Beat It

A brief history

“Beat It” was the third single from “Thriller” and it was a massive commercial success. It hit the number one spot on the Billboard charts and in multiple other countries. The song won Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards in 1984. It’s one of the biggest selling singles of all time and became one of Michael’s biggest hits in his career.

In 2008 his original home demo was released on the “Thriller 25” album. A year later in 2009 a studio demo vocal take was released on the posthumous album “This Is It.”

It was Quincy Jones who asked Michael to include a rock song on the album. When he heard Michael’s home demo, he knew this was exactly what he was looking for. Eddie Van Halen plays the now famous and iconic guitar solo, considered one of the best guitar solos of all time. He recorded it for free as a favor, as he didn’t think the album would be anywhere near as big as it went on to be. “I was a complete fool” the guitarist has since said.

Frank DiLeo convinced Michael to release “Beat It” while “Billie Jean” was working its way up the charts. It was a bet that paid off. After “Billie Jean” spent seven weeks at number one, it was almost immediately replaced by “Beat It” (just a one-week gap in between). Both singles were in the top five at the same time, which was a rare feat back then.

After its release, “Beat It” was used in a drink driving campaign. Michael received an award from President Ronald Reagan for his role in the campaign. Reagan quoted the song in his speech; “If Americans follow his example, then we can face up to the problem of drinking and driving, and we can, in Michael’s words, ‘Beat it’.”

Fun fact

Just before Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo, a noise can be heard that sounds like somebody knocking at a door. It was rumored that the knock was someone entering the recording studio. However that sound, as noted in the linear notes, was just Michael! He is credited as the “drum case beater.”

Music video

The “Beat It” video helped push “Thriller” sales even further through the roof. It tells the story of two rival gangs who are about to fight to the death. Michael comes along and breaks up the fight, helping them realize that violence is not the solution to their problems. It ends with a fantastic dance routine with everyone involved.

To look authentic, eighty real life gang members appeared in the video alongside professional dancers and breakdancers. The choreographer for the video is Michael Peters, who also plays one of the lead gang members. Vincent Paterson plays the other lead. He goes on to choreograph the “Smooth Criminal” music video in 1988.

Contrary to popular belief and the obvious similarities, the “Beat It” short film isn’t based on the musical “West Side Story.” Bob Giraldi wrote and directed the music video, and the story is based on his experiences growing up in New Jersey.

The video won Favorite Pop/Rock Video and Favorite Soul Video at the American Music Awards. It also picked up several other awards from multiple institutions.

The video was restored into 4K resolution and made available on streaming services in November 2022, in the lead up to the release of “Thriller 40.”

Gallery

Alternative single covers

Listen on Spotify

Below is the album version, as well as the original demo of the song.