IT'S AN ANTI-VIOLENCE SONG?! First Time Reaction To Michael Jackson - Beat It!

[@lizardking430]

Solo is Eddie, main guitar riff is Steve Lukather

[@Mister_Samsonite]

The story of Eddie getting the phone call from Quincy Jones to play on this is hilarious! Allegedly there was an agreement amongst the members of VH that they couldn't receive payment for playing on someone else's song, unless they ran it by the other band members. That's why Eddie received no payment or album credit for playing on it.

[@HRConsultant_Jeff]

Yeah the story that Steve tells is pretty interesting with Rick Beato..

[@RonNaeve]

@@Mister_Samsonite I had heard recently that Eddie asked for a case of beer as payment.

[@tonybarqs7804]

Exactly.... in fact TOTO members had very big parts of this huge hit...Lukather played lead guitar riffs, Jeff Porcaro on drums and Steve Porcaro on synth

[@janleonard3101]

Lukather also played the bass guitar part. All the guitar work except for the EVH solo was his. And the story of how Eddie somehow cut the synching part of the tape and Luke and Jeff Porcaro had to scramble to fix it is pretty crazy.

[@yannhollister9091]

You can't look away from him, he was so charismatic. Michael was always giving 110% of himself every single time, this is why he is the king

[@slashgg1501]

i disagree...the GOAT of the pop music was and always will be Prince....who in addition to doing everything MJ did on stage, he wrote, produced and played his music

[@20luftballons]

Yesss!!! MJ is such a legend. Such an unmatched talent.

[@dgoat2427]

@@slashgg1501Stop it 😂I love Prince but he not fw Mj he literally did the same shit prince did he jus didn’t as many instruments he produced his own shit if it wasn’t for Mj there wouldn’t be no Prince on MTV only one person has the King of Pop title and it’s Michael Jackson

[@slashgg1501]

@@dgoat2427 mate MJ did not produced his music in his prime like Prince did.Prince was the complete package 😜😜

[@dgoat2427]

@@slashgg1501 Prince literally only played instruments that’s all he got on Mj Mike the better singer,performer he still has the best selling album of all time ion see nobody sayin they wanna be the next Prince but everybody wanna be the next Mj and Mj didn’t need to play instruments to entertain all he needed was himself

[@ElectroT0y]

Fun fact: Michael Jackson was so popular that he was able to command that none of the background dancers get violent. They were ALL real gang members. And they obeyed him. Also, Weird Al Yankovich does a really great (and funny) parody called Eat It.

[@dancingwheels8494]

The background dancers weren't the gang members. The gang members were the extras in the background. But yes, there were rival gang members on set.

[@Snyper1405]

Point being there was no drama on set of how big michael was​@@dancingwheels8494

[@Theghua1]

@@ElectroT0y das what I heard he used real bangers or lA. Coded gangsters . Ruff guys of de 80’s .?

[@lizbrown6943]

Money not Jackson had control. Pedophile played White people.

[@shi_w982]

@@dancingwheels8494No actually some of the background dancers were gang members, that’s why they’re so bad at dancing

[@chop3625]

He was extremely gifted. A talent overload.

[@Theghua1]

Very I’m just amazed how many generations have come after us those who were there . We were de teens when thus song came out . Much if de 80’s s we were de teens of dat era . we are de Jackson’s and all de 80’s sings . I’m surprised many have not heard especially looking at how gruel these folks look , wow . They were too young to know him . Das was amazing .

[@Theghua1]

Man I was 13 when it came out by 14 15 we were dancing to it . Especially me in Africa I was his best imitator in high school . It was fun that era . 1982-85 before this album simmered down . Michael was de most famous person maybe and Reagan that cowboy us president we cared less about him

[@Theghua1]

When I see these types of videos das when it hits me that my generation we getting old . It’s just like when those teens i of de 60’s dealing with Elvis and Beatles and all de 60’s love sings Frankie farian etc . And we were coming up in de 90’s and have to discover those songs . It’s same .

