Why Rock Legend Eddie Van Halen Was Paid 'Zero Dollars' for Iconic Solo on Michael Jackson Hit
When Michael Jackson's multi-platinum hit "Beat It" debuted in 1982, it was clear the song was destined to become one of the best-selling singles of all time — thanks, in part, to the tune's instantly iconic hard rock guitar solo. At the time, however, many fans didn't know that legendary Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen was responsible for the riff...and decades later, music lovers are still surprised to learn that he played on the track for free.
In a 2013 interview on CNN alongside rapper LL Cool J, Van Halen — who died in 2020 at the age of 65 — gave a hilariously candid response when Piers Morgan asked why he received "zero dollars" for his work on the "smash hit."
"Well, I didn't ask for anything," Van Halen admitted, adding, "This is about 20 minutes out of my life."
"Quincy had called me up and asked me if I wanted to do it," Van Halen continued, referring to famed producer Quincy Jones.
"Honest to God truth, the band's policy was, you know, we don't do things outside of the band at the time, and everybody was out of town so I had no one to ask. I swear to God, I figured who's going to know if I play on this black kid's record," he added, laughing.
As Van Halen went on to explain, the "funniest thing of all" was that he "actually rearranged the song."
"The second they wanted me to solo over it was just, you know there's no chord changes underneath it so I had to rearrange the song," he recalled. "And Michael came in and I said 'Oh I hope you don't mind I changed your song,' and he listens he goes 'No, I really like that high fast stuff you do.'"
Despite the fact that Van Halen never profited from a song that made Jackson boatloads of cash, the rock legend proved he harbored no hard feelings in the same interview, remembering the pop star as a "sweet guy."Why Rock Legend Eddie Van Halen Was Paid 'Zero Dollars' for Iconic Solo on Michael Jackson Hit first appeared on Parade on Jul 17, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
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