Video of the Fortnight - Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

Poor old Michael Jackson. He comes in for a lot of flack these days. His musical output has dwindled and the little that he has produced in the last few years hasn't exactly been brilliant. And physically he's not looking .... great. He's also been the butt of several million child-molestation jokes. Which ahem, I'm ashamed to say I have actually found screamingly funny, so much so that I posted some of them on this blog.

Anyway. Back in the early 1980s MJ was riding on the crest of the musical wave. And he was still looking relatively normal, rather handsome in fact. "Off The Wall" and "Thriller" are actually two of my favourite albums and certainly illustrate Michael at his best, when he was working with producer Quincy Jones.

"Billie Jean" still sounds brilliant - it's funky, danceable and soulful with a great beat. Simple but elegant. And the accompanying video is a blast.

I love the look to this video - the "city" set/backdrop at night. There's obviously matte paintings in the background but I like the atmosphere and vibe that the set evokes - Michael dancing on the fringes of the city, at night time.

And who is Michael in this video? Someone with supernatural powers who can turn tramps into rich, well-dressed gentlemen! How useful! Someone who can disappear into thin air at will, to the consternation of the detective who's stalking him! And I wish I could make the pavement light up like that, truly awesome! Anyway all of these effects lend an air of magic to the video that I really like.

Michael himself is looking pretty good - back in the days when his skin was still, erm, brown, and is wearing quite a camp little outfit! Pink shirt and matching socks and Fred Astaire type shoes eh? But he still manages to pull it all off, stylish fella that he is!

As for the storyline, I haven't the foggiest what's going on. The lyrics don't quite match with the video. But never mind, that's what 80s videos were often about.