Motown’s 25th Anniversary Aired This Day In 1983
May 16, 2024
On this date in 1983 the Motown 25 special aired, and Michael’s performance of “Billie Jean” wowed a US TV audience of over 47 million viewers. But Michael, always a perfectionist, says that he “felt so many conflicting emotions. I knew I had done my best and felt good, so good. But at the same time, I felt disappointed in myself. I had planned to do one really long spin and stop on my toes, suspended for a moment, but I didn’t stay on my toes as long as I wanted. I did the spin and landed on one toe. I wanted to just stay there, just freeze there, but it didn’t work quite as I’d planned.”
