Alex Van Halen deeply misses his brother, Eddie Van Halen, but still harbors some resentment over Eddie’s decision to play the iconic guitar solo on Michael Jackson’s hit song, “Beat It.” Alex shared his frustration in an interview with Rolling Stone, revealing that he had advised Eddie against the collaboration, believing his brother should reserve his best work for their band, Van Halen. Alex expressed his discontent, saying, “Why would you lend your talents to Michael Jackson? I just don’t f—ing get it.” He also claimed that Eddie downplayed Jackson’s significance at the time, allegedly saying, “Oh, who knows that kid anyway?”
Interestingly, Eddie wasn’t Jackson’s first choice for the solo. Shortly after Eddie’s passing, Pete Townshend revealed to Rolling Stone that Jackson had initially approached him, but he wasn’t available, so he recommended Eddie. Townshend recalled speaking with Eddie afterward and described him as “utterly charming” and happy to have connected with Jackson.
One of the most surprising aspects of Eddie’s involvement in “Beat It” is that he performed the solo for free, as a favor to producer Quincy Jones. In a 2012 interview with CNN, Eddie revealed that he improvised the solo and recorded it in about 30 minutes, adding, “I don’t even think I’m credited on the record. It just says, ‘Guitar solo: Question Mark’ or ‘Guitar solo: Frankenstein’ (the name of his guitar).”
By doing the solo for free, Eddie missed out on what could have been a substantial payday, given that Thriller has sold over 34 million copies in the U.S. alone, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Following Eddie’s death in 2020, Quincy Jones paid tribute, saying, “RIP to the GREAT @eddievanhalen… You killed it on Thriller, and your classic solo on Beat It will never be matched. I’ll always smile when I think of our time working together.”
Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, responded to Jones’ tweet writing, “I loved whenever he told me the story of you calling him and him not actually believing you. One of my favorite stories he would tell. Much love.”
Jones replied, “My dear Wolf…so so sorry for your loss. Sending U & the fam lots of love.”
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