“I don’t think any of us knew how huge it was going to be”: The production tricks behind Michael Jackson's Billie Jean

Before it was put to bed there was the little matter of the title. Quincy Jones suggested changing the title to ‘Not My Lover ...

Michael Jackson’s 1983 Smash About a Delusional Fan Hides a Disturbing True Story

Its impact went far beyond the charts. “Billie Jean” contained an unforgettable blend of pop, R&B, and funk, paired with a ...
American Songwriter

Revisit Michael Jackson’s Gravity-Defying Motown 25 Performance of “Billie Jean”

In 1982, Michael Jackson released the album Thriller, and life was never the same. The album remains the best-selling record of all time, thanks in part to the song “Billie Jean,” produced by Jackson ...
Spin

The Professor Will Now Unpack — Michael Jackson and Rick Astley

"Be careful of what you do," sings Michael Jackson in "Billie Jean." Jackson is pictured here three years before his 2009 fatal overdose on a general anesthetic that he took just to sleep at night.
AOL

Michael Jackson video director recalls smashing MTV's color barrier with 'Billie Jean': "I thought, 'When people see this, the world is going to change'"

On March 10, 1983, Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” video premiered on a then-fledgling cable channel called MTV. And it changed the network — not to mention the music video medium and pop music in ...