Billie Jean by Michael Jackson: BPM and key
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson is 117 BPM in F♯ minor (Camelot 11A). Half time is 59 BPM and double time is 234 BPM. The relative key is A major.
117 beats a minute is mid-tempo territory, slower than 65% of the 20 songs we have measured. A bar of 4/4 lasts 2.05 seconds, so the 4:53 runtime is roughly 143 bars.
Billie Jean: tempo and key at a glance
| BPM | 117 |
| Half time / double time | 59 / 234 BPM |
| Key (estimated) | F♯ minor |
| Camelot code | 11A |
| Relative key | A major (11B) |
| Tempo feel | mid-tempo |
| Length | 4:53 |
| Released | 2009 |
| Album | Michael Jackson's This Is It |
We measured this with the same analyzer you can use on this site, running on a 30-second public preview of the track. The tempo matches the independent BPM figure published for the full track (117), which is why we list it with confidence.
Mixing Billie Jean with other songs
11A sits next to 12A (C♯ minor) and 10A (B minor) on the Camelot wheel, with 11B (A major) as its relative major. Those four keys blend without a clash, and pushing the pitch fader by a few percent usually closes a small tempo gap.
| Song | BPM | Key | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave Me Alone · Michael Jackson | 123 (+6 BPM) | 11A · F♯ minor | same key |
Closest tempos regardless of key: Windowlicker (123), Helena (126), Immortals (108), SWIM (126).
Practising Billie Jean with a metronome
Work up to 117 BPM in four passes: 70 BPM (60%) → 88 BPM (75%) → 105 BPM (90%) → 117 BPM (100%). Open the tap metronome and type 117 (or tap along to the record) to hear the click, or use the BPM calculator to turn 117 BPM into delay times in milliseconds. To change the tempo or key of your own copy without re-recording, use the pitch & speed changer.
Check your own copy of Billie Jean
Studio, live, remastered and sped-up versions of the same song often differ by several BPM. Drop your file below: the analysis runs in your browser and the file is never uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
What is the BPM of Billie Jean by Michael Jackson?
Billie Jean runs at 117 BPM. If you prefer to count in half time that is 59 BPM, in double time 234 BPM. One beat lasts about 513 ms.
What key is Billie Jean in?
We detect F♯ minor for Billie Jean, which is 11A on the Camelot wheel. Its relative key is A major (11B), and the next-door keys are 12A and 10A. Key estimates from a short preview can be off, especially on songs that change key.
What metronome speed should I use to practice Billie Jean?
To learn Billie Jean, start at 70 BPM (60% speed), move to 88, then 105, and finish at the full 117 BPM once every bar is clean. Half-time counting at 59 BPM also works for the slowest passes.
Which songs mix well with Billie Jean?
In our dataset, Leave Me Alone by Michael Jackson (123 BPM, F♯ minor) sit in a compatible key within 6 BPM. Beyond these, any track in 11A, 12A, 10A, 11B blends harmonically.
More songs: all measured songs · BPM & key finder · song key finder · how to find the BPM of a song