 " Billie Jean " blends sounds of post @-@ disco , rhythm and blues , funk , and dance @-@ pop . The song opens with a standard drum beat along with a standard hi @-@ hat , and it contains hardly any reverberation . After two bars , another standard open hi @-@ hat enters . After two more bars , a repetitive bassline enters . Each time it passes through the tonic , the note is doubled by a distorted synth bass . This accompaniment is followed by a repetitive three @-@ note synth , played staccato with a deep reverb . The defining chord progression is then established . Jackson 's quiet vocals enter , accompanied by a finger @-@ snap , which comes and goes during the verses , as the rhythm and chord progression repeats . 
