Time Magazine Name “Billie Jean” In Top 100 Songs

TIME MAGAZINE: The “Billie Jean” video, directed by Steve Barron, snapped the neck of everyone who saw it with its straight-on display of Jackson’s star quality. A sinister sleuth trails Michael with tabloid allegations, as the singer slouches poutily in his pink shirt and bowtie. Not until nearly two minutes into the video does he start dancing, and then it’s phenomenal. Any pavement flagstone, trash-can rim or back-alley stair his feet land on glows magically. The bed sheets he slips into turn phosphorescent. His moves are no less radiant: little miracles of spinning, strutting, hunching and moonwalking. The new medium had its ultimate showman, for Michael Jackson was not just the Al Jolson and Fred Astaire of music videos but his own beautiful, bad self.