Solo is Eddie, main guitar riff is Steve Lukather

@Mister_Samsonite

28 күн бұрын

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

28 күн бұрын

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

@RonNaeve

28 күн бұрын

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

@tonybarqs7804

28 күн бұрын

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

28 күн бұрын

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.

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

26 күн бұрын

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

23 күн бұрын

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

@exoplanet_1

19 күн бұрын

Still , everyone put their differences aside for the purpose of the video and mj. (Iconic)

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.

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

27 күн бұрын

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

27 күн бұрын

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

@dgoat2427

27 күн бұрын

@@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

27 күн бұрын

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

@dgoat2427

27 күн бұрын

@@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

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

@visarr

13 күн бұрын

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.

He was extremely gifted. A talent overload.

@Theghua1

24 күн бұрын

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

24 күн бұрын

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

24 күн бұрын

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 .

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

@user-be7tc2bd6e

27 күн бұрын

The Thriller album made MJ a national super star.

@freebandz4332

19 күн бұрын

@@user-be7tc2bd6eglobal megastar*

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.

Dance battle solves everything.

@tj5579

28 күн бұрын

*Choreographed dance battle

@hughfuller8416

28 күн бұрын

@@tj5579 fair enough.

@stonemills1546

28 күн бұрын

If only real gangs solved their issuses like this.

@garyarnett1220

28 күн бұрын

Absolutely, just ask Star Lord

@Kai2times

27 күн бұрын

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

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

The goat!

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

@karlsmith2570

28 күн бұрын

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

@freebandz4332

19 күн бұрын

Co-choreographer along with MJ.

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

@mr.o6240

27 күн бұрын

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

Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror (Official Video)

@PML78

26 күн бұрын

😢... RIP MJ 🐐

MJ's West Side Story masterpiece!

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.....

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).

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

Such an iconic song, Michael is a legend!❤

My favorite Michael Jackson song.

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

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

27 күн бұрын

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

@Crazychick64

27 күн бұрын

​​@@slashgg1501Steve Porcaro wrote the song Human Nature

@jerrybragg1523

27 күн бұрын

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

@randomhockeyguy9149

27 күн бұрын

@@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

27 күн бұрын

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

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

The guitar solo is insane. Timeless.

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

28 күн бұрын

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

@janleonard3101

28 күн бұрын

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

26 күн бұрын

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

@davidnorman4923

23 күн бұрын

He is credited on the album liner notes!

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

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

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

the true king of music

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

@kurtpflegl30

28 күн бұрын

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

27 күн бұрын

Living With A Hernia is better

@wizzledorff

27 күн бұрын

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

@PML78

26 күн бұрын

Brilliant but funny #TeamWeird

The Earth Song by Michael Jackson is a great song.

@user-bl1pw2th4l

9 күн бұрын

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

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.

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

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

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!

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

Real music, by real musicians.

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

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

@jimedwards4214

27 күн бұрын

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

27 күн бұрын

@@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

27 күн бұрын

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

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

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

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.

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

@PML78

26 күн бұрын

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

@matthewdrake4385

23 күн бұрын

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

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

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.

wonderful music video and reaction...more MJ

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

An all-time classic song by the legend himself.

The king of pop, rock and soul.

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

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

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

28 күн бұрын

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

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

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

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

@alexhaas9653

27 күн бұрын

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

@rimasmuliolis1136

27 күн бұрын

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

@PML78

26 күн бұрын

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

I can't hear this without hearing Weird Al's 'Eat It'

"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.

How about his sister, Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation? Great, high energy, good message and those dance moves!

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.

Yes, you are right that this was groundbreaking. Before MJ's song, MTV would only play white dominated Rock N Roll songs, no black dominated R & B artists were featured. MJ broke the glass ceiling barrier with this song and "Billie Jean". More black artists were featured afterwards.

Thanks for doing MJ!

Eddie did the solo but the rest of the guitar work was done by Steve lukather of Toto Fame along with David paitch

When you're older, you can apappreciate and analyze the song better.

the greatest of all time ❤

@PML78

26 күн бұрын

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

@notdaemon1

20 күн бұрын

facts

I heard some where, the gang leader in white was the dance director.

@BrendaB86

19 күн бұрын

Yep! It’s Michael Peters. He co-choreographed this with MJ along with the video for Thriller.

