Fellow Cordials band member Leonard Capizzi and Pickett wrote the song together and pitched it to record labels. They were rejected four times before it was picked up by Gary S. Paxton’s Garpax ...
As 1983 began, the label prepared its campaign ... MTV debuted “Billie Jean,” on March 1st, just four days before the song hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, making it the first uptempo urban song ...