"Billie Jean" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 3, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982).

It was also a number one hit in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Switzerland and Belgium, and reached the top ten in many other countries.

"Billie Jean" is certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and is one of the best-selling singles of all-time.

Jackson's performance of "Billie Jean" on the TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was nominated for an Emmy Award.

It introduced a number of Jackson's signatures, including the moonwalk, rhinestone glove, black sequined jacket, and high-water pants, and was widely imitated.

The spare, bass-driven arrangement of "Billie Jean" helped pioneer what one critic called "sleek, post-soul pop music".

"[3][15] Jones also wanted to change the title to "Not My Lover", as he believed that people would think the song referred to the tennis player Billie Jean King.

[16][17] Jackson refused to change the title and asked Jones to give him co-producing credits for the track, as he felt that the finished product sounded close to his demo.

[29] On January 3, 1983, "Billie Jean" was released as the album's second single; it follows Jackson's successful duet with Paul McCartney on "The Girl Is Mine".

It remained at number one for nine weeks on the R&B chart, being preceded by the Gap Band's "Outstanding", before the single was eventually succeeded by George Clinton's "Atomic Dog".

[30] "Billie Jean" also reached number one in Canada, Switzerland and Belgium, and the top ten in Austria, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden.

"[36] In a Rolling Stone review, Christopher Connelly described "Billie Jean" as a "lean, insistent funk number whose message couldn't be more blunt: 'She says I am the one/But the kid is not my son'".

[20] Blender stated that the song was "one of the most sonically eccentric, psychologically fraught, downright bizarre things ever to land on Top 40 radio".

They added that it was "frighteningly stark, with a pulsing, cat-on-the-prowl bass figure, whip-crack downbeat and eerie multi-tracked vocals ricocheting in the vast spaces between keyboards and strings".

[3] Stylus said of the song, "It's one of the best representations of film noir in pop music, ending with no resolution except a single mother and selfish, careless scumball.

It won the Billboard Music Award for favorite dance/disco 12" LP, and the magazine's 1980's poll named "Billie Jean" as the "Black Single of the Decade".

[44] MTV initially refused to air the video for "Billie Jean", as the network's executives felt black music did not fit into its "rock"-centered programming at the time.

[45] Imitation became so severe that, despite pupil protests, Bound Brook High School forbade students from wearing a single white glove like Jackson had on during the performance of "Billie Jean" at Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever.

[citation needed] Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was watched by 50 million people and Jackson's routine earned him an Emmy nomination.

[54] Jackson subsequently said that "Billie Jean" was one of his favorite songs to perform live, but only when he did not have to do it the way he had on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever.

"[39] In a Top 100 list compiled by VH1 and Entertainment Weekly in 2000, Jackson's performance was ranked as the sixth greatest rock 'n' roll TV moment.

Titled "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 stated that the remix would have benefited from a guest verse by West, which "might have added dynamics to the mix's clumsy claustrophobia".

[72] Mike Joseph, in a review of Thriller 25 for PopMatters, described the track listing of the reissue as "pleasant" but that West's "lazy" remix was the only exception.

[73] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone disliked the removal of the original bassline, and compared it to "putting Bobby Orr on the ice without a hockey stick".

[81] Frequently listed in magazine polls of the best songs ever made, "Billie Jean" was named the greatest dance record of all time by BBC Radio 2 listeners.

[181] Los Angeles Times described the track as "a grim, spooky take" on Jackson's "Billie Jean", and added that it was "amusing enough, even if it sounds a lot more like Metallica's 'Nothing Else Matters'".

[186] In 2022, a clip from the HBO sports documentary series Hard Knocks went viral, where Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson sang the song in front of the team as part of a rookie talent show.

American band Slingshot recorded a note-for-note remake of the song later that same year; this version hit number one on the Billboard Dance/Disco charts.

Scottish bhangra group Tigerstyle's song "Nachna Onda Nei" includes the backing tracks of both "Billie Jean" and "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, with new vocals by Kaka Bhaniawala.