Breaking Boundaries: Eddie Van Halen’s Iconic Solo on Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’
In a surprising twist, Van Halen had a strict policy: no member was allowed to contribute to outside projects. So, how did Eddie Van halen manage to record one of the most legendary guitar solos in music history for Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”?
As eddie recounted, the rest of the band was away, and he assumed that no one would object to him making a rare exception. reflecting on this decision years later, he shared insights into why he chose to break the band’s rule, his refusal to accept payment for the session, and how he creatively restructured parts of the song before laying down his unforgettable solo. These last-minute adjustments left Steve Lukather and the production team scrambling behind the scenes.
Upon its release in 1982, “Beat It” quickly became a monumental hit, significantly contributing to the unprecedented success of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Producer Quincy Jones initially enlisted Toto’s Steve Lukather to record the song’s memorable opening riff before reaching out to Van Halen, who was then at the pinnacle of rock stardom, to add his signature guitar flair.
“I didn’t ask for anything. it was about 20 minutes out of my life,”
– Eddie Van Halen
During an appearance on Piers Morgan Live alongside LL Cool J, van Halen was questioned about why he chose not to accept payment for his contribution. He explained, “Well, I didn’t ask for anything. It was just a quick session.” He humorously added, “I figured, who’s going to know if I play on this kid’s record?”
Despite the lighthearted tone, he acknowledged the band’s strict policy against outside collaborations at the time. However, with everyone else unavailable, he felt it was a harmless exception.
“Beat it” went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide, solidifying its status as a classic, with Van Halen’s electrifying solo becoming a pivotal element of the track. In hindsight, Alex Van Halen remarked that Eddie’s guest appearance may have intensified existing tensions within the band, contributing to David Lee Roth’s eventual departure and solo career.
While Eddie described the session as a brief engagement,he revealed that he did much more than just improvise a solo.
“The funniest thing of all was I actually rearranged the song. I said, ‘Oh, I hope you don’t mind, I changed your song.’”
– Eddie Van Halen
He elaborated, “The section they wanted me to solo over had no chord changes, so I had to rearrange it. When Michael came in, I told him, ‘I hope you don’t mind, I changed your song,’ and he responded, ‘No, I really like that high, fast stuff you do!’”
However, Lukather later revealed that these spontaneous changes created important challenges during production. On the Roundtable with Drew podcast, he recounted how Eddie’s decision to shift the solo required engineers to physically edit the two-inch master tape, which inadvertently disrupted the SMPTE time code necessary for synchronization.
“We had to reverse the song,” he explained. “Quincy had already crafted another version with Michael’s vocals meticulously layered; they had put in a lot of effort on that vocal track. Then they sent the tape to Ed’s house,and when they cut the two-inch tape,it messed up the SMPTE code,making it unfeasible to sync everything back together.”
Lukather humorously noted that his own rhythm guitar tracks were reduced from quadruple to double-tracked to accommodate the changes, and a Marshall stack was replaced with a Fender Deluxe to achieve a warmer sound that better suited Jackson’s R&B style.
Reflecting on Michael Jackson during his Piers Morgan Live interview, Eddie defended the late pop icon against various allegations, stating, “He was a sweet guy, is all I know. He faced a lot of accusations, but I beleive he wanted to hold onto his childhood.”
Simultaneously occurring, Lukather continues to engage with Eddie Van Halen’s musical legacy. Even though he has stated he won’t participate in what is anticipated to be the final Van Halen album, he is collaborating with Alex Van halen as the drummer works on the project. Steve Vai has also praised the quality of Eddie’s unreleased material, further heightening excitement for the long-rumored release.
