Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Andrew Goodwin’s theory of music videos states that music videos contain some or all of the following elements: A link between the visuals & lyrics (compliment, contradict or amplify); Genre characteristics (heavy metal in industrialised settings; rap music in urban street contexts etc.); Contain intertextual references (references to popular culture); Contain notions of looking (e.g. screens within screens); Include objectification of females (e.g. male gaze); Include demands of the record label (close-ups of lead singer, symbols or motifs associated with the band / performer etc.); Video will be performance, narrative or concept based.
Neale’s genre theory of Repetition and Difference - Steve Neale states that though all genres are structured along the identical conventions of plot, narrative and mise-en-scene, success lies in their ability to manipulate and re-shape these elements. In this sense, all genres all contain instances of repetition and difference – and the difference is essential to the economy of the genre. Neale’s model holds that a product’s genre is defined by the following: how much it conforms to its genre’s individual conventions and stereotypes; A product must match the genre’s conventions to be identified as part of that genre if it is to attract that audience; how much a product subverts the genre’s conventions and stereotypes; the product must subvert convention enough to be considered unique and not just a clone of another product.
Notes on the Billie Jean Music Video
- Walter Yetnikoff, the president of Jackson's record company CBS Records, approached MTV about playing the "Billie Jean" video, which MTV had not ever played in spite of Jackson's success as a musical artist. Yetnikoff became enraged when MTV refused to play the video, and he threatened to go public with MTV's stance on racial discrimination. "I said to MTV, 'I'm pulling everything we have off the air, all our product. I'm not going to give you any more videos. And I'm going to go public and tell them about the fact you don't want to play music by a black guy.'" MTV relented and played the "Billie Jean" video in heavy rotation. After the video was aired, Thriller went on to sell an additional 10 million copies. The short film was inducted into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame in 1992.
- Detective
- Light Effects - steps
- Religious / spiritual
- Lyrics "Billie Jean is not my lover" and "The kid is not mine"
- Disappears by a light post
- Sophisticated editing
- MTV - first black artist - originally denied being aired
- Magical negro
- Black man helping a white man - giving money - the good person - changing lives; binary opposite to the bad guy who is stalking Jackson - shady - taking pictures - following Jackson
- Michael Jackson - hero - innocence/purity
- Blank page - no brief on what is happening
- Pressure points on stepping stones so that it would light up initially, but because it was too much, they ended up having to hire someone to light up the stones individually (electrician had to press buttons on the 11 stones that lit up)
- Michael Jackson's short film for "Billie Jean" was the first of three short films produced for recordings from Thriller, which continues its reign as the biggest selling album of all time with worldwide sales in excess of 105 million as of June 1, 2016, and in December 2015 became the first ever album to be awarded triple diamond status by the RIAA for US sales alone. The "Billie Jean" single reached No. 1 in 10 countries in the spring of 1983, including seven consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 - becoming the second-highest selling single in America that same year.
- The short film featured a paparazzo attempting to photograph Jackson as he danced through an urban landscape. A specially created set featured steps and sidewalk tiles that lit up underneath Michael's feet. It is here that fans first saw some of Michael's best-known dance moves, such as spinning and landing on his toes. Many of Michael's steps and mannerisms in the video would become forever associated with The King of Pop.
- The "Billie Jean" short film made history as the first video by a black artist to be played in heavy rotation on MTV, then in its second year. In 1992, the short film was inducted into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame. MTV ranked "Billie Jean" as the 35th greatest music video of all time in 1999, one of three entries of Jackson's on the chart alongside "Thriller" and "Beat It."
- Jackson is well dressed - suit and bowtie - typical American prom outfit
- Clean - Guy next door
Notes on the Billie Jean song overall:
- The performance introduced a number of Jackson's signatures, including the moonwalk and white sequinned glove, and was widely imitated. The "Billie Jean" music video, directed by Steve Barron, was the first video by a black artist to be aired in heavy rotation on MTV. Along with the other videos produced for Thriller, it helped establish MTV's cultural importance and make music videos an integral part of pop music marketing.
