“Billie Jean” Lyrics & Meaning (Michael Jackson)

What was the song Michael Jackson first moonwalked to?

You guessed it! Billie Jean.

But that is not the only claim to fame this song can boast.

It is also Jackson’s biggest hit song ever and it anchored the best-selling album of all time in Thriller.

But there is a lot of confusion surrounding the meaning of Billie Jean, in large part due to statements by the singer himself.

He always claimed the song was not about himself, but a woman who claims to be the Billie Jean from the song disputes this.

So what was he singing about exactly? And was his biggest hit autobiographical?

Keep reading to learn everything there is to know about the lyrics to Billie Jean and their meaning.

 

Billie Jean Lyrics And Meaning

Billie Jean was one of the most successful songs in Michael Jackson’s (1958-2009) career. He included the song on the album Thriller, his sixth solo album and one of the greatest pop music albums ever.

The lyrics, which the King of Pop wrote himself, tell us the story of a casual love relationship. The relationship is short-lived, but Billie Jean returns months later to accuse the singer of being the baby’s father, which he vehemently denies).

The pop hit talks about themes like interest, lies, and greed. Let’s take a look at the complete lyrics, before we dive into their analysis and interpretation.

 

Billie Jean Lyrics

Verse 1

She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene
I said, “Don’t mind, but what do you mean, I am the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round?”
She said I am the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round
She told me her name was Billie Jean as she caused a scene
Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of bein’ the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round

Pre-Chorus

People always told me, “Be careful of what you do
Don’t go around breakin’ young girls’ hearts” (Hee-hee)
And mother always told me, “Be careful of who you love
And be careful of what you do (Oh-oh)
‘Cause the lie becomes the truth” (Oh-oh), hey-ey

Chorus

Billie Jean is not my lover, uh
She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one (Oh, baby)
But the kid is not my son (Hoo)
She says I am the one (Oh, baby)
But the kid is not my son (Hee-hee-hee, no-no, hee-hee-hee, hoo)

Verse 1

For forty days and for forty nights, the law was on her side
But who can stand when she’s in demand? Her schemes and plans
‘Cause we danced on the floor in the round (Hee)
So take my strong advice
Just remember to always think twice
(Don’t think twice) Do think twice! (A-hoo!)
She told my baby we’d danced ’til three, then she looked at me
Then showed a photo of a baby cryin’, his eyes were like mine (Oh, no)
‘Cause we danced on the floor in the round, baby (Ooh, hee-hee-hee)

Pre-Chorus

People always told me, “Be careful of what you do
And don’t go around breakin’ young girls’ hearts” (Don’t break no hearts; hee-hee)
But she came and stood right by me
Just the smell of sweet perfume (Ha-oh)
This happened much too soon (Ha-oh, ha-ooh)
She called me to her room (Ha-oh, hoo), hey-ey

Chorus

Billie Jean is not my lover (Hoo)
She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
No-no-no, no-no-no-no-no-no (Hoo)
Billie Jean is not my lover, uh
She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one (Oh, baby)
But the kid is not my son (Oh, no, no)
She says I am the one (Oh, baby)
But the kid is not my son (No, hee-hee-hee, ah, hee-hee-hee)

Chorus

She says I am the one, uh
But the kid is not my son (No-no-no, hoo, ohh)
Billie Jean is not my lover, uh
She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one (You know what you did to me, baby)
But the kid is not my son
No-no-no (No-no-no, ah), no-no-no-no (No-no-no)
She says I am the one (No)
But the kid is not my son (No-no-no-no)

Outro

She says I am the one (You know what you did)
She says he is my son (Breakin’ my heart, babe)
She says I am the one
Yeah, yeah, Billie Jean is not my lover, uh
Yeah, Billie Jean is not my lover, uh
Yeah, Billie Jean is not my lover, uh (She is just a girl)
Yeah, Billie Jean is not my lover, uh (She is just a girl; don’t call me Billie Jean, hoo)
Billie Jean is not my lover, uh (She is just a girl; she’s not at the scene)
Billie Jean is not (Hee), aaow, ooh
Yeah, Billie Jean is

 

 

Billie Jean Meaning

In a series of interviews Michael Jackson stated that he was inspired to write the song Billie Jean by groupies. He himself even had a fan who stalked him and sent passionate letters.

The lyrics tell the story of a brief relationship with a girl named Billie Jean. Michael denied that the song was inspired by personal experience, and he wrote the lyrics in the third person, from the point of view of an unknown guy.

The unnamed subject recognizes that he is “the guy”, that he is envied, and that all eyes are on him. On the other hand, it also underlines the young woman’s qualities. Billie Jean is, according to the lyrics, so beautiful that she looks like a movie actress. And she is obviously also a woman so beautiful she inspired a song.

Those around the man try to alert him to the relationship he is creating. They warn him to be careful not to break hearts. His mother had already warned him. He, however, ignores the advice and chooses to move on, despite knowing the girl’s more serious intentions.

