How "Beat It" Inspired Me To Pick Up The Guitar - Page 2

I have by no means ever attempted to duplicate or cop the solo.  It just gives me the shivers whenever I hear it, and these past few days, it has been the only significant piece of music I have been listening to.  

Guitarist Jennifer Batten successfully duplicated Eddie's solo on Michael Jackson's subsequent tours, and Michael eventually collaborated with more rock guitarists such as Steve Stevens and Slash.  Fall Out Boy covered "Beat it" recently, with John Mayer playing the solo, but I will always listen to the original version to get my musical kick.  Listen to it on Youtube and tell me that you don't shivers down your spine.

Most kids today may not realize it, and many rock and rollers may be too cool to admit it, but "Beat It" is a pretty rocking song.  As a musician, I will always be indebted to Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones for collaborating with Eddie Van Halen.  I guess this is the best gift that Michael Jackson, recording artist, ever gave me.

Article Author: Clarence Yu

Clarence dislikes the word "blog" but has to live with it. He likes to write about music, film and books when he wants to escape the insanity of life (which is very often). Luckily, his writings have found their way into several on-line publications. …

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