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

Hit it out again guys.. Legendary solo. Thanks

You might also check out his video for Remember the Time. In the video, there were appearances by several stars of the time... Eddie Murphy, Magic Johnson, Iman (a supermodel and Mrs. David Bowie), and a character actor by the name of Tom "Tiny" Lister.

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

I can't watch this without saying, you've got to watch Weird Al's Eat It!

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

How can you have not heard a song from the biggest selling album in history of music

If you take notice, the white guy who leads the one gang, was also in the Billy Joel Uptown Girl video. He was one of the guys on the motorcycle. Probably a professional dancer.

Man everyone wanted that jacket!!

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

Next? How about 'The Jackson 5 - Want You Back' featuring one of my fav rhythm guitar tracks. Then you gotta hear 'Weird Al Yankovic - Eat It', his parody of Beat It. My favorite Al tune. Cheers.

@kurtpflegl30

26 күн бұрын

I'd say it do Eat It first, while Beat It is still fresh in their minds. Otherwise all the new songs they react to will take over. Then do Want You Back... but that's just my thoughts on the subject...

Great reaction! Michael was a musical genius 😊❤

After this you really should watch Eat it by Weird Al Yankovic :)

@jxchamb

28 күн бұрын

I've probably sang Eat It a hundred more times than Beat It. Especially once I had kids.

What a Time Machine!!

Before Michael Jackson recorded the THRILLER album, before he was known as THE KING OF POP, he recorded a song which turned out to be prophetical in a way. He was only fourteen years old, yet the lyrics of the song spoke about what would become his lifelong relationship with music. "There have been others but never two lovers like MUSIC AND ME." kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZGanu8uBnd2ppNY.html

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

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.

Priceless, way ahead of his time..

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

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

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

25 күн бұрын

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😊🇦🇺

The 🐐 ❤

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.

A great song is "They. DON'T CARE ABOUT US" Those are real gang members!!

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 ❤️

My step-son was into MJ, even had a red jacket he wore in the mid-to-late eighties. He was 10 in '84 when his Mom and I got together, song came out in '82. Tried to dance like MJ, spin around and rip the jacket back off his shoulders, spin some more. Pretty funny. My son was into country and rock (kinda different), but they both got a kick out of MJ. My step-son now is more country than anything. Ah, yes, as the world turns. My daughter was just about all in on rock & roll. The three of them are 3 years apart total. Great family. Great reaction. Thanks, and God bless you!

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

Loved this! There was never anyone like him, and doubtful we'll see his talent again. Great reaction!

In the beginning, the girl with the long black hair who gets kissed is Cheryl Song, one of the dancers on Soul Train. The actor who kissed her wasn’t supposed to do it and that’s why she gave him the look as he walked away.

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

Jermaine Jackson has suggested the inspiration of "Beat It" and its video came from the Jackson family experiencing gang activity in Gary, Indiana. "From our front window, we witnessed, about three bad rumbles between rival gangs." The lyrics of "Beat It" have been described as a "sad commentary on human nature". Eddie Van Halen played the guitar solo on "Beat It." He did it as a favor for Quincy Jones and was not paid, unless you count the two six-packs of beer brought into the studio lol! Eddie told CNN: "He was this musical genius with this childlike innocence. He was such a professional, and such a sweetheart." About 2:45 into the song, there is an audible knocking noise just before Eddie Van Halen starts his guitar solo. Rumors were that an angry and drunk Eddie made the noise, that he was telling the assistant producer to f--k off, or that it was the sound of his guitar tremolo being bent. The truth is more mundane, as it was an intentional sound created by Michael Jackson banging on a drum case. On the Thriller credits Mike is listed on "Beat It" as "Drum Case Beater." This won 1983 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Rock Vocal Performance. The US Department of Transportation used this in messages to discourage drunk driving. In exchange, Mike was invited to the White House where he met President Reagan!! And btw. The dancers in the video were real bloods and crips! He got both rival gangs to dance together and forget about everything else for a moment! Only MJ could do that! Would love to see you react to MJ’s Come Together!! You’ll absolutely LOVE it! ☺️

They've been doing choreographed dancing in music with bands since the 40s.

I remember reading many years ago that the guys in the 'fight' scene were actual gang members. I was in my early 20's when this first came out, and I still have the vinyl Thriller album I bought in 1982.

@phoenixxking4156

28 күн бұрын

They were actual rival gang members from LA! MJ went and recruited them himself (along with some police help of course).

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

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!