- According to Jackson's biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, "Billie Jean" was inspired by letters Jackson received in 1981 from a woman claiming he was the father of one of her twins. Jackson, who regularly received letters of this kind, had never met the woman and ignored it. However, she continued to send letters stating that she loved him and wanted to be with him, and asking how he could ignore his own flesh and blood. The letters disturbed him to the extent that he suffered nightmares. Eventually, Jackson received a parcel containing a photograph of the fan, a gun, and a letter instructing him to kill himself at a particular time. The fan would do the same once she had killed "their" baby so they could be together in the next life. To the mother's dismay, Jackson had the photograph of the woman framed and hung above the dining room table of their family home. The Jacksons later discovered that the fan had been sent to a psychiatric hospital.
Notes on the Billie Jean lyrics:
- The lyrics describe a woman, Billie Jean, who claims that the narrator is the father of her newborn son, which he denies. Jackson said the lyrics were based on groupies' claims about his older brothers when he toured with them as the Jackson 5. "They would hang around backstage doors, and any band that would come to town they would have a relationship with, and I think I wrote this out of the experience with my brothers when I was little. There were a lot of Billie Jeans out there. Every girl claimed that their son was related to one of my brothers.
- According to Inside the Hits, the lyrics refer to the commotion created by Billie Jean on a dance floor. She entices the crowd with a seductive come-on before luring Jackson to her bedroom, through the fragrance of her perfume. Jackson's vocal range spanned from a high baritone to falsetto and he usually wrote melodies to show this range. However, in the verses of "Billie Jean", his vocals range from a tenor to a low falsetto. A four-note falsetto is showcased in the chorus and, during the last line, Jackson peaks at a full octave.[3] The song has a tempo of 117 beats per minute and is in the key of F♯ minor. Following the first chorus, a cello-like synth eases in at the beginnings of both the third and later, the fourth, verses. Upon the announcement that the baby's eyes resemble Jackson's, a voice laments, "oh no". This is met with Jackson's signature falsetto "hee hee".[3] The bridge debuts the strings and holds a pedal tone tonic with the exception of two lines and a chord leading into the chorus. Violins are then played, followed by a four-note minor guitar solo. During the solo, vocal shouts, screams and laughs are added. Throughout this, the chord progression remains unaltered and is laced with Jackson's vocal hiccups. All the musical and vocal elements are then brought together in the final chorus. In the fade, Jackson repeats the denial of fathering Billie Jean's child.[3]
Analysis of the lyrics to Billie Jean:
She was more like a beauty queen from a movie sceneI 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 being the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round
People always told me be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts
And mother always told me be careful of who you love
And be careful of what you do 'cause the lie becomes the truth
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son - Being accused of having his son - but he knows that she is not his lover
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
For forty days and forty nights - Biblical reference - religious
The law was on her side - In court, he didn't have many people on his side - they rather went with her story about him being the father - she tried to get money from him
But who can stand when she's in demand
Her schemes and plans
'Cause we danced on the floor in the round
So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice
(Don't think twice, don't think twice)
She told my baby we'd danced till three, then she looked at me
Then showed a photo my baby cried his eyes were like mine (oh, no!) - Babies get complimented at birth when people say that they look like their parents
'Cause we danced on the floor in the round, baby
People always told me be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts
She came and stood right by me
Just the smell of sweet perfume
This happened much too soon
She called me to her room
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
She says I am the one,
(You know what you did, (she says he is my son)breaking my heart babe)
She says I am the one
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover (don't Billie Jean)
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover
"She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene" - Michael compares this woman to a dreamy one, kinda like the ones you would see in films. This could also be suggesting that she may have seemed perfect, she might not have been.
But who can stand when she's in demand
Her schemes and plans
'Cause we danced on the floor in the round
So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice
(Don't think twice, don't think twice)
She told my baby we'd danced till three, then she looked at me
Then showed a photo my baby cried his eyes were like mine (oh, no!) - Babies get complimented at birth when people say that they look like their parents
'Cause we danced on the floor in the round, baby
People always told me be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts
She came and stood right by me
Just the smell of sweet perfume
This happened much too soon
She called me to her room
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
She says I am the one,
(You know what you did, (she says he is my son)breaking my heart babe)
She says I am the one
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover (don't Billie Jean)
Billie Jean is not my lover
Billie Jean is not my lover
"She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene" - Michael compares this woman to a dreamy one, kinda like the ones you would see in films. This could also be suggesting that she may have seemed perfect, she might not have been.
