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Song: Billie Jean
Mos Def does a Michael Jackson tribute at the Gothic Theatre Denver Colorado on August 21, 2009
Mos Def – Michael Jackson Tribute – Billie Jean from Black Sheep on Vimeo.
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Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro gained fame by playing the role of Carlton Banks in the television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990 to 1996. He also appeared in one of Michael Jackson’s Pepsi television commercials as a dancer in 1984.
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The short film for Jackson’s “Billie Jean” is considered the video that brought MTV, a fairly new and unknown music channel, into mainstream attention. It was one of the first videos by a black artist to be played regularly by the channel, as it had felt that black music was “not rock enough.”
Directed by Steve Barron, the video shows a trench-coated photographer following Jackson through city streets. The paparazzo never catches the singer, and even when photographed, Jackson fails to materialise on the developed picture. Dancing his way to Billie Jean’s hotel room, Jackson walks along a sidewalk and causes each tile to light up at his touch, symbolizing the singer’s fame being recognized wherever he goes. Performing a quick spin, Jackson jumps and lands, freeze framed, on his toes. Upon arriving at the hotel, Jackson climbs the staircase to Billie Jean’s room. Each step illuminates as he touches it and a burnt-out “Hotel” sign illuminates as he passes. Arriving at the scene, the photographer watches as Jackson disappears under the covers of Billie Jean’s bed. Trailed by the police, he is then arrested for spying on the couple.
Jackson sported a new look for the video; Jheri curled hair and a surgically sculpted nose. Jackson’s look, a black leather suit with a pink shirt and bow tie, was copied by children around the US. Imitation became so severe that despite pupil protests Bound Brook High School banned students from wearing a single white glove like Jackson had on Motown 25.
Walter Yetnikoff, the president of Jackson’s record label, CBS, approached MTV to play the “Billie Jean” video. Yetnikoff became enraged when MTV refused to play the video, and threatened to go public with MTV’s stance on black musicians. “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. Following the airing of the video, Thriller went on to sell an additional 10 million copies. The company later denied claims of racism in their broadcasting.
The short film earned Jackson the Billboard Video Award for Best Overall Video and he was inducted into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame in 1992.
In a 2005 poll of 31 pop stars, video directors, agents and journalists conducted by telecommunications company 3, the music video was ranked fifth in their “Top 20 Music Videos Ever”. The video was also ranked as the 35th greatest music video in a list compiled by MTV and TV Guide at the millennium.
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Steve Barron (born 4 May 1956) is a director and producer, best known for directing the films Coneheads (1993), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) and the innovative music video for a-ha’s “Take on Me”.
He was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of filmmaker Zelda Barron. He attended St Marylebone Grammar School.
He made his directorial debut in 1979 and directed many of the 1980s’ most memorable music videos, including “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson, “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits, and “Take on Me” by a-ha.
Barron made only 8 music videos in early 90′s and made his last music video in 1993 for David Bowie’s “As the World Falls Down”. In 1984, he directed the sci-fi comedy Electric Dreams, and then went on to direct several episodes of the television series The Storyteller before returning to the big screen, directing films such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1990, The Adventures of Pinocchio in 1996, Rat in 2000 and Mike Bassett: England Manager in 2001.
He told Cinefantastique that The Adventures of Pinocchio is his favorite book and that the film version, which he both wrote (with assistance) and directed, was his dream project.
Barron has also directed several award winning miniseries, such as Merlin (1998), Arabian Nights (2000) and DreamKeeper (2003) for Hallmark Entertainment.
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Quincy Jones also wanted to change the track’s title to “Not My Lover”, believing that people would think the song referred to the tennis player Billie Jean King. Michael Jackson refused to change the title.
Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943 in Long Beach, California) is a tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
She is known for the “The Battle of the Sexes” in 1973, in which she defeated Bobby Riggs, (picture above) a former Wimbledon men’s singles champion.
King is the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association, the Women’s Sports Foundation, and World Team Tennis, which she founded with her former husband, Lawrence King.
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Jackson stated in his autobiography, Moon Walk, that the song was based on the groupies he and his brothers encountered while part of The Jackson 5.
“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.”
Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli promoted the theory that “Billie Jean” was derived from a real life experience the singer faced in 1981. The Magic & The Madness documents how a young woman wrote a letter to Jackson, informing the singer that he was the father of one of her twins.
Jackson, who regularly received letters of this kind, had never met the woman in question and ignored it. The woman sent more letters to Jackson, claiming that she loved him and wanted to be with him. She wrote of how happy they would be, bringing up the child together. She pondered how Jackson could ignore his own flesh and blood. The letters disturbed the singer to the extent that he suffered nightmares.
Following the letters, Jackson received a parcel containing a photograph of the fan, as well as a letter and a gun. Jackson was horrified—the letter asked that the pop star kill himself on a certain day and at a specific time. The fan would do the same once she had killed their baby. She wrote that if they could not be together in this life, then they would be in the next. Afterward, the Jacksons discovered that the female fan had been sent to a psychiatric hospital.
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Billie Jean was written by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones for the singer’s sixth solo album, Thriller (1982). Billie Jean was originally disliked by Quincy Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and Jackson had numerous disagreements. The song is well known for its distinctive bass line and Jackson’s vocal hiccups.
Billie Jean was mixed by Bruce Swedien ninety-one times—unusual for Swedien, who usually mixed a song once. Jones had told Swedien to create a drum sound that no one had ever heard before. The audio engineer was also told to add a different element, “sonic personality”.
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Rihanna made an appearance on the red carpet at the Costume Institute Gala 2009. She was clad in a gender-bender black puff sleeve suit-bow-tie combo by Dolce & Gabbana. Biker chic leather gloves completed the ensemble.
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REMOVE THAT SCARF! YOUR HANDSOME!
Awww…
