Michael Jackson – Billie Jean

“Billie Jean” – Single by Michael Jackson from the album Thriller. 
Released on January 2, 1983.

This song is about a girl who claimed Jackson was the father of her child. Jackson based it on a woman who used to stalk him, writing him letters about a son she thought was his. Jackson rarely spoke about this woman, but he had a very hard time dealing with this unwanted attention and became more reclusive as a result. The song was his way of expressing his feelings without addressing her directly.

While Jackson didn’t give many details about the real Billie Jean, his producer Quincy Jones said that Jackson found the woman one day lounging by his pool with a bathing suit and sunglasses on. According to Jones, she accused Jackson of being the father of one of her twins, which Jones thought was pretty funny.

In his autobiography Moonwalk, Jackson said that Quincy Jones wanted to change the title to “Not My Lover” because he thought it would be confused with the tennis star Billie Jean King. Jackson ended up winning that battle.

This won the 1983 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance and Best Rhythm & Blues Song for the writer Michael Jackson.

The video for this song is often credited with breaking the color barrier on MTV, which debuted August 1, 1981. The clip for “Pass The Dutchie” by Musical Youth was the first video by a black act to make regular rotation on the network, but they were considered a novelty, with no member older than 16.

The video showcased Jackson’s signature dance moves that he became famous for. His talents as a dancer helped make him a huge concert draw and a star on MTV. High-energy dancing was a huge part of his act, and artists like New Kids on the Block and his sister Janet followed his lead and made dance moves as big a part of their shows as singing. This trend continued as groups like ‘N Sync and The Backstreet boys followed suit. Jackson choreographed the dance moves himself.

On the 1983 TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, Jackson performed this song live for the first time, which was the first time he did the Moonwalk. This was also the first time Jackson wore his famous white glove on stage – at the time it was a modified golf glove. In subsequent performances of the song, Jackson used similar choreography, always wowing the crowd with the Moonwalk, which became his signature dance move.

Jackson likely learned the move – known as the Backslide – from Jeffrey Daniel, a member of Shalamar who did it on Soul Train.

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Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

Billie Jean 720p60 1st Moonwalk LIVE Performance at Motown 25 Michael Jackson04:57

“Billie Jean” este o piesă compusă de Michael Jackson, de pe albumul Thriller din 1982. Melodia are o semnificație specială: la a 25-a aniversare a casei de discuri Motown (Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever), care a avut loc în Pasadena, California la 25 Martie  1983, unde pe lângă mișcările obișnuite, pe vârful piciorelor, și alte mișcări deja caracteristice pentru  Michael, el a mai adăugat o mișcare – alunecarea înapoi, având impresia că el merge normal. Aceasta a devenit mișcarea lui specială, pe care el a numit-o “Moonwalk”.

Acest video este filmarea originală din 25 Martie 1983. Filmarea show-ului a fost prezentată la TV de către NBC, la data de 16 Mai 1983.

Dansul în sine este în întregime concepția lui Michael. Un alt lucru despre acest moment: Michael nu a cânta melodia, a fost un lip-synch.

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