[@TOPCHEF19733]

Eddie did the solo without any song credits or royalties.When the others members of Van Halen found out they made fun of him about it,especially when it topped at number 1.On one of Michael Jackson's tours Eddie joined on stage to play it

[@Godric_71]

It's crazy because you know it's Eddie playing. His unmistakable sound can't be denied

[@janleonard3101]

It was talked up so much at the time though. That's the thing I really remember when this came out the radio DJs and maybe Casey Kasem talking about Eddie playing on this track. And I remember that it was very much unexpected to hear that kind of guitar solo on a song from an artist who had been known for Motown, R&B and disco. It really was groundbreaking and set a precedent for mixing genres which was apparently what Quincy Jones set out to do and succeeded wildly.

[@dancingwheels8494]

@@janleonard3101 Mixing genres was Michael's chief objective,

[@davidnorman4923]

He is credited on the album liner notes!

[@PeteJ.Baylis]

Sad JEALOUSY.🤣😜 They weren't asked.

[@ajschroetlin2196]

Mike was, is, and will always be the pinnacle of pop music.

[@Reese8531]

With Prince right behind

[@Mare_bear738]

I've always loved this song! Michael Jackson ruled and still does! ...my 20 yr old grandson listens to him and loves his music.

[@Akumaten1]

Eddie Van Halen came up with the solo and did the solo( he asked not to be credited). Steve Lutherka played the riff, however, MICHAEL JACKSON came up with the riff for Steve to play( As told by Steve himself).

[@hughfuller8416]

Dance battle solves everything.

[@hughfuller8416]

@tj5579 fair enough.

[@stonemills1546]

If only real gangs solved their issuses like this.

[@garyarnett1220]

Absolutely, just ask Star Lord

[@Kai2times]

@@stonemills1546we do I just finished a dance battle 5min ago.💯

[@sicariodu9546]

@@stonemills1546 they use to in the 70s. That why hip hop was created in the bronx and they would do break battle and stuff. Now all of those time are over unfortunately

[@InstigatorDJ]

The guitar solo is insane. Timeless.

[@chaddubois8164]

Perfect.

[@Lv80WoWmage]

In my opinion best guitar solo Ever.

[@BDTXIII]

True, although I'm not the type that is interested in rock guitar. But, anyone with good ears can tell that solo play is dope!

[@DanielFrost21]

From "Thriller", the best selling album of all-time.

[@kerry-j4m]

The Thriller album made MJ a national super star.

[@freebandz4332]

@@kerry-j4mglobal megastar*

[@spicydoughnut8397]

​@@kerry-j4m Global

[@matthewdrake4385]

Two fun facts about this song: 1. When Eddie Van Halen recorded his guitar solo for the song, he chose not to be paid for it. He pretty much recorded it as a favor to Quincy Jones, because EVH was a big Motown fan. 2. Most of the musicians, other than Eddie, were studio musicians that are part of the band Toto. Toto won the Grammy Award for album of the year in 83, MJ won the same award the following year. It's crazy to realize that you guys had no idea of how huge MJ was in the 80s. Think about this: his music was playing on the pop charts and r&b charts at least hourly and you couldn't escape watching his music videos on MTV. He helped raise the standard for music videos . Oh and oh yeah, he was only about 25 when this hit big. So he already had been performing on a big stage for about 15 years , thanks to his Jackson 5 years.

[@a2zstuff4sale70]

Eddie did not do as a favor, he actually did not want his band mates to find out he was working with Michael (a pop star)

[@OriginalPuro]

It's so sad that everything is "crazy" and "insane", these days. Nothing is fantastic, great, amazing or anything, just "crazy" and "insane.

[@TBK2009-GMD]

Another fun fact is that the snooker tables don’t have any holes for the balls

[@gregyaklin5980]

Eddie played the solo, and Steve Lukather did the rhythm guitar, and bass guitar. Jeff Porcaro played drums. Both are from Toto. They are A list studio musicians. Eddie had an agreement with Michael to do the solo as long as Eddie could rearrange the music to fit his solo.

[@slashgg1501]

Correct.....although I suspect that all members of TOTO played the entire album

[@Crazychick64]

​​@@slashgg1501Steve Porcaro wrote the song Human Nature

[@jerrybragg1523]

Eddie rearranged it and then told Michael about it and Michael loved the change

[@randomhockeyguy9149]

@@jerrybragg1523 That is correct. Eddie showed up that day to do his take, listened to the song, and rearranged some of it. When Michael came in, Ed said hope you don't mind I changed the song a bit. Michael loved it. Ed did two takes and told them to pick the best one. The problem with what Ed did though, is he spliced into the recordings to do his rearrangements, so Lukather had to go back and re-record his guitar parts. The ironic thing is, Van Halen's album 1984 was their highest charting album at the time, at #2. It was only topped by Thriller, which Ed had a hand in beating out his own band. You can find an interview with Ed and LL Cool J on CNN (Ed played 2 tracks on an LL album in the 2000s) talking about the Beat It stuff, and interviews with Lukather talking about Ed cutting the master recordings and Steve having to re-record his parts.

[@jerrybragg1523]

@@randomhockeyguy9149 , yep, I've seen it. Kinda funny in hindsight. Lol

[@lookinforthe70s]

Michael Jackson- Billie Jean: Motown 25. I think this performance made him into the icon he is.

[@visarr]

It was the only thing people talked about the next day. The first time we saw the moonwalk. People hurt themselves trying to do it.

[@bobbyball77]

This is one of those songs I can never get tired of hearing. The lyrics are fantastic, the music has a great beat and of course Eddie's solo just puts it over the top. Great pick for a reaction

[@leescott8412]

Even though you're reacting to the video, guarantee everybody's just watching the MJ video, that's how charismatic MJ is.

[@OriginalPuro]

There were people in the video other than Michael Jackson?

[@marysophy3665]

Haha! omg now that you say that, I need to rewatch now to see their faces I didn't even look at them when they weren't speaking...

[@gloriaroshto1408]

Well I’m a senior citizen and I have always loved this . Makes ya wanna move like Michael!

[@carrisonvaughn1671]

MJ was the smoothest yet most aggressive artist ever. For him to approach singing and dancing with such aggression set him apart. 1 of 1.

[@bobbyschannel349]

Because of Eddie Van Halen's guitar track on this, this song was also being played on rock stations back in the early 80s as well as Pop and R&B stations.. that was very unique that never happened before.

[@benkraze3103]

It was meant to be a rock song though from the get go even before EVH involvement. MJ - Composer, Steve Lukather = Rythm Guitar, Bass, other instruments, EVH = Guitar Solo.

[@bobbyschannel349]

@@benkraze3103 not true.. Quincy Jones specifically did not want it to sound Rock he wanted it to have an R&B and pop sound woth Hard Rock tracking

[@fredriknilsson6042]

When people ask me what song is my favorite one i always said that it is Beat it with Michael Jackson. I just love everything about it.

[@sabrenas7895]

MJ Earth Song & They Don’t Care About Us both great!!😊

[@randomhockeyguy9149]

Fun fact: Ed played the song live with Michael Jackson ONE TIME. In 1984, Van Halen were passing through Dallas on their tour while the Jackson's were also playing Dallas on their Victory Tour. Ed came on stage and played Beat It with the Jacksons that night.

[@jadoef.m4131]

This song is still part of the BEST SELLING ALBUM of all time to this day, the Thriller album.

[@tj7264]

The guy in the white with the Sunglasses is Michael Peters. He was the choreographer for the video

[@karlsmith2570]

And he also was co-choreographer for the music video for "Thriller"

[@freebandz4332]

Co-choreographer along with MJ.

[@Yeti_the_kat]

Why do people not mention Vincent Patterson choreographer in this. He played the guy in the knife fight.

[@juneevans8647]

My generation listened to Rock , pop, motown. So Michael, then add Eddy wasn't unusual for me. Good music wherever it came from.

[@fredriknilsson6042]

The riffs is not Eddie Van Halen it is Steve Lukather from Toto. Eddie plays the solo.

[@jimedwards4214]

The solo was written. Eddie changed it and played it for MJ and he loved it. Eddie agreed to do it because "who's gonna hear it, it's gonna be on some black kid's record". He did it cause Q asked him

[@fredriknilsson6042]

@@jimedwards4214 Yes but my point is that the riff is from Steve Lukather. They said that the riff from Eddie and that is not him

[@jimedwards4214]

@@fredriknilsson6042 I was just throwing in a few more bricks to help build your house of knowledge.

[@Gatorsfan08champs]

This is what michael did best. He brought groups together with music

[@roseanncampbell3168]

And that's why "THEY" weren't happy with him 🤔

[@stevetanner3019]

This was the third of seven hit singles from the “Thriller” album.

