The 100 greatest UK No 1s: No 6, Michael Jackson – Billie Jean

Billie Jean is not cancelled. Whatever personal arrangement you may have come to regarding the life and music of Michael Jackson, the culture at large has made its decision. In radio stations, gyms, cafes and wedding dancefloors (at least when they were open) certain of his songs have been deemed too good to lose, and Billie Jean tops the list. On one level that makes sense: it’s Jackson’s biggest-selling solo single, and one of the biggest hits by anyone ever. Yet it remains a thoroughly bizarre record, spawned in the darker precincts of Jackson’s imagination.

Billie Jean was his Rubicon. From the Jackson 5’s first singles through to Off the Wall’s hymns to the weekend, Jackson had a preternatural gift for making people feel good. Billie Jean,