مایکل جکسون

She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene.

I said, “Don’t mind,” but what do you mean “I am the one Who will dance on the floor in the round?”

She said I am the one who will dance on the floor in the round.

She told me her name was Billie Jean.

As she caused a scene.

Then every head turned with that dreamed of being the one.

Who will dance on the floor in the round.

People always told me, “Be careful of what you do And don’t go around breaking young girls’ hearts.”

And mother always told me, “Be careful of who you love, And be careful of what you do ‘Cause the lie becomes the truth.”

Billie Jean is not my lover

She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one

But the kid is not my son

She says I am the one

But the kid is not my son

For forty days and for forty nights, law was on her side

But who can stand when she’s in demand?

Her schemes and plans

‘Cause we danced on the floor in the round

So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice

(Don’t think twice, do think twice.)

She told my baby, “We’d danced ‘til three”

Then she looked at me

Then showed a photo of a baby cried, his eyes were like mine, ‘Cause we danced on the floor in the round, baby

She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene

I said, “Don’t mind, but what do you mean “I am the one Who will dance on the floor in the round?”

Sometimes we use the phrase I hope you don’t mind my asking or

If you don’t mind my asking to ask something in a polite way.

Alternatively, instead of my asking it’s also common to say me asking.

Michael here uses a shorter, yet unconventional, way to say this expression: don’t mind, but…

In his song, Michael has bee invited to dance by a beautiful woman (he calls her “a beauty queen”).

But he can’t believe it, so that’s why he asks her “what do you mean I am the one?”

When we say that someone is the one, we mean that person is the right person to do something.

He or she has been chosen.

The one is many times used to refer to the person who will be the love of your life.

We’ll see this again later in the lesson.

I said, “Don’t mind,” but what do you mean “I am the one Who will dance on the floor in the round?”

By “dance on the floor in the round” Michael probably does literally means dancing.

However, it could also be a euphemism for sex.

Or maybe it even means both things.

A euphemism, by the way, is a less direct, less offensive way to say something that could normally be offensive.

For example, a boss saying “I’m going to have to let you go “ is softer than saying “you’re fired. “

So, that’s a euphemism.

Example : Hey, Sherri, Michael Scott returning.

Oh, she’s in a meeting.

She just wanted the name of the employee you let go.

Example : I’ve got some bad news.

You’re fired.

You need to pack up your things and go.

I’m serious, Stanley.

It’s over, I’m sorry.

You’re fired.

Get your fingers off my phone.

By the way, did you notice we say a euphemism and not an euphemism?

This is because, although it begin with a vowel [e], the sound is a consonant [Y].

Euphemism [yu-fuh-mizm].

This happens with other words, too, and that is one reason why it is important to depend on your ears and not just your eyes (reading).

unicorn - unique - university

Example : It’s like seeing a unicorn and big foot at the same time.

Example : Randy has a unique condition.

Example : All your ideas address the issue at a university level.

She told me her name was Billie Jean.

As she caused a scene.

To caused a scene is to create a loud, typically angry or embarrassing disturbance or display in public.

Example : Matt’s girlfriend caused a scene when she saw his ex tested him.

Example : Max was afraid you were all gonna caused a scene:and I told him that wouldn’t happen under any circumstances.

Then every head turned with that dreamed of being the one.

Who will dance on the floor in the round.

If you make heads turn (or if you turn heads), you do something that attracts a lot of attention.

Example : Lady Gaga’s outfit turned a lot of heads.

You could transform this verb phrase in the following way:

She wore a head-turning dress.

That bike is a head-turner!

Then every head turned with that dreamed of being the one.

This means that everybody wished or had a strong desire to be the one to dance with Billie Jean.

What other ways could we say that “She made heads turn?”

Which did you think was correct?

In fact, all of these expressions are very similar and you could also use them in this context!

People always told me,

“Be careful of what you do Don’t go around breaking young girls’ hearts.”

I suppose you don’t want to just listen to this fantastic Michael Jackson song, you also want to sing it! :)

So, let’s practice the pronunciation of these two utterances.

Listen again to how he pronounces this:

People always told me,

Be careful of what you do.

We’re going to stress these syllables only.

Be care ful of what you do

Everything else is unstressed.

Of almost disappears.

Be careful of [uh] what you do

You reduces and links to what,

So “what you” morphs to “wat-chu.”

All together:

Be careful of what you do

Next is this.

“And don’t go around breaking young girls’ hearts.”

First, we’re just going to forget about these:

We’re just now going to initiate how he says it:

“An d don’t go aroun d breakin g youn g girls’ hearts.”

“And don’t go around breaking young girls’ hearts.”

And mother always told me, “Be careful of who you love, And be careful of what you do ‘Cause the lie becomes the truth.”

To explain the meaning of these lyrics, Michael may be talking about how careful a celebrity needs to be when dating.

Celebrities many times are harassed by ex-girlfriend or boyfriends because they want money or fame.

They will sometimes tell lies in order to get something in return.

He says “ ‘cause the lie becomes the truth.”

This means that although something that’s being said of you might not be true, if people think it is true, in some way it becomes the truth and you can’t clean your name or escape from it.

