[20] The line "don't be a macho man" is said to express Jackson's dislike of violence, while also referring to the childhood abuse he faced at the hands of his father Joseph.

[24] Having established that the call was genuine, Van Halen used a rented Marshall amplifier, set up to use alongside his Frankenstrat guitar and an Echoplex, then recorded two takes of the solo free of charge.

Thus, guitarist Steve Lukather and drummer Jeff Porcaro had to re-cut the basic tracks of the song to fit around Jackson's lead vocal and the guitar solo with the help of engineer Humberto Gatica.

[30] It was reported that during the marathon mixing sessions, the engineers were shocked while working on Van Halen's solo to discover that the sound of his guitar caused the monitor speaker in the control room to catch fire, allegedly causing "Thriller" songwriter Rod Temperton to exclaim, "This must be really good!"

[32] "The uncredited guitarist who whipped out the fluttering, squealing solo on this ode to macho cowardice was Eddie Van Halen.

The aerodynamic metal flight pumped crossover fuel that would boost the success of Thriller—a gimmick Jackson would flog later with spots from Slash and Carlos Santana.

"Beat It" was released in early 1983 to widespread acclaim, following the successful chart performances of "The Girl Is Mine" and "Billie Jean".

Frank DiLeo, the vice president of Epic Records, convinced Jackson to release "Beat It" while "Billie Jean" was heading towards number one.

[9] In a Rolling Stone review, Christopher Connelly describes "Beat It" as the best song on Thriller, adding that it "ain't no disco AOR track".

He notes of the "nifty dance song", "Jackson's voice soars all over the melody, Eddie Van Halen checks in with a blistering guitar solo, you could build a convention center on the backbeat".

[9][39] The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), a few months after its release, for shipments of at least one million units.

[43] The video, which cost Jackson $150,000 to create after CBS refused to finance it,[39][44] was filmed on Los Angeles' Skid Row—mainly on locations on East 5th Street[45]—around March 9, 1983.

To add authenticity to the production but also to foster peace between them, Jackson had the idea to cast members of rival Los Angeles street gangs Crips and Bloods.

[42][49][50] The bar location shown in the latter part of the first minute of the video was also featured 13 years earlier in the gatefold and on the back cover of the Doors 1970 album, Morrison Hotel.

[51] Coincidentally, the name of that skid row bar, the Hard Rock Café, was also the inspiration for the London original of the famous chain of restaurants begun in 1971.

[52] The video was written and directed by Bob Giraldi, produced by Ralph Cohen, Antony Payne and Mary M. Ensign through the production company GASP.

The second video released for the Thriller album, it was choreographed by Peters who also performed, alongside Vincent Paterson, as one of the two lead dancers.

[46] Jackson asked Giraldi, at the time already an established commercial director but who had never directed a music video,[53] to come up with a concept for the "Beat It" video because he really liked a commercial Giraldi had directed for WLS-TV in Chicago about a married couple of two elderly blind people who instead of running from a run-down neighborhood all the other white people had fled from, chose to stay and throw a block party for all the young children in the area.

Contrary to popular belief, the concept of the video was not based on the Broadway musical West Side Story; in reality, Giraldi drew inspiration from his growing up in Paterson, New Jersey.

[12] Eddie Van Halen has been praised for adding "the greatest guitar solo", helping "Beat It" become one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Jackson collected an award from President Ronald Reagan at the White House, in recognition for his support of the campaign.

[61]The song was featured in The Flintstone Kids while it was performed by La Toya Jackson but as a parody with “Beat it say no” to drugs.

[69] A remix of "2 Bad", is featured on Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix containing a sample of "Beat It" as well as a rap by John Forté and guitar solo by Wyclef Jean.

The song, titled "Beat It 2008", featured additional vocals by fellow Black Eyed Peas member Fergie.

[142] Todd Gilchrist was thankful that the remix retained Eddie Van Halen's "incendiary guitar solo", but added that the song "holds the dubious honor of making Jackson seem masculine for once, and only in the context of Fergie's tough-by-way-of-Kids Incorporated interpretation of the tune".

[150][151] Bassist Pete Wentz, who has claimed to have an obsession with Jackson, stated that prior to recording the song, he would only watch Moonwalker.

[152] Having spent time deciding on a guitarist for the song, Wentz eventually called John Mayer to add the guitar solo.

[154] Upon its digital release as a single in April 2008, Fall Out Boy's cover of "Beat It" became a mainstay on iTunes' Top 10 chart.

[157] The music video featured numerous cameos, including a karate class/dance session being taught by Tony Hale, Donald Faison, Joel David Moore and Hal Sparks dressed up like Michael Jackson.

[179] The song's music video followed the "Beat It" short film scene-for-scene, with Yankovic mimicking Jackson's dance moves in a clumsy fashion.