An enormously sucesssful single in American music history, "Billie Jean," performed by the legendary Michael Jackson in 1982, contains unusual lyrics that - while extremely popular -remain a mystery. Indeed, numerous different accounts have been offered to explain the story behind "Billie Jean," including from the rumor mill, Jackson's biographer, and the late Jackson himself. Although the lyrics and the easily recognizable bass line of the song made it a favorite of Jackson, who insisted it would be success, contradicting the concerns of song producer Quincy Jones. Ultimately, the song's popular music video, appealing musical elements, and creative lyrics validated Jackson, who oversaw the rise of the song to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart for seven consecutive weeks.Outside of the accounts offered by Jackson and the late musician's biographer regarding the origins of the lyrics of the song
, there exist popular rumors regarding the lyrics that claim the song revolves around tennis superstar Billie Jean King. In spite of the popularity of these rumors, these claims are likely false due to her sexual orientation. An explanation of the lyrics -- which tell the story of a man who had a sexual relationship with a young woman with whom he consequently fathered a child -- offered by Jackson in his 1988 book, Moonwalk, only fuel the ambiguity and mystery. Indeed, Jackson recounted that, "Billie Jean is kind of anonymous...[and] represents a lot of girls...they would hang around backstage doors, and any band that would come to town they would have a relationship with." However, Jackson conceded a personal connection as well, indicating that "there were a lot of Billie Jeans out there...every girl claimed that their son was related to one of my brothers." Expressing frustration with this development, Jackson penned that he "could never understand how these girls could say they were carrying someone's child when it wasn't true." Nevertheless, Jackson's explanation is disputed by his biographer, J. Randy Taraborrelli, who contends in The Magic & The Madness that a would-be pyschiatric patient would frequently send letters to Jackson insisting he was the father of one of her children. Taraborrelli claims these letters caused nightmares for Jackson, terrified by the woman's inclusion of a gun in a letter in which she said that it could be the case they would be lovers in afterlife.
, there exist popular rumors regarding the lyrics that claim the song revolves around tennis superstar Billie Jean King. In spite of the popularity of these rumors, these claims are likely false due to her sexual orientation. An explanation of the lyrics -- which tell the story of a man who had a sexual relationship with a young woman with whom he consequently fathered a child -- offered by Jackson in his 1988 book, Moonwalk, only fuel the ambiguity and mystery. Indeed, Jackson recounted that, "Billie Jean is kind of anonymous...[and] represents a lot of girls...they would hang around backstage doors, and any band that would come to town they would have a relationship with." However, Jackson conceded a personal connection as well, indicating that "there were a lot of Billie Jeans out there...every girl claimed that their son was related to one of my brothers." Expressing frustration with this development, Jackson penned that he "could never understand how these girls could say they were carrying someone's child when it wasn't true." Nevertheless, Jackson's explanation is disputed by his biographer, J. Randy Taraborrelli, who contends in The Magic & The Madness that a would-be pyschiatric patient would frequently send letters to Jackson insisting he was the father of one of her children. Taraborrelli claims these letters caused nightmares for Jackson, terrified by the woman's inclusion of a gun in a letter in which she said that it could be the case they would be lovers in afterlife. Although the origin of the lyrics certianly remain a mystery, what is not in question is the huge popularity, success, and cultural impact of "Billie Jean" in the music industry. Although producer Quincy Jones did not appreciate the bassline and the demo, Michael Jackson claimed from the start that he "knew it was going to be big when" he was "writing it." Jackson was vindicated. "Billie Jean" reached the top of the R&B chart in three weeks, reached number nine on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, was the third best selling single of 1983 in the United States, was praised by Rolling Stone and Blender, and earned eight accolades at the 1984 Grammy Awards. Recently, the song attained #58 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
SOURCES:
1. Billie Jean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Jean
2. Book Review: "Michael Jackson Revisted but Not Revealed" - Justin Moyer, August 4, 2009
3. MTV.com - "Michael Jackson Answers Fan Questions in 1996 Thailand Interview," July 6, 2009
PICTURES:
1. Wikimedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Jean
8 comments:
I never knew that there was any controversy regarding the lyrics of Billie Jean. It was cool to learn about the different origins of the song. I liked how Michael Jackson left the lyrics ambiguous. It allows for people to interpret it in their own way.
Great job, Omeed! It was really interesting to learn about the origins of Billie Jean. I always thought that the lyrics were a little strange, but I never knew that there was so much controversy behind it. In a way, though, I think that Michael Jackson wanted to keep it a mystery in order to have people try to solve the mystery themselves. Great job!
Nice post Omeed! I have never really thought about the lyrics of Billie Jean nor did I wonder what they meant. I have always simply listened to this song because it is so popular and the beat is so catchy. Now that I think about it however, the mysterious nature of the lyrics make me curious. I think that even with lack of understanding about the meaning of the story, people enjoyed Jackson's music. Just like the music video we saw in class, all of Jackson's videos were very abstract yet appealing. Nice topic!
Good Blog Omeed. Like Tess said I also didn't know that there was contoversy over the lyrics. I think that the lack of understanding in this song is what keeps people ultimately interested.
Nice work Omeed! I love knowing about the lyrics and this about Billie Jean just adds and is great. It so upbeat and catchy, the lyrics make sense afte hearing them. Great explanation!
Omeed, I had heard of this song and the controversy around it, but you did a great job of exploring this topic. I had no idea there was some thought that it was referring to a tennis player! Way to explore an interesting subject we touched upon in class.
Nice job, Omeed. This song always seemed very clear to me. What kind of doofus would have thought it was about Billie Jean King?
This was such a good post Omeed. Michael Jackson has been remembered forever for his work in the music industry. It was so interesting to discover how 'Billy Jean' was created. I never knew much about Michael Jackson but this was so refreshing to read. Awesome job!
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