[@jasminew8835]

Michael jackson - rock with you That'd be a nice reaction

[@mr.o6240]

I could think of at least a dozen Michael Jackson songs that would be great.

[@ricardohardy7696]

Could start with Video Greatest Hits - HIStory

[@joelscottarnold3262]

Again, the impact Jackson had on not only music, but popular culture could never be ignored. He is absolutely electric here. The red jacket would become iconic in the 1980’s. This was a staple on MTV along with Billie Jean, and altered the format for the music channel going forward. MTV initially refused to play Jackson because his music wasn’t considered “rock” ( many would argue there were racial biases, and I’m not downplaying that ) so Sony Music threatened to pull all talent on their roster from MTV. Needless to say, MTV put Jackson into heavy rotation, and the rest is music history.

[@bicknell67]

My favorite Michael Jackson song.

[@talon3684]

Beat It was a last minute song for Thriller. Quincy told Mike he needed one more song to finish up the album and this is what Mike came up with in the final hour. An absolute smash.

[@alexmarin4245]

The "Michael Jackson Rock Era", at early 80's: mixed Lukhater, Van Halen and Quincy Jones styles... sounds so magnificent and unique! I LOVE IT! GREAT REACTION GUYS! GRETTINGS FROM SPAIN!

[@stevenseul361]

Hit it out again guys.. Legendary solo. Thanks

[@medit6194]

80’s kid/ teen here and I also did dozens of dance recitals during this decade. MJ’s music snd video impact is undeniable, but don’t overlook Madonna. She also took music videos to a whole different level. MJ and Madonna dominated the music video world as pioneers/groundbreakers.

[@bigjoe330]

MJ's West Side Story masterpiece!

[@adolfomcasasjr4668]

Gentleman in white jacket is the dance instructor. He also participated in Pat Benatar Love is a battlefield.

[@deetgeluid]

Real music, by real musicians.

[@John_Locke_108]

When I was in grade school, the bus driver would play any tape we gave her. It was a great day whenever someone gave her Thriller. After 40 plus years this song still amazes me. And the video is absolutely fantastic. I remember seeing West Side Story in High School and thinking, this is where Beat It came from.

[@reindeer7752]

I didn't see your comment before I made a similar one.

[@harpergras]

An all-time classic song by the legend himself.

[@DMoses846]

The Earth Song by Michael Jackson is a great song.

[@T1000-s4j]

It's not The Earth Song, it's just "Earth Song"

[@Mike.L.6528]

& The Thriller album was filled with hits.. duet with Paul McCartney “Say, Say, Say”; “Human Nature”; “PYT”.

[@PML78]

His OFF THE WALL was just as big but THRILLER trumped it... that man had the midas touch RIP MJ 🙏🏽

[@matthewdrake4385]

Say Say Say was on Paul's album not Thriller.

[@beckiramsey9561]

Such an iconic song, Michael is a legend!❤

[@Kagawongdog1]

They did use some actual gang members in the video. You should watch Weird Al's Eat It video while this one is still fresh in your mind

[@williamshoven]

Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror (Official Video)

[@PML78]

😢... RIP MJ 🐐

[@michellec5407]

Michael is the king of mini movies, he wasnted people to have a real understanding of each other!

[@lilamuzik3385]

There will never be another Mike. Bruno Mars comes close, but you just see Mike dancing with Bruno. Now please do "Do You Remember The Time" for EXCELLENT DANCE ROUTINE! Eddie Murphy makes a cameo.....

[@shaharadegan9993]

Great reaction! Michael was a musical genius 😊❤

[@m-arky66]

Thriller album was a present at Xmas in 82, wore the vinyl out nearly.

[@tuijakarttunen9164]

I think this is the coolest music video ever. And the song is fantastic. The beat, the guitar, his voice and his moves. Pure star power.

[@kenrock8692]

Steve Lukather (Toto) came up with the guitar riff and plays the primary guitar parts. Eddie VH does the solo only.

[@drjag1155]

This song is so iconic ! MJ was an incredible singer and performer i miss him so much

[@paul00390]

Weird Al Yankovic does an excellent parody of this video. It's called "Eat It".

[@alexhaas9653]

Thought the same thing. They should definitely do some of Als parodies (only reacted to Smells Like Nirvana yet...).