The verse we’ve just covered is about Michael meeting and having a romantic evening with Billie Jean.

Now, this verse that follows is about Michael wanting nothing to do with her.

Some time has passed, and Billie Jean says that she got pregnant by Michael, but Michael doesn’t think he’s the father of the child.

Billie Jean is not my lover

She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one

But the kid is not my son.

You could interpret “Billie Jean is not my lover” as if people, especially the tabloids

• the type of media that circulates rumors, have been saying that Michael has been seeing Billie Jean on repeated occasions.

A lover can have many different meanings depending on the context.

In this case, it is someone who is in a loving or even just a Sexual relationship with another person.

For Michael, Billie was just a one night stand, that’s to say, someone who has a Sexual encounter only once.

As he says “She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one”

To claim is to say that something is true (even if it may be a lie).

Example : That English school claims that they will make you fluent in 3 months, but I doubt it’s true.

The one, as used here, means the same as “the person (that did something)”.

He’s the one who sold me the car.

So Billie Jean is saying that Michael is the one who is the father of her child.

Then, by saying “but the kid is not my son,” maybe Michael is saying that in this moment he does not believe Billie Jean,

he thinks she is lying to get something from him.

However, later we can get a different interpretation of this line.

That is, that Billie Jean is saying that he’s the biological father, but that he won’t ever play the role of the child’s father.

For *forty days and for forty nights, law was on her side.

Here he’s making an allusion to a biblical passage.

According to the Bible, it took 40 days and 40 nights for Moses to go and retrieve [get] the Ten Commandments.

Billie Jean went to the court in order to try to legally get money from Michael.

This kind of problem is exactly, as he says earlier in the song, why his mother warned him not to break someone’s heart.

If you’re on someone’s side it means you support what that person does or says.

So, the law was on Billie Jean’s side, meaning they believed her and not Michael.

Example : You’re my wife.

You’re supposed to be on my side.

I’m always on your side.

Then why are you trying to take this away from me?

“But who can stand when she’s in demand?

Her schemes and plans.”

A scheme is a very detailed plan to achieve something, especially something that’s going to harm, be detrimental, or cause distress to someone.

Example : Why do you think Fonzie was so popular?

He told people that they were rich, but really took their money with his scheme?

No, that’s a-

Yes.

Those people were victims of a Fonzie scheme.

So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice

(Don’t think twice, do think twice.)

You see here that advice collocates with strong for emphasis.

You could say this as:

I strongly advise you (to do something).

As an adverb, you can use strongly with a number of verbs:

Example : I strongly believe that we should all support President Clinton and her husband, Bill.

Example : I’ve been incredibly patient for years.

(I) strongly disagree. Go on.

Example : But based on the quality of his work, I’d strongly recommended that we let Leonard go.

Then he says think twice.

So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice

(Don’t think twice, do think twice.)

We say to think twice when we need to make an important decision.

Now, the interesting part of this is the chorus. Listen:

(Don’t think twice, do think twice.)

First it seems to say “don’t think twice”, but then “do think twice”.

This is probably a reference to the shoulder angle, which represents conscience, and the shoulder devil, representing temptation.

She told my baby, “We’d danced ‘til three”

Then she looked at me

Then showed a photo of a baby cried, his eyes were like mine, ‘Cause we danced on the floor in the round, baby

This is quite an interesting part of the song.

After stating so strongly that the kid is not his son, he does admit that his eyes looked just like his.

The kid, might after all, be his son.

By the way, in this verse, you see the two uses of baby.

Literally, the baby is Billie Jean’s (and possibly Michael’s) son.

Then, the second time, he says baby referring to her as a romantic partner.

Beat it

Thriller

Smooth Criminal

Bad

Now, Sing Along

And Test your Knowledge

She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene

I said, “Don’t mind, but what do you mean “I am the one Who will dance on the floor in the round?”

She said I am the one who will dance on the floor in the round.

She told me her name was Billie Jean As she caused a scene

Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one.

Who will dance on the floor in the round.

People always told me, “Be careful of what you do.”

“Don’t go around breaking young girls ‘ hearts.”

And mother always told me, “Be careful of who you love, And be careful of what you do ‘ Cause the lie becomes the truth.”

Billie Jean is not my lover

She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one

But the kid is not my son

She says I am the one

But the kid is not my son

For forty days and for forty nights, law was on her side

But who can stand when she’s in demand?

Her schemes and plans

‘Cause we danced on the floor in the round

So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice

(Don’t think twice, do think twice. )

She told me baby, “We’d danced ‘ til three. “

Then she looked at me

Then showed a photo of a baby cried, his eyes were like mine, ‘Cause we danced on the floor in the round,baby

People always told me,

“Be careful of what you do.”

Don’t go around breaking young girls’ hearts.”

But she came and stood right by me

And just the smell of sweet perfume

And this happened much too soon

And she called me to her room Billie Jean is not my lover She’s just girl who claims that I am the one

But the kid is not my son

Billie Jean is not my lover

She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one

But the kid is not my son

She says I am the one

But the kid is not my son

She says I am the one

But the kid is not my son

Billie Jean is not my lover

She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one

But the kid is not my son

She says I am the one

But the kid is not my son.