"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" - Mesmerized by her beauty, MJ can’t help but accept her offer, even though he is unsure why she chose him. A ‘dance on the floor in the round’ could be a euphemism for sex, but it most likely simply means that Michael was the one she wanted to dance with during this interval of songs.
"She told me her name was Billie Jean; As she caused a scene; Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one" - Michael learns during this dance that the girl’s name is Billie Jean. Many people take notice of such a beautiful girl choosing Michael as ‘the one’ – or vice versa. Many people, namely Quincy Jones, did not want ‘Billie Jean’ to appear on Thriller for numerous reasons, one of them being he felt that the song’s title and lyrical mentions of this ‘Billie Jean’ would draw comparisons and rumours about tennis innovator Billie Jean King, who at the time was still married, an open lesbian, and had previously had an abortion. Michael refused to change the name to ‘Not my Lover’ as Quincy suggested.
"Who will dance on the floor in the round" - In this repetition of the line, Michael realizes that everyone is watching him and has accepted him as ‘the one'—the lucky guy Billie Jean chooses to groove with.
"She told me her name was Billie Jean; As she caused a scene; Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one" - Michael learns during this dance that the girl’s name is Billie Jean. Many people take notice of such a beautiful girl choosing Michael as ‘the one’ – or vice versa. Many people, namely Quincy Jones, did not want ‘Billie Jean’ to appear on Thriller for numerous reasons, one of them being he felt that the song’s title and lyrical mentions of this ‘Billie Jean’ would draw comparisons and rumours about tennis innovator Billie Jean King, who at the time was still married, an open lesbian, and had previously had an abortion. Michael refused to change the name to ‘Not my Lover’ as Quincy suggested.
"Who will dance on the floor in the round" - In this repetition of the line, Michael realizes that everyone is watching him and has accepted him as ‘the one'—the lucky guy Billie Jean chooses to groove with.
"People always told me, "Be careful of what you do; Don't go around breaking young girls' hearts"" When Jackson was young, he performed with his brothers in The Jackson 5. He noticed that his brothers had relations with a number of groupies who would later claim they’d been impregnated. Jackson said in 1988: "They used to call them groupies in the 60’s. They would hang around backstage doors, and any band that would come to town they would have a relationship with, and I think I wrote this out of the experience with my brothers when I was little. There were a lot of Billie Jeans out there. Every girl claimed that their son was related to one of my brothers." - He is trying to add proof to the fact that he did not meet with the girl.
"And mother always told me, "Be careful of who you love; And be careful of what you do, 'cause the lie becomes the truth"" - This line precedes the first one about young MJ as a heart breaker and his mother warning him to be careful about who he loves and especially be careful about what you do with that loved one, because a lie can easily be made to seem true and used against him. Especially with celebrities, rumours and innuendo become codified into their personas and “the lie” becomes inseparable from the figure. The lie may not be the actual truth, but it is the truth by consensus. Also, if a man sleeps with a woman he doesn’t love and she believes he does, and a child comes out of it, his love is a lie but them having a child together is, in essence, a lie becomes the truth. Also if you lie about something long enough people will start to think that the lie is actually the truth. Including yourself.
"Billie Jean is not my lover; She's just a girl who claims that I am the one; But the kid is not my son; She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son"- The general theme the chorus revolves around the idea of “groupies,” or crazed fans. MJ and the Jackson 5 encountered many of these throughout their career. In a 1996 interview in Thailand, MJ said: "They would hang around backstage doors, and any band that would come to town they would have a relationship with, and I think I wrote this out of the experience with my brothers when I was little. There were a lot of Billie Jeans out there. Every girl claimed that their son was related to one of my brothers." J. Randy Taraborrelli, the author of MJ’s biography The Magic & The Madness, wrote that the Billie Jean character was derived from a young woman who alleged MJ was the father of her child. While this is possible, MJ shrugged the claim in his autobiographyMoonwalk: "There never was a real Billie Jean. The girl in the song is a composite of people my brothers have been plagued with over the years. I could never understand how these girls could say they were carrying someone’s child when it wasn’t true." As a single that sold exceptionally well upon release, on the best selling album of all time, this is one of the most famous choruses in existence.