[@rimasmuliolis1136]

Likewise MJ's "Bad" has to be paired with "Fat"!

[@PML78]

If u watch Weird ALs movie... he says that EAT IT was his song and MJ made a parody of his track 😂🤣😂🤣

[@paulobastos6475]

Thanks for doing MJ!

[@truckrboat]

Actual gang members from the infamous Bloods and Crips gangs of LA in the video because Michael wanted the realism in his anti gang video.

[@gigi-ij1hk]

Also because they were shooting in South Central so instead of telling the gang members to (ahem) beat it, they just invited them to be in the video. They are not the ones dancing though!

[@danielcoa2189]

You guys need to give some love to Janet too. She also ventured into rock with 'Black Cat'.

[@blackpowder99]

"Walk this Way" was the best fusion song of all time.

[@EternalSelenaQuintanilla]

the greatest of all time ❤

[@PML78]

Never can be duplicated 😎... RIP MJ 🙏🏽

[@notdaemon1]

facts

[@bobsylvester88]

The gang leader in the white jacket was also the choreographer.

[@atomcraft4067]

Everyone wanted to be Michael. He's so damn cool man.

[@KD-cd2ck]

The title “King of Pop” is short for King of Pop, Rock, and Soul

[@SachaDeeen]

wonderful music video and reaction...more MJ

[@ianluzdub]

It's awesome to see a react channel where the hosts are not jumping around or screaming through the entire reaction. I like the way you guys really pay attention to what you're reacting to. Great work, guys! Really great work.

[@ChosenOne823]

Video gives me chills he is truly the one and only goat

[@barrylavender7938]

Great song, easily one of MJ's best. You should also check out "Bad", "Billie Jean" and "The Way you make me feel".

[@RoGueNavy]

He did a song called "Dirty Diana" that featured Billy Idol's guitarist, Steve Stevens.

[@garthquapp6370]

Weird AL Yankovic version called "Eat it" is fantastic.

[@kurtpflegl30]

YES! Can we get Weird Al's parody of this song in "Eat It"? That just seems like the logical next step, or is it just me? Ha ha ha

[@sheldondyck8631]

Living With A Hernia is better

[@wizzledorff]

Hopefully while the video is fresh. Comparing the videos is so fun!

[@PML78]

Brilliant but funny #TeamWeird

[@robabiera733]

"Thriller" - the album - came out just as MTV was getting started, and if you really want to see what that was like, you have to watch the original video for "Billie Jean". It was the first video for "Thriller" and played a huge role in helping MTV to really blast off.

[@roxiesbroadwaybreakdown5599]

Most exciting concert I ever went to was the Thriller tour! Front row! Michael was larger than life! Amazing 😀😀😀👍👍👍

[@Motivation-Special]

the true king of music

[@JB6Lights]

Eddie Van Halen ladies and gentlemen

[@mareenacorbin3025]

The man with the white jacket is the choreographer of the music video he created the dance

[@Yeti_the_kat]

Yes Vincent Patterson.

[@1stCainite]

The king of pop, rock and soul.

[@ericc8705]

Music videos were really just beginning to hit the scene when Michael Jackson hit the charts with "Beat It" ... many artists at the time were only barely figuring out how to use the medium of music videos ... and Michael took to it like a duck to water. He'd been performing on-stage with his brothers throughout his childhood in the Jackson 5 and already understood theatricality in the presentation of his songs & performances. He was a natural dancer (unlike many other musicians/singers of the era) ... and could pick up VERY complicated dance move with ease (and minimal of rehearsal) "Beat It" got a TON of play on M-TV and every other music video channel out there... radio airplay was constant... and album sales for Thriller began to climb into the stratosphere. He quickly followed up with the video and release of "Billy Jean" ... and several others before the earth-shattering mini-movie of "Thriller" released, directed by John Landis - who was a film director best known for "An American Werewolf in London" ... it blew EVERYONE's mind and became an instant hit - it didn't matter that radio stations and video channels HATED playing it because it was SO LONG it disrupted the air-schedules for everything else when it played... the demand for it was so great! Rumor has it... one of the gang members in the background of this video is a young Wesley Snipes

[@AlanKenny-y8e]

