the power of a rock star to break young girls’ hearts…It’s about being hunted by the public.” TC Quincy Jones, who produced the album, wanted to cut the song’s 29-second intro – the longest a Michael Jackson song had ever had. Jackson, however, fought to keep it, saying, “That’s the jelly…That’s what makes me want to dance.” RC Jones was also concerned people would associate the title with tennis player Billie Jean King and wanted to name it “Not My Lover.” RC As part of the marketing for the Thriller album, Jackson “saw, before most, the possibility of MTV.” TC The video for “Billie Jean” “reinforces all of the eeries qualities of this song.” TC It was revolutionary for breaking the dominance on MTV of videos by predominantly white artists. The head of CBS, Jackson’s label, threatened that there would be no more CBS acts on MTV if they refused to show the video. TB MTV caved. Not only did “Billie Jean” show how important visual presentation had become in the early ‘80s via its video, but with Michael’s eye-popping live performance of the song on the U.S. TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever. He debuted his iconic moonwalk dance for an audience in excess of 47 million. TB Steve Daly, the editor of Entertainment Weekly, said “it was a moment that crossed over in a way that no live musical performance ever had.” RC It launched Jackson as the King of Pop. it launched him as the King of Pop. The song has been covered over the years by a variety of artists. Neil Finn, of Split Enz and Crowded House, recorded a version in 2000. In 2007, Chris Cornell – best known as the lead singer for Soundgarden and Audioslave – released a slowed-down, emotion-packed version of the song (my favorite cover of “Billie Jean”) for his Carry On, his second solo album. The next year David Cook performed the song on American Idol on his way toward winning the seventh season. He recorded a studio version which reached #47 on the Billboard Hot 100. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Michael Jackson BBC BBC Radio 2 (2004). “Sold on Song Top 100” BB Billboard (9/08). “All-Time Hot 100” BC Brad Carl (2015). 50 Songs from the 70s and 80s That Still Hold Up. Pages 83-85. RC Rod Couch (2015). The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: 1955-2015. Pages 54-6. TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 801-2. DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 22. KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits: The Stories Behind Every Number One Single Since 1952. London, Great Britain: Omnibus Press. Page 289. RS500 Rolling Stone (12/04). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 208. Related Links: First posted 1/22/2013; last updated 2/24/2024.