"For forty days and for forty nights" - Genesis 5 talks about how rain fell on the earth for forty days and for forty nights. Rain symbolizes crying in many cases. Some people use 40 days and 40 nights as a healing process. 40 days and 40 nights is the length of Lent. According to the Bible, it took 40 days and 40 nights for Moses to go and retrieve the Ten Commandments. One of these commandments was the belief in, and worship of, one and only one god. However, in his absence, Moses’s brother led the people in constructing a golden calf as their idol. For just those 40 days and 40 nights, the law was on the side of those who worshipped a false idol.
"The law was on her side; But who can stand when she's in demand?" - Billie Jean went to the courts and tried to get money from MJ, appearing as the one who was correct. MJ learns here that his mother was right: “… the lie becomes the truth.”
"So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice; (Don't think twice) Do think twice! (hoo)" - Take his strong advice and think clearly before you get involved with someone. This is also a case of the ‘devil versus angel’ trying to give someone advice. The “don’t think twice” echo obviously represents the devil/bad choice and the “do think twice” is the advice MJ chooses to take from the angel.
"She told my baby we'd danced till three, then she looked at me" - M.J recalls ‘Billie Jean’ telling his current girl that they had been up late dancing, which could either be a literal tale or a metaphor for having sex until the early hours. Either way Billie Jean is painting an image for the girl of Jackson, seemingly to tarnish their relationship.
"Then showed a photo of a baby crying, his eyes were like mine (oh no)" - The “oh no” signifies MJ’s horror at the similarity between their eyes, as it lends credence to Billie Jean’s claim that he fathered her baby.
"'Cause we danced on the floor in the round, baby" - The line could either be literal or a metaphor. Literally, the dancing was the cause that leads into the action (sex) that ended with the consequence (Baby). Metaphorically, “We danced on the floor” is in itself the action, a euphemism/metaphor for having sex.
"She came and stood right by me; Then the smell of sweet perfume; This happened much too soon; She called me to her room" - The ironic implication is that Michael ends up getting seduced by Billie Jean, despite the situation. This is a sort of “surprise ending”. One would likely predict an ending with Michael pleading with his girl (“my baby”) to believe him, or something similar. However, this ironic ending makes the story that much more interesting–although not less tragic, as expressed by Michael’s repetition of the lamenting chorus. However, it may not necessarily be an ending. It could be a flashback to the night they “danced”… after all, the baby looks an awful lot like him.
Notes on Michael Jackson:
- Michael Jackson: defining genre: Michael Jackson largely defined the modern music video with Billie Jean. He followed it with two bigger-budget videos: Bad (directed by Martin Scorcese) and Thriller (directed by John Landis) – pushing the boundaries of the music video genre; Both of these later videos were effectively short films that leaned heavily on film genres – using well-established film directors. This reinforced the intertextual element of his music videos and helped to create the Michael Jackson identity of the 1980s and 1990s.
- Musical innovato
- Dancer
Rick James on MTV
- "Super Freak" was released about five months after MTV went on the air, and Rick James made a slick video for the song hoping it would get some spins on the network. At the time, however, MTV refused to play videos by black artists, and they rejected this clip, continuing to feed America a steady stream of rock and EuroPop. This refusal to play black music was a holdover from radio station programming, where conventional wisdom was that you would lose your white listeners if you played black music.
- Superfreak Video: Rick James video presented a hyper-sexualised black male who white women found attractive; Rick James’ subliminal media language of “the “Black Buck” was not suited to white producers.
Stereotypes of black men in the media
- black sidekick of a white protagonist (the help)(secondary role) – learners may independently research the meaning of the “foil” as a character role.
- the token black person,
- the comedic relief,
- the athlete,
- the over-sexed ladies’ man, (Black Buck - in the negro, all the passions, emotions, and ambitions are almost entirely dominated by the sexual instinct)
- the absentee father or,
- the violent black man as a drug-dealing criminal and gangster thug.
Black racial stereotypes
- Musicians - jazz, hip-hop and soul
- Sportsmen and women
- Comedians
- Criminals
- Socially dysfunctional
- Prostitute/sexually promiscuous
- The stud/pimp
Screenshots from the music video: