Beat It

"Beat It" is a 1983 hit single from Michael Jackson's multi-platinum selling album Thriller. It was the third song from the album that was released as a single, following "The Girl is Mine" (a duet with Paul McCartney) and "Billie Jean".

Song & video impact

By all accounts, "Beat It" was an unqualified smash hit and is often heralded as the ultimate crossover hit. Not only did "Beat It" fare well with Jackson's R&B and pop fans, but it also did with rock and heavy metal fans because of Van Halen's contributions. Radio stations still playing the song's album-mate "Billie Jean" added the new one to their playlists, and it too rapidly advanced to the top spot. Jackson and Jones had succeeded in getting R&B radio stations to play a song featuring hard rock elements, and rock stations to play a song delivered from a formidable R&B performer. Van Halen's legendary guitar solo became ubiquitous across radio dials around the world.

Related Topics:
Crossover - R&B - Pop - Rock - Heavy metal

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Future Jackson albums would similarly rely on the proven gambit of attempted broad-based appeal, to varying results, and each would include a rock-oriented song of its own. Most of these also featured superstar guest-guitarists providing solo performances in the Van Halen mold. These included:

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• "Dirty Diana" featuring Steve Stevens (Bad, 1987)
• "Give in to Me" featuring Slash (Dangerous, 1991)
• "D.S." featuring Slash (HIStory, 1995)
• "Whatever Happens" featuring Carlos Santana (Invincible, 2001)

Also, as with its predecessor "Billie Jean", "Beat It" enjoyed unprecedented success on the still-growing cable network MTV. In fact, the music video for the new song was even granted an exclusive nighttime "World Premiere" on the channel, establishing a long-running tradition for top artists. Soonafter it was also running on other cable networks and video programs including BET's Video Soul and WTBS's Night Tracks. "Beat It" was also the first video shown on NBC's offering in this new market, Friday Night Videos. Coupled with the success of the original song, the two fueled the ever-growing Jackson-mania that captivated millions around the world.

Related Topics:
MTV - Music video - BET - NBC

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The video was directed by Bob Giraldi (who would go on to direct Jackson and his brothers in two Pepsi commercials) and choreographed by Michael Peters (who would later tackle the same task on Jackson's epic "Thriller" video). Many of the participants in the video's dance sequences were actual street gang members, brought in to authenticate the look and feel of the piece.

Related Topics:
Bob Giraldi - Pepsi - Commercials - Michael Peters

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The multi-zippered red jacket worn by Jackson throughout the video would become iconic in its own right, and children and teenagers across the country of all races sported copies of the design. The jacket was seen in spot graphics in a TIME magazine article on Jackson that year, and was offered as an alternate outfit for the pop star?s action figure. In one of the two Pepsi commercials featuring the Jacksons, a young Alfonso Ribeiro (having recently starred in Broadway?s The Tap Dance Kid) wears a "Beat It" jacket as he dances in the street with other youths before literally moonwalking into his hero.

Related Topics:
Alfonso Ribeiro - Broadway - Moonwalking

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