Billie Jean
Billie Jean is a 1982 Michael Jackson song about a woman who falsely claims the narrator fathered her child.
The title became shorthand for a paternity accuser or someone making unwanted claims on a man: She's his Billie Jean—showed up saying the kid was his.
The song's distinctive bassline and Jackson's moonwalk debut made it culturally iconic.
Backward-gliding dance step
- choreographyDesigning performance movement sequences
- glideMove with effortless continuity
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
- footworkSkilled lower-limb movement
spotlight · stage · fedora · spin · isolations · popping · freestyle · hip-hop
- ThrillerRecord-breaking 1982 album
- hit singleCommercially successful song
- basslineLow-register musical foundation
- synthesizerElectronic sound-generating instrument
Quincy Jones · charts · MTV · music video · King of Pop · vinyl · eighties · radio
Male parent status
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- accusationClaim someone did wrong
- loverRomantic intimate
- claimStatement of ownership or truth
scandal · gossip · tabloid · obsession · stalker · groupie · fame · celebrity
Rhythmic pulse or strike
- basslineLow-register musical foundation
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
- syncopationStressed unexpected beats
- pulseArterial blood throb
tempo · drumbeat · swing · timing · cadence · foot-tapping · infectious · driving
moonwalk
Backward-gliding dance step
- choreographyDesigning performance movement sequences
- glideMove with effortless continuity
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
footwork · spotlight · stage · fedora · spin · isolations · popping · freestyle · hip-hop · rhythm
Michael Jackson
- ThrillerRecord-breaking 1982 album
- hit singleCommercially successful song
- basslineLow-register musical foundation
Quincy Jones · synthesizer · charts · MTV · music video · King of Pop · vinyl · eighties · radio · platinum
paternity
Male parent status
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- accusationClaim someone did wrong
- loverRomantic intimate
claim · scandal · gossip · tabloid · obsession · stalker · groupie · fame · celebrity · confession
beat
Rhythmic pulse or strike
- basslineLow-register musical foundation
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
- syncopationStressed unexpected beats
pulse · tempo · drumbeat · swing · timing · cadence · foot-tapping · infectious · driving · percussion
- 80s HitsBeat It, Thriller, Like a Virgin, Don't Stop Believin, Flashdance
- Michael JacksonThriller, Beat It, moonwalk, Bad, Neverland
- 90s HitsSmells Like Teen Spirit, Losing My Religion, Under the Bridge, November Rain, MMMBop
- Dance HitsStayin Alive, Good Times, Le Freak, September, I Will Survive
Billie Jeanmale chauvinism
Prejudice favoring men
gender discrimination · pay inequality · glass ceiling · old boys' club