Songfacts®:

• This cover of the King of Pop's hit single was performed on the Michael Jackson-themed episode of Glee, which was broadcast on January 31, 2012. It was sung as a duet between New Directions' glee club member Santana (Naya Rivera) and the Warblers' captain Sebastian (Grant Gustin) after he challenged her to a duel. "It is an unbelievable honor to even get to be a part of such a legendary song by the one and only Michael Jackson on one of America's favorite TV shows," Gustin told Billboard magazine. "I had a blast doing this song with Naya Rivera and the positive response from the fans is an unexpected bonus to an already surreal opportunity."
• Rivera and Gustin are accompanied by 2Cellos, who are a duo consisting of Croatian cellists Luka Šulic and Stjepan Hauser. It was the first time that the series had highlighted instrumental musicians. 2Cellos were signed to Sony Masterworks after the pair uploaded a music video of their cello-only cover of "Smooth Criminal" to YouTube and the Glee scene was set up similar to 2Cellos' original music video for the song.