Billie Jean 1983
Released January 2, 1983
Format
7″ single 12″ single
Recorded 1982
Genre
Post-disco rhythm and blues funk dance-pop
Length 4:54
Label Epic
Writer(s) Michael Jackson
Producer(s)
Michael Jackson Quincy Jones
“Billie Jean” is a song by American singer Michael Jackson. It is the second single from the singer’s sixth solo album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. There are contradictory claims on the meaning of the song’s lyrics. One suggests that they are derived from a real-life experience, in which a female fan claimed that Jackson (or one of his brothers) had fathered one of her twins. However, Michael Jackson stated that “Billie Jean” was based on groupies he had encountered. The song is well known for its distinctive bassline played by Louis Johnson, the standard drum beat heard in the beginning, the repetition of “Billie Jean is not my lover” towards the end of the song and Michael Jackson’s vocal hiccups. The song was mixed 91 times by audio engineer Bruce Swedien before it was finalized, though he reportedly went with the second mix as the final product.
The song became a success; it was one of the best-selling singles of 1983 and is one of the best-selling singles worldwide. The song topped both the US and UK charts simultaneously. In other countries, it topped the charts of Switzerland and reached the top ten in Austria, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. “Billie Jean” was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1989. Rolling Stone magazine placed the song in the 58th spot on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Michael Jackson wrote “Billie Jean” with his female fans in mind, and later stated that when he wrote the song, he knew it would be a success: “A musician knows hit material. Everything has to feel in place. It fulfills you and it makes you feel good. That’s how I felt about ‘Billie Jean’. I knew it was going to be big when I was writing it.” The singer explained that he was so absorbed by the song that, in one instance, he did not notice that his car had caught fire as he drove down a freeway with a friend until a passing motorcyclist informed him. Jackson noted: “The kid probably saved our lives.”
Jackson faced numerous disagreements with the song’s co-producer. It has been reported that Quincy Jones did not want the song to appear on Thriller and that he felt that the song was too weak to be part of the collection, but Jones has stated this is a false rumor. The producer disliked the demo and did not care for the song’s bassline. Jones wanted to cut Jackson’s 29-second introduction, which was the longest one ever created at the time. The entertainer, however, insisted that it be kept. “I said, ‘Michael we’ve got to cut that intro'” Jones later recalled. “He said: ‘But that’s the jelly! … That’s what makes me want to dance’. And when Michael Jackson tells you, ‘That’s what makes me want to dance’, well, the rest of us just have to shut up.”
In 1984, Pepsi sponsored the Jacksons’ Victory Tour. In return, Michael and his brothers were to star in two commercials for the company. Jackson had reworked “Billie Jean” for the commercial and entitled it “Pepsi Generation”. The song was used as the official jingle for the commercials and released as a 7″ promo single. The launch of “The Choice of a New Generation” campaign in February 1984 was attended by 1,600 people who were issued with a programme and the 7″ single. During the filming of the second commercial, a firework exploded and Jackson’s hair caught fire. The incident left the singer in need of reconstructive surgery. The commercials were premiered at the Grammy Awards, the same night he collected a record eight awards.
Michael Jackson’s original version of “Billie Jean” was remixed by Kanye West for Thriller 25, a 25th anniversary reissue of Jackson’s Thriller. Entitled “Billie Jean 2008”, the remix garnered a mixed reception; most critics felt that it was impossible to improve upon the original. Pitchfork Media’s Tom Ewing explained that a guest verse “might have added dynamics to the mix’s clumsy claustrophobia”
Personnel
Michael Jackson – songwriting, composition, vocals arrangement, rhythm arrangement, lead vocals, background vocals
Leon Ndugu Chancler – drums
Louis Johnson – bass guitar
David Williams – guitar
Michael Boddicker – E-mu Emulator
Greg Smith – synthesizer
Bill Wolfer – synthesizer and synthesizer programming
Jerry Hey – string arrangement
Jeremy Lubbock – string conducting
Bruce Swedien – mixing