Now you're familiar with this song, take a look at Weird Al Yankovic's version, which is called 'Eat It'

[@andrewbirrell2176]

Man in the mirror and stranger in Moscow are brilliant MJ tracks

[@williamshoven]

Got to be there (Jackson 5) - Michael Jackson

[@ewrekzz7360]

Our daughter was born in '88, so she did grow up with Michael Jackson as one of the biggest stars in the world. In '97 (she was 9) we had VH1 playing older hits and MJ and Paul McCartney's video for "say say say". She looked at the screen and said that looks like Michael Jackson. When we told her it was, her reply was, "Michael Jackson was black?"😂😂😂😂😂

[@williest1]

This song/video IS the 1980s!!! It's like the unofficial anthem of the entire decade 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾

[@MountainMan.]

If you haven't heard Beat It by the time you're a young adult, you must be living under a rock.

[@grd5150]

What made this song great Mr. Edward Van Halen, period! 1 take on the solo changed the chords

[@marvinmasferrer7687]

Legendary, a guitar god called Eddie Van Halen and the greatest artist of all time together !!!

[@figueiredra]

Michael The Musical... L E G E N D

[@alanunaiomen3486]

Fantastic reaction as always. MJ was a once in a lifetime performer, if not for anything else, but just for the diversity of genres he did. Hope you guys continue this MJ trip till there are no songs left. We will appreciate it and I'm sure you guys will enjoy it as well. The Superbowl is a must watch ,obviously, but I would be very curious how would you guys feel about some more slower MJ songs. For example: Will you be there, Man in the mirror, Heal the world, You are not alone etc. Can't wait till you guys cover these songs and other MJ stuff.

[@jeaofficial_]

The goat!

[@nimishjagtap4271]

The king of pop 70s , 80s &90s generation was lucky to see MJ .. thank you MJ 🙏

[@lesgrice4419]

Priceless, way ahead of his time..

[@LeonardEstrada-t6q]

The choreographer for this video was the gentleman in the white jacket behind michael in the dance scenes.

[@brandonwalsh4497]

The 🐐 ❤

[@Carol-dq8nj]

I love your channel and your reactions! I’m a senior citizen so rather than bug you about just discovering MJ. I applaud you for appreciating his wonderful work! The live version of Stranger in Moscow is a perfection of both music and dance by the genius of Michael!

[@Natedawgg84]

Micheal Jackson owned the 80's. 🔥

[@paulaharvey5020]

Can't imagine anyone not ever hearing this song!!!!!!😮

[@RaLeaChaddle-kq9gi]

I grew up on MJ. My sister & I would make dances up to his music. We would perform in front of friends in the 80's. My sister passed at 32. Sure do miss her and the memories. I'm 52..shows we were very much a part of the MJ genre🔴

[@DeidreThompson-cu9nc]

Thanks for featuring another great Michael Jackson dance song. I recommend Don't Stop until You Get Enough, from my favourite MJ album 'Off The Wall'. Young 11 year old Michael in the Jackson 5 is amazing in the 70's and recommend 'Who's Loving You'. Thanks for you honest programme. Deidre😊

[@DeidreThompson-cu9nc]

Thanks again, for playing Michael Jackson and recommend ' Rock with You ' from the 'Off The Wall' album. I'm Australian and appreciate your reactions. Deidre😊🇦🇺

[@coldnovember3950]

There will be no other celebrity can reach the level of MJ, never ever

[@martyflanthemjfan]

Love your MJ reactions, Michael made Shorts Films, he wanted to tell a story, something that had a beginning, a middle and an end. Keep up the good work, thank you… #MichaelJackson 👑 #AmplifyMJ ❤️

[@anwar101978]

Now you have to react to Smooth Criminal full video

[@MikeOstrowski-iq8wf]

EVH at the peak of his career ! Did this solid for Michael with this solo in 1 take….. Edward was in between VH albums “Fair Warning” & “Diver Down” 🎸

[@brianhowell3713]

What a Time Machine!!

[@martyb5807]

Couple things one eddie isn't in the credits in the album jacket. He originally did the solo on the DL. And the second thing is he actually changed the solo from what Michael had originally agreed to. He sent the solo back over to Michael and said oh BTW I changed it and it kind of is what it is. There's actually like an entire story behind the whole collaboration thing.