Today marks thirty years since Michael Jackson performed the moonwalk for the first time onstage at the Motown 25th anniversary special.
The commemorative event was taped and broadcast on NBC weeks later and Jackson swiftly swept America off its feet in one smooth glide.
The moonwalk master showcased his moves at the highly-rated broadcast to the tune of his No. 1 single “Billie Jean,” which also turned 30 this year.
“Billie Jean is kind of anonymous. It represents a lot of girls. They used to call them groupies in the ’60s,” Jackson said in a 1996 interview. “They would hang around backstage doors, and any band that would come to town they would have a relationship with, and I think I wrote this out of experience with my brothers when I was little. There were a lot of Billie Jeans out there. Every girl claimed that their son was related to one of my brothers.”
Although the King of Pop was neither the first to create nor to execute the dance, his performance soon had fans worldwide testing their feet to match the moves.
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