"Billie Jean" was written and composed by Michael Jackson, who produced it with Quincy Jones. It was recorded on 30 November 1982 for the album Thriller, his sixth studio album, at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and mixed by Bruce Swedien. Epic Records released it as the second single from the album on 2 January 1983. The track is a post-disco, R&B and funk song in F-sharp minor at 117 BPM. The verses open with drums and hi-hat, cabasa, a repetitive bassline, staccato synthesizer and finger snaps, and the bridge features strings over a pedal-tone tonic. The lyrics tell of a young woman who claims the narrator fathered her son, a claim he denies.
The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks from 2 March 1983 and topped the charts in the UK, Canada, Australia, France and Ireland, among other countries. It was certified diamond in the United States. Notable covers include versions by Mina, Caetano Veloso, Chris Cornell, Weezer, Aloe Blacc and Eek-A-Mouse. More recently, the soundtrack of the 2026 biopic Michael returned the song to number one on the Billboard Global 200.