Months after the end of the relationship, Billie Jean reappears with a baby and announces that the protagonist is the father. The man says it’s impossible – that the child can’t be his – and the two get into a legal fight.

At first, the law seems to be on Billie Jean’s side. Billie Jean also tries to convince him in every way that the child is his. She even uses the argument of physical resemblance: “his eyes were like mine”.

Throughout the lyrics, the “guy” repeats that the two no longer have a relationship and that Billie Jean’s child is not his.

The song Billie Jean talks about fame, self-serving and greedy relationships, revenge, and injustice – all to a sick dancing beat.

 

Is It About Michael?

Although the artist denied claims that the song was based on personal experience, it was confirmed otherwise. Who is the mysterious Billie Jean on whom Michael Jackson based one of the most important cuts in his career?

The answer is Theresa Gonsalves, an American born in Boston the same year as the King of Pop. She had a relationship with him in his youth.

“At the age of 12, I started writing letters to Michael, and at certain times, I sent them to him every day. He was receiving and reading them for four years. When I turned 16, I traveled from Boston to Las Vegas and met him. From there we became very good friends,” Theresa told in an interview.

“At 18, I was living in Boston and Michael in New York. It was when the friendly relationship became more intimate. When Michael got back to California, I flew over and stayed with him for a week and he asked me to move. In California, the situation got complicated because he was very into his music and I started seeing someone else and got pregnant, but the guy said the baby wasn’t his. I told Michael about it and he ended up writing Billie Jean. He told me: ‘I wrote this song for you’”. Theresa named her son Mychal.

The lyrics of the song speak precisely of a man who denies being the father of a newborn. “When I confessed that I was pregnant, Michael was very disappointed, he took it as if I had been unfaithful. It is true that at that time I was his girlfriend, but he had left me alone for a long time,” said the girl from Las Vegas.

“I am Billie Jean, but I did not want to reveal my identity even though I had Michael’s permission to reveal it. I knew it was a great song and now every time I listen to it, I keep thinking that he did it for me. A lot of people call me Billie Jean and introduce me like that.”

 

Fight With Producer Quincy Jones

Billie Jean, released in 1982, is part of the famous album Thriller. It was the sixth solo album by Michael Jackson, released on November 30, 1982. Thriller is the best-selling album worldwide of all time, with more than 70 million copies sold.

The song Billie Jean was shrouded in a sea of ​​discord and was a source of disagreement between the singer and his producer Quincy Jones. Quincy didn’t want the song to be on the album, because it had a long intro and didn’t support Michael’s chosen title.

As Billie Jean is the name of a famous American tennis player, the producer feared that the title would confuse the public. To come up with a solution, Quincy then suggested that the title of the song should be Not My Lover.

Michael disagreed with the producer and defended both the lengthy intro and the chosen title. And in the end, the song made it onto the album, just as the singer wanted.

 

Billie Jean’s Success

History has proven Michael right. Billie Jean was a success with the public and critics. In addition to occupying the charts, the song received two major awards during the twenty-sixth Grammy Awards in 1983: Best Rhythm & Blues Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

In 2008, Billie Jean took first place in a BBC poll of the greatest dance song of all time. Another important fact: Billie Jean’s video was a historic milestone. With it, Michael became the first black artist with a video in heavy rotation on MTV.

Few know this, but the first moonwalk happened to sound of the song Billie Jean. The appearance took place when Michael performed at the Motown Special Concert 25 (the year was 1983).

The socks worn by the artist during the presentation in Motown were made by stylist Bill Whitten and ended up being auctioned off on November 13, 2019.

 

Billie Jean Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

The meaning behind the Billie Jean lyrics is not hard to figure out. Nothing is hidden and the story told in the song is obvious.

The big mystery is whether the lyrics recount a true story from Michael Jackson‘s life. Michael himself denied this, but a woman claiming to be the Billie Jean from the song casts doubt on his denials.

It seems Michael probably wrote the song from personal experience, but we may never know that for certain. And I suppose it does not matter. It won’t change the song’s legacy or our continued enjoyment of it.

If you’re a fan of Jackson’s, we  did a similar analysis of the Smooth Criminal lyrics meaning. We also included one of his pieces in our list of songs about refugees and immigration and another in our list of songs with walking in the title. Can you guess which songs we picked?

The King of Pop also made our list of the best male African American vocalists of the 1970s. I know most of his hits came after the 70s, but he made music in that decade, too.

For another song about a relationship that did not work out, but for different reasons, check out the Redbone lyrics meaning.

The lyrics to Southern Cross and their meaning are also about a failed relationship. In this case, they deal with moving on after the breakup of a long-term relationship.

Finally, we have the best-known song by Prince and the Revolution. The Purple Rain lyrics meaning is about having that one special person with you at the end of the world. So quite different from Michael’s hit.