BACK TO THE ALBUM

Billie Jean

THE STORY BEHIND ' Billie Jean '

This is the definitive track of the album and arguably the most famous song Michael Jackson ever recorded. The story below covers the stalker inspiration, the famous fights with Quincy Jones, the "91 mixes" saga, and the debut of the Moonwalk.

While "Billie Jean" is often remembered as a dance floor anthem, its origins are rooted in deep paranoia and fear. By 1981, Michael Jackson was transitioning from a child star into an adult icon, and with that fame came a darker side of celebrity: stalkers.

Jackson famously stated in his autobiography Moonwalk that the character of "Billie Jean" was a composite of the groupies who used to hang around the backstage doors of the Jackson 5 concerts. "Every girl claimed that their son was related to one of my brothers," he wrote. However, biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli later revealed that the song was triggered by a specific, terrifying incident.

In 1981, a woman began writing Jackson disturbing letters, claiming he was the father of one of her twins. The letters escalated from desperate to threatening. One day, a package arrived at the Jackson family home in Encino. Inside was a photograph of the fan, a handgun, and a letter instructing Michael to die at a specific time so they could be together in the "next life." The incident traumatized Jackson. It was this specific feeling of being hunted, the tension between private fear and public scrutiny that he poured into the lyrics. He wrote the song not as a romance, but as a legal defense set to music.

The musical foundation of "Billie Jean" is its prowling, repetitive bassline. It is one of the most recognizable riffs in history. Interestingly, Jackson reportedly admitted to Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates) that he had lifted the groove from their song "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)." When Jackson apologized for it, Hall laughed and told him, "We all do it, Michael. It's the same groove, but you did it differently."

Jackson worked on the demo at his home studio in Encino. He was so consumed by the composition that he famously failed to notice his Rolls-Royce was on fire while driving down the Ventura Freeway. A passing motorcyclist had to flag him down to save his life; he was literally composing the bassline in his head while the vehicle smoked around him.

When production moved to Westlake Recording Studios for the Thriller album, "Billie Jean" became the source of a major creative disagreement between Michael Jackson and producer Quincy Jones.

Jones had two major problems with the song. First, he hated the title. He was convinced people would think the song was about the famous tennis player, Billie Jean King. He proposed changing the title to "Not My Lover." Michael refused.

Second, and more critically, Jones hated the introduction. The song opens with 29 seconds of just drums and bass before the vocals enter. In pop radio terms, this was an eternity. Jones argued that the intro had to be cut so they could "get to the hook" faster. Michael, usually soft-spoken and deferential to the elder producer, dug his heels in. He told Quincy: "That intro is what makes me want to dance." Recognizing that Michael's instinct for movement was unmatched, Jones relented. The long intro stayed, creating the cinematic suspense that defines the track.

The "Kick Drum Cover" The sound of "Billie Jean" is largely due to the genius of recording engineer Bruce Swedien. He didn't just record the instruments; he built them a "sonic personality."

The Drums: Swedien wanted a drum sound that was tight, punchy, and completely isolated. To achieve this, he built a custom "kick drum cover", a heavy furniture blanket with a zippered slot for the microphone that completely encased the bass drum. This allowed him to isolate the "thud" of the kick without any sound bleeding into other microphones.
The Vocals: In a move that surprised everyone, Michael recorded the lead vocal through a standard Shure SM7 microphone (a relatively cheap broadcast mic) rather than a high-end studio condenser. For the background vocal overdubs, Swedien had Michael sing through a six-foot-long cardboard tube. This lo-fi technique gave the backing vocals a distant, "megaphone" quality, adding to the song's paranoid atmosphere.

The mixing process became the stuff of legend. Swedien mixed the song 91 times. He and the team spent days tweaking the levels, adjusting the reverb, and trying to get the balance absolutely perfect. Finally, an exhausted Quincy Jones told Swedien to look back at one of the earliest attempts. They listened to "Mix Number 2" and realized it was perfect. The raw energy they had been trying to "fix" in the subsequent 89 mixes was exactly what made the track work. They had circled back to the beginning.

