Even in a career as packed with hits as Michael Jackson's, there are songs that stand apart. Nearly 30 years after its release, "Billie Jean" remains one of the defining moments of the MJ legacy—a smash success with groundbreaking cultural impact (its video was the first by a black artist played on MTV) and sustained critical acclaim (it was named the Greatest Song Since You Were Born by Blender in 2005). Of course, it's not hard to see why; just take another listen to "Billie Jean" and you'll immediately be struck by Quincy Jones' masterful production. It's a layered patchwork of building tension, featuring unexpected flourishes—a saxophone here, some cascading strings there—that only make repeated plays a more revealing and enriching experience. But the most powerful instrument has always been Jackson's expressive pipes, and it's his intriguing mix of anger and desperation here that helps elevate the song to among the best ever in pop music, especially on the endlessly imitable bridge and chorus. A+
29 years ago this week, "Billie Jean" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.
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