Hot Take: ‘Beat It’ Isn’t Michael Jackson’s Best Rock Song
Michael Jackson‘s “Beat It” proved that the King of Pop could be the King of Rock when he wanted to be. While “Beat It” has an iconic music video, it isn’t Jackson’s best rock tune. It might not even be his second-best rock tune. Here’s a look at Jackson, the rock star.
Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ isn’t as good as ‘Give In to Me’
“Beat It” is musically violent, but it’s a song about pacifism. That’s an oddball choice if there ever was one. When John Lennon sang about nonviolence, he wrote folk ditties and pop ballads. Meanwhile, Jackson tries to instill peace, love, and understanding in his listeners while hitting them over the head with Eddie Van Halen’s guitar. In its own strange way, “Beat It” works beautifully, but it’s hard to accept Jackson as the sort of person who would break up a gang fight.
On the other hand, “Give In to Me” shows off Jackson’s rarely-displayed sexual side and it’s utterly convincing. In fact, it’s so convincing it feels dangerous. Perhaps that’s why it appeared on an album called Dangerous. Slash from Guns N’ Roses played a guitar solo on the song. It’s one of the best collaborations between a pop singer and a rocker in the history of popular music, and it’s a crying shame that the song is mostly forgotten today. If the song had a music video as memorable as “Thriller,” it might be a ubiquitous classic.
Why ‘Dirty Diana’ is 1 of Michael Jackson’s best rock songs
“Beat It” is arguably less impressive than Jackson’s “Dirty Diana.” The tune is a seductive portrait of a woman who wants Jackson more than he wants her. It has some of the same sexuality as “Billie Jean,” but takes things in a different direction.
In “Dirty Diana,” Jackson seems to want Diana back even though he knows she’s not good for him. Some of the best pop songs ever are about mixed emotions. The narrator of “Dirty Diana” couldn’t be more conflicted and that makes the song fascinating.
What the King of Pop wanted to achieve with ‘Beat It’
In his 1988 book Moonwalk, Jackson revealed that “Beat It” was not written to please the critics. “‘Beat It’ was written with school kids in mind,” Jackson wrote. “I’ve always loved creating pieces that will appeal to kids. It’s fun to write for them and know what they like because they’re a very demanding audience. You can’t fool them. They are still the audience that’s still most important to me, because I really care about them. If they like it, that’s a hit, no matter what the charts say.”
Beyond that, the King of Pop felt that “Beat It” had an important message for children. “The lyrics of ‘Beat It’ express something I would do if I were in trouble,” he revealed. “Its message — that we should abhor violence — is something I believe deeply. It tells kids to be smart and avoid trouble. I don’t mean you should turn the other cheek while someone kicks your teeth, but, unless your back is against the wall and you have absolutely no choice, you just get away before violence breaks out. If you fight and get killed, you’ve gained nothing and lost everything.”
“Beat It” isn’t Jackson’s best rock song but it has a better message than superior songs.