Despite the complex production, Michael’s vocal performance was remarkably efficient. He arrived at the studio after a period of vocal coaching, fully prepared. When it was time to record the lead, he delivered the entire song ad-libs, hiccups, and emotional nuances in a single take. The vocal you hear on the record is essentially a live performance, captured the moment he stepped up to the mic.

Before "Billie Jean," MTV was largely a rock station that rarely played black artists. CBS Records (Michael’s label) threatened to pull all their artists from the network if MTV didn't play Jackson's video. MTV capitulated, and the "Billie Jean" video, directed by Steve Barron, aired in heavy rotation.

The video was cryptic and stylish, featuring a private eye tracking Jackson, and the famous "Midas Touch" effect where pavement stones lit up under Michael’s feet. It didn't just break the color barrier; it established the "music video" as an essential art form for pop stars.

If the record made Michael a star, the live performance of "Billie Jean" made him a legend. On May 16, 1983, during the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special, Jackson performed the song solo.

He appeared in a black sequined jacket, a fedora, and a single white rhinestone glove. During the instrumental bridge, he executed a move he had refined from street dancers: the backslide, which he renamed The Moonwalk. The illusion of moving forward while gliding backward stunned the audience. The screaming response from the crowd was so loud it distorted the television audio. That single performance is widely considered one of the most important moments in pop culture history, dividing Michael's career into "before" and "after."

LYRICS of BILLIE JEAN

She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene
I said, "Don't mind, but what do you mean, I am the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round?"
She said I am the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round
She told me her name was Billie Jean as she caused a scene
Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of bein' the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round

People always told me, "Be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts" (hee-hee)
And mother always told me, "Be careful of who you love
And be careful of what you do (oh-oh)
'Cause the lie becomes the truth" (oh-oh), hey-ey

Billie Jean is not my lover, uh
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one (oh, baby)
But the kid is not my son (hoo)
She says I am the one (oh, baby)
But the kid is not my son (hee-hee-hee, oh, no, hee-hee-hee, hoo)

For 40 days and for 40 nights, the law was on her side
But who can stand when she's in demand? Her schemes and plans
'Cause we danced on the floor in the round (hee)
So take my strong advice
Just remember to always think twice
(Don't think twice) do think twice (a-hoo)
She told my baby we'd danced 'til three, then she looked at me
Then showed a photo of a baby cryin', his eyes were like mine (oh, no)
'Cause we danced on the floor in the round, baby (ooh, hee-hee-hee)

People always told me, "Be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts"
Don't break no hearts (hee-hee)
But she came and stood right by me
Just the smell of sweet perfume (ha-oh)
This happened much too soon (ha-oh, ha-ooh)
She called me to her room (ha-oh, hoo), hey-ey

Billie Jean is not my lover (hoo)
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
No-no-no, no-no, no-no-no (hoo)
Billie Jean is not my lover, uh
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one (oh, baby)
But the kid is not my son (no, no)
She says I am the one (oh, baby)
But the kid is not my son (no, hee-hee-hee, ah, hee-hee-hee)

Hee, hoo

She says I am the one
But the kid is not my son (no, no, no, hoo, oh)
Billie Jean is not my lover, uh
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
(You know what you did to me, baby)
But the kid is not my son, no-no-no-no (no-no-no, ah)
She says I am the one (no)
But the kid is not my son (no-no-no-no) (hoo)

She says I am the one (hoo) (you know what you did)
She says he is my son (breakin' my heart, babe)
She says I am the one
Yeah, Billie Jean is not my lover, uh
Yeah, Billie Jean is not my lover, uh
Yeah, Billie Jean is not my lover, uh (she is just a girl)
Yeah, Billie Jean is not my lover, uh (don't call me Billie Jean, hoo)
Yeah, Billie Jean is not my lover, uh (she's not what she seems)
Billie Jean is not (hee, oh)