The 80s mostly ... but I wrote Billie Jean and I wrote We Are the World and I’m a songwriter too.'” Despite the fact that Prince turned down the chance to vocally spar with Jackson on Bad ...

Could it maybe even be Taylor Swift’s “Billie Jean”? OK, that last hypothetical ... Swift has generated any songs worthy of that Michael Jackson–level cultural footprint.

Featuring Jackson’s videos for “Billie Jean” and two weeks later for “Beat It” widened the video-clip channel’s appeal as much as airplay on MTV widened the appeal of Michael Jackson.