and "thriller" is doing well. but michael jackson couldn't get "billie jean" on mtv. ♪ she was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene ♪ >> when the rest of the world was going crazy and he can't get on mtv? michael jackson? come on. >> when he does that moonwalk, if you were sitting on the couch by the end of it, you were on the floor in front of the tv. you couldn't believe what you were seeing. >> i would say the moonwalk was really one of the first viral moments that affected rock history. the next week "thriller" started selling a million copies a week. >> i like michael jackson because he can sing good, he's bad, he knows how to dance. >> he's so sexy and so gorgeous. >> he's exciting! >> michael jackson is the man of the '80s. >> mtv starts to get pressure from cbs records, which was michael jackson's label. >> rock 'n' roll, in itself, was really the thing that broke a lot of rules.