“Beat It” became Michael Jackson’s second #1 from Thriller

Beat It Michael Jackson

Writer(s): Michael Jackson, Rod Templeton (see lyrics here) Released: February 3, 1983 First Charted: February 26, 1983 Peak: 13 US, 12 CB, 11 RR, 11 RB, 14 AR, 3 UK, 13 CN, 2 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 5.5 US, 0.5 UK, 7.95 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1074.25 video, 1078.15 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Michael Jackson was already a star before 1982’s Thriller, but the one-two punch of “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” from that album sent him into the superstar stratosphere. Only a one-week run by Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen” prevented “Beat It” from bumping “Billie Jean” from the top of the U.S. pop charts. It was the first time since the Beatles knocked themselves from #1 in 1964 that an artist followed one chart-topper so quickly with another. FB More importantly, the song “rocked more than anything else Jackson had ever done,” RS500 largely because it “mated the top pop hero of revitalized Top 40…with Edward Van Halen, guitar king of heavy metal” DM for “one of the most famous guitar solos of all time.” RC He refused pay for his services, unless one counts the two six-packs of beer producer Quincy Jones brought to him in the studio. SF Eddie said he thought, “maybe Michael will give me dance lessons someday” SF and informed Musician magazine, “I didn’t care, I did it as a favor.” FB Rod Templeton, the song’s co-writer, noted that the speakers actually caught on fire while Eddie was recording. Rod thought, “This was be really good, this solo!” RC That favor gave Michael a rarity for a black, R&B/pop artist – airplay on album-rock stations. The song also snagged a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal. Jackson said, “I wanted to write the type of rock song that I would go out and buy…but also something totally different from the rock music I was hearing on Top Forty radio.” RS500 The lyrics “reflect courage in the face of defeat and dislike of violence, whilst also referring to the childhood abuse Jackson faced at the hands of his father Joseph.” RC The iconic video also addressed violence in its depiction of rival gangs facing off in a choreographed rumble, much like West Side Story. The dancing drew raves from Bob Fosse, Gene Kelly, and Fred Astaire. FB The video was considered “a landmark for its movie-scale production values.” SS Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Michael Jackson FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 571. RC Rod Couch (2015). The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: 1955-2015. Pages 117-8. DM Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New American Library: New York, NY. Page 351. SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 244-5. Related Links: Last updated 4/12/2024.