Michael Jackson’s 1983 hit “Billie Jean” was more than just a record-breaking success; it was also a timeless classic that earned its place among the greatest songs ever recorded.
However, its journey to becoming an iconic hit began with an unexpected moment.
Celebrating some of the most influential and culturally significant music in history, Rolling Stone compiled its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, covering a wide range of genres and decades.
Landing at No. 44 on the list was Michael Jackson’s song “Billie Jean.”
Rolling Stone emphasized the track’s massive impact and how it made the King of Pop “the biggest star since Elvis Presley.”
Released as a single in 1983, “Billie Jean” was part of Jackson’s second album, Thriller.
The song’s unique blend of post-disco, funk, R&B and dance-pop, accompanied by its dark yet cinematic music video, made the song stand out among its contemporaries.
Shortly after the song’s debut, “Billie Jean” entered the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 1 for seven weeks, making it Jackson’s longest-running No. 1 hit, tied with the 1991 song “Black or White.”
The song’s massive popularity also helped propel Jackson’s Thriller to even greater heights, with the album going on to become Guinness World Records’ best-selling album of all time, with estimated global sales exceeding 67 million copies.
While the song received major recognition and became one of his most iconic hits, the story behind its creation is just as fascinating.
According to Jackson, he was riding in a Rolls-Royce and was so focused on thinking about “Billie Jean” that he barely noticed the car was on fire.
“A musician knows hit material. It has to feel right. Everything has to feel in place,” he mentioned in his autobiography Moonwalk, as cited by Songfacts, adding, “It fulfills you and it makes you feel good. You know it when you hear it. That’s how I felt about ‘Billie Jean.’ I knew it was going to be big while I was writing it. I was really absorbed in that song. One day during a break in a recording session, I was riding down the Ventura Freeway with Nelson Hayes, who was working with me at the time. ‘Billie Jean’ was going around in my head and that’s all I was thinking about. We were getting off the freeway when a kid on a motorcycle pulled up to us and says, ‘Your car’s on fire.’ Suddenly we noticed the smoke and pulled over and the whole bottom of the Rolls-Royce was on fire. That kid probably saved our lives. If the car had exploded, we could have been killed. But I was so absorbed by this tune floating in my head that I didn’t even focus on the awful possibilities until later.”
Decades later, Jackson’s song remains influential and continues to stand as one of the greatest songs ever recorded.
Related: ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson’s Historic Song Hits 1 Billion Streams 42 Years After Release