Why Eddie Van Halen's Duet With Michael Jackson Is Still so Surprising

Eddie Van Halen received a phone call in 1982 from someone who introduced himself as "Quincy." That turned out to be Quincy Jones, who was then producing Michael Jackson's sixth studio album. Jones wanted to know if Van Halen was interested in playing a guitar solo on one of the LP's tracks, "Beat It." This edition of Odd Couples shares the story what happened next as Eddie Van Halen teamed up with Michael Jackson.
0:00 Introduction
0:07 Michael Jackson looks for a new sound
0:30 Quincy Jones suggests including a rock song
0:42 The origins of "Beat It."
0:51 Who is going to play guitar?
0:56 Eddie Van Halen gets a phone call
1:05 Eddie wasn't sure about the collaboration
1:19 Eddie hears "Beat It" and has some suggestions
1:30 Jackson hears Eddie's contributions
1:49 The success of "Beat It"
2:08 The effects of that success on Van Halen's own band
2:14 Eddie's payment for playing on "Beat It"
2:26 How people reacted to Eddie's performance on "Beat It"
2:43 Conclusion
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#EddieVanHalen #MichaelJackson #OddCouples #ClassicRock #RockHistory #MusicHistory

[@garyny4073]

Beat it guitar solo is incredible , great song , great video

[@MrRugbyloosehead]

Well, even though Eddie received no payment for his studio work with Michael, he and his band got the rewards in other ways, that helped make 1984 the huge success it was ,cause the album had crossed over, and being on Thriller helped that, as well as many new fans coming to the shows! And even though 1984 made Eddie a bigger name,he also became a household name as well, that lasted for the rest of his life, and beyond that! Cause he's still beloved today,even more so! R.I.P. EDDIE

[@projectpat006]

"You look like Michael Jackson Beat It' Borat 2006

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

A "factoid" in VH1's Pop-Up Video edition of this song suggested that EVH didn't show up in the video (when the song gets to his iconic solo break) because he didn't think the song would ever be a hit (which it was, #1 for three consecutive weeks in 1983).