Eddie Van Halen Talks About “Beat It”
Eddie Van Halen, the 57-year-old guitarist, recently brought back memories of working on Michael Jackson’s song "Beat It" in an interview with CNN to mark the 30th anniversary of Thriller. The guitar on this track — released on Thriller, the best-selling album in history — was played by Van Halen. His captivating 20-second guitar solo on the song was recorded in just half an hour.
Van Halen says: "It was like it happened just yesterday. I wish another collaboration with him had happened—it would’ve been fun. Back then, I told myself, 'If I play guitar on this kid’s song, nobody will notice, nobody will find out.' And what a mistake I made! (laughs) What a big mistake... 'Beat It' became the song of the year. At the time, Black musicians had to deal with being ignored, but Thriller was an album that put an end to those inequalities."
Van Halen also says that when Quincy Jones first called him to ask him to play guitar on Thriller, he almost lost his temper:
"I snapped at him. I said, 'What do you want?! Talk to me! He was just mumbling!' He said, 'Are you Eddie?' I said, 'Yeah—tell me what you want from me!' He continued, 'I’m Quincy.' I thought, I don’t know anyone by that name. He said, 'Man, I’m Quincy Jones.' Then I remembered. 'Oh wow, I’m sorry' (laughs). 'What can I do?' And he said, 'Would you be interested in playing guitar on Michael Jackson’s new song?' And I was thinking about the song... E-B-C One... (the ABC song from the Jackson 5). I said, guitar doesn’t fit with songs like that. I still wasn’t 100% sure I was talking to Jones. I told him, 'Okay, I’ll see you in the studio tomorrow.' When I got there, I saw Quincy Jones, I saw Michael Jackson, I saw the engineers—everyone was busy recording."
"Michael left and went to the other side of the hall, where they were recording something for the kids—I think it was that E.T. story. I asked Quincy, 'What should I do?' He said, 'Do whatever you want.' I warned him, 'Be careful—if you knew me, you wouldn’t tell me to do whatever I want.' I listened to the song and immediately said, 'Can I change some parts?' Then I went to the engineer, explained things. It took 10 minutes, and then I played two improvisations. I was busy with the second take when Michael walked in. You know, artists are crazy—we’re a little weird. I didn’t know how he would react to my work, so before I let him listen to anything, I warned him. I said, 'Look, I changed the middle part of your song.' In my mind, I thought either his security would throw me out, or he would like it. Finally he heard the song, then turned to me and said, 'Wow! Thank you for coming here with so much enthusiasm—not just to record a guitar solo, but because you care about the work and came to make it even better.' He was a musical genius with a child’s heart. He was a professional and a kind, sweet man."
This collaboration surprised people at the time.
"I’ll never forget that when Tower Records was still operating in Sherman Oaks, I was out shopping one day and I heard 'Beat It' playing over the speakers. A few kids were standing there. When they heard my solo, one of them said, 'Listen, this guy with his guitar playing is trying to imitate Eddie Van Halen.' I put my hand on his shoulder and said, 'This guy is me!!!'... What a funny coincidence."
What was the reaction of Van Halen’s band—the band Rock that Eddie played guitar for—to this collaboration?
"I told them, 'You know, kids!... David, you weren’t around, Alex, you weren’t here either. I didn’t have access to you to call you and ask permission.' Unfortunately, Thriller (released in 1982) didn’t allow our 1984 album to become number one. Our album was ready to go straight to the top, but Thriller didn’t let it. That was the same time he was advertising his Pepsi hair-scorching commercial, and bang! Thriller climbed back to the number one spot."
After Thriller, did any album manage to shake the foundations of the world? Van Halen says: "Oooof! I don’t know."
Some people consider Nirvana’s Nevermind to be a turning point in music history, and Eddie Van Halen says:
"Whatever it was, its impact wasn’t like Thriller. It didn’t attract as many listeners as Thriller did. Nirvana was a big band, but it didn’t match everyone’s taste perfectly. I have a special respect for Michael. It’s a shame he isn’t here. I mean, if he were here, what would he be doing right now?"
What was the fee Eddie received for playing guitar on Beat It? Quincy said: "Two six-packs of beer."
"Yes, that was my fee. My name wasn’t even on the Beat It record. Instead of the guitarist’s name, there was a question mark, or they wrote Frankenstein (the name of my guitar). Quincy, at the end, sent me a thank-you letter. That’s how he signed it... 'From the guy who’s always mumbling.' I still have that letter—it’s very funny."
Source: eMJey.com / CNN