Beat It (1983)

"Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song similar to "My Sharona" on the album. Jackson later said: "I wanted to write a song, the type of song that I would buy if I were to buy a rock song... And I wanted the children to really enjoy it — the school children as well as the college students." It includes a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen.

Following the successful Thriller singles "The Girl Is Mine" and "Billie Jean", "Beat It" was released on February 21, 1983, as the album's third single. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for three weeks. It also charted at number one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. Billboard ranked the song No. 5 for 1983. It is certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Beat It" was a number one hit in Europe, reaching number one in Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. With sales of over 10 million worldwide, "Beat It" is one of the best-selling songs of all time.

The song's music video, which stars members of Los Angeles-based street gangs, the Crips and the Bloods, at the height of their rivalry, helped establish Jackson as an international pop icon. The single, along with its music video, helped make Thriller the best-selling album of all time. "Beat It" has been cited as one of the most successful, recognized, awarded and celebrated songs in the history of popular music; both the song and video had a large impact on pop culture.

"Beat It" won the 1984 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, as well as two American Music Awards. It was inducted into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked "Beat It" number 337 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004, and at number 185 in its 2021 update of the list. The magazine also named it the 81st greatest guitar song of all time. It was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

Production and composition

Jackson first worked on a demo version of the song with musicians at his home studio. The drum part was programmed on a drum machine, and the bass line was a combination of electric bass guitar and Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer Synergy keyboard. This hybrid bass style was retained for the main recording session.

Sheet music for the song is in the key of E♭ Minor in standard time, with a moderately fast tempo of 135–140 beats per minute. Jackson's vocal range is B♭3 to A♭5.