{"id":49274,"date":"2026-03-09T10:32:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T10:32:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=49274"},"modified":"2026-03-09T10:32:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T10:32:57","slug":"the-bassline-quincy-jones-almost-deleted-the-1982-song-that-was-too-long-for-thriller-is-now-a-blueprint-for-pop-icons-the-weeknd-and-bruno-mars-owe-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=49274","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe bassline Quincy Jones almost deleted\u201d: The 1982 Song That Was \u2018Too Long\u2019 for Thriller Is Now a Blueprint for Pop Icons \u2014 The Weeknd and Bruno Mars Owe Him Big."},"content":{"rendered":"

In the early 1980s, Michael Jackson was preparing to release what would become one of the most influential albums in music history. Thriller<\/em>, produced by Quincy Jones, was already shaping up to be a groundbreaking project, blending pop, funk, R&B, and cutting-edge studio techniques. Yet one of its most iconic elements nearly disappeared before the world ever heard it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The song was \u201cBillie Jean.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

During the recording sessions in 1982, producer Quincy Jones reportedly had serious concerns about the track\u2019s long, minimalistic opening. Unlike many pop songs of the era, \u201cBillie Jean\u201d begins with a sparse drum pattern followed by a hypnotic bassline that stretches for nearly half a minute before the main vocal enters. Jones worried the introduction might test listeners\u2019 patience, especially on radio, where quick hooks were often considered essential.<\/span><\/p>\n

From a producer\u2019s perspective, the concern was understandable. Radio programming in the early 1980s favored immediate engagement, and a slow-building intro risked losing attention before the song fully unfolded. Jones even considered trimming the intro significantly to make the track more radio-friendly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Jackson, however, strongly disagreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

He believed the bassline was the very heartbeat of the song. According to accounts from the recording sessions, Jackson insisted, \u201cThat\u2019s what makes me want to dance.\u201d To him, the groove created anticipation, pulling listeners into the rhythm before the story of the lyrics even began.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jackson ultimately won the argument, and the intro remained intact.<\/span><\/p>\n

What followed became music history.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bassline\u2014played by legendary session musician Louis Johnson\u2014turned into one of the most recognizable musical motifs ever recorded. Its steady pulse and subtle tension helped define the entire atmosphere of the song. Rather than feeling slow, the opening created a sense of suspense that made the eventual vocal entrance even more powerful.<\/span><\/p>\n

When \u201cBillie Jean\u201d was released in 1983, it quickly became one of the defining hits of Jackson\u2019s career. The song spent seven consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a global phenomenon. It also earned two Grammy Awards and helped propel Thriller<\/em> into becoming the best-selling album of all time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond its chart success, the track changed the blueprint for pop production.<\/span><\/p>\n

The minimalist arrangement\u2014built around rhythm, bass, and atmosphere\u2014showed that a song could captivate listeners through groove and tension rather than sheer volume or complexity. Producers and artists began paying closer attention to how subtle elements could shape the emotional impact of a track.<\/span><\/p>\n

The influence of \u201cBillie Jean\u201d continues to echo through modern pop and R&B. Contemporary artists such as The Weeknd and Bruno Mars have often drawn inspiration from the song\u2019s moody atmosphere and precise rhythmic structure. The Weeknd\u2019s retro-inspired hits, for example, frequently echo the same blend of darkness and danceable groove that made \u201cBillie Jean\u201d so distinctive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Music producers today still analyze the track as a masterclass in arrangement. The careful layering of drums, bass, and synth textures demonstrates how restraint can be more powerful than excess. Every element in the song has space to breathe, allowing the groove to remain hypnotic from start to finish.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back, the decision to keep that 29-second intro may have seemed small at the time. Yet it helped create one of the most instantly recognizable openings in popular music.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Quincy Jones once feared might slow the song down ultimately became the very feature that made listeners stop\u2014and listen.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the early 1980s, Michael Jackson was preparing to release what would become one of the most influential albums in music history. Thriller, produced by Quincy Jones, was already shaping up to be a groundbreaking project, blending pop, funk, R&B, and cutting-edge studio techniques. Yet one of its most iconic elements nearly disappeared before the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49274\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}