The Olympic Winter Games often pale in comparison to the summer event. But pro figure skaters Meryl Davis and Charlie White brought the season back in fashion when they claimed a silver medal dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” at the 2010 Vancouver Games, stunning viewers across the world with their breathtaking routine.

Meryl and Charlie’s performance has already racked up more than 1.7 million YouTube views since hitting the site eight years ago, and it’s not hard to figure out why! Music Man readers can watch their enigmatic routine unfold in the viral video below…

Now, this isn’t your usual MJ dance by a long shot. The pair doesn’t even use the standard version of the Jackson hit – instead opting for David Cook’s acoustic, ballad-like reimagination of “Billie Jean” to amp up the ethereality of their ice skating performance. As David’s bold and breathy vocals line the acoustic guitar rendition, Meryl and Charlie glide like lovers across the ice, spinning dizzily in each other’s arms whilst pulling off lifts that might make Strictly Come Dancing’s pros reassess their own game.

Dramatic, sensual, and flooded with feeling, each move, lift, and spin tells a story of its own as Meryl and Charlie wow their crowd, earning cheers and applause as their performance plays out. The pair serves pure grace as they separate and come together, flirting through dance, spinning in perfect unison, all whilst maintaining absolute control, balance, and trust in each other throughout every magnificent pose they strike.

Don’t miss the many moments Charlie runs high-speed on the ice without breaking a sweat, glides on his knees, or lifts Meryl into jaw-dropping positions that would seem risky to pull off, even away from the rink!

But, as stunning as Meryl and Charlie’s routine may be, it’s David Cook’s remarkable cover that accidentally steals the show. He carves Jackson’s 1983 single to pieces and reinvents the beat, Frankensteining the high-energy track into a power ballad that practically outshines MJ’s overplayed original. Just wait until the final chorus drops, vocals belting bluesy notes comparable to “Lose Control” hitmaker Teddy Swims, with a show-stopping soundscape to match.

Fans can’t get enough of Meryl and Charlie’s figure skating routine, with one top commenter on this viral clip jokingly noticing, “Hi, my name is Charlie White. I’m going to casually do a perfect routine with JEANS AND A BELT ON. Yep,” and another pointing out, “I must say out of all the figure skating routines I have seen, these two always have the most creative ones!”

Yet, their biggest fans were left heartbroken when the pair retired from competitive ice dancing, seven years after this Vancouver performance. One fan even shared, “I miss these two so much. Such wonderful, artistic athletes with incredible work ethic, sportsmanship and respect for their competitors. Sooo deserved their Olympic gold. I don’t think I will ever love an ice dance team as much as I love them.”