"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Micheal Jackson and co-produced by Quincy Jones for the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller (1982). Eddie Van Helen was drafted to add the song's distinctive over driven guitar solo. "Beat It" was released on February 14, 1983 as the album's third single. The song was promoted with a short film that featured Jackson bringing two gangs together through the power of dance.
The video starts in a typical American diner, and one man taps another on the back, who then starts to follow him. Then, men all dressed in denim and leather jump out of the shadows and then run into the distance, making howling noises. Immediately, an atmosphere is created as we want to know how these men are linked and where they are going. Creating mystery in the video. Another two men then appear from the sewers. One is dressed in unkempt looking clothing, and it appears that all of these men may be going to the same place.
Next, a pool hall is shown full of men. The lighting is quite dull, and the mood seems tense, like they are waiting for something or someone. One man in particular is focused on, he has an arrogant expression and then orders some other men to follow him. A woman, who was stood behind him, glances toward the group of men who are leaving, whilst smoking a cigarette. She has a relaxed expression, as if she knows what will happen or that she has seen this all before.
As the guitar kicks in and the song starts to pick up pace, another man is seen donning a white jacket, with a distinctive dragon motif on the back of it. The colour of his clothes is much brighter than those around him, which sets him apart from the rest of the pack. He also has a thick moustache and is wearing sunglasses; which further makes us believe that he may be a key character in the video, much like the man spotlighted before him. We see one group, led by the man with the moustache walk through the dark night. The setting and time of day casts an ominous shadow over the video, and makes me feel that something bad may happen. Although it is dark, he is still wearing heavy sunglasses which suggest he has a role of power as it is usually people such as celebrities who constantly wear sunglasses to show there power in society and so people do not talk to them. Michael Jackson is then seen lying on a bed, and he is singing the lyrics of the song, whilst looking concerned. More shots of the two separate groups are shown and this makes me think that they could be two rival gangs. The lyrics of the song suggest this also, as the lyrics have connotations of gang culture within them.
The crew are then seen walking through a street and as they are about to pass two people on the floor, they get up and join the group. This creates a sense of fear from the crew and that people are either ‘with them or against them’. Michael then exits his apartment or hotel room and the choreography begins. Michael dances in a dark corridor, with a large beam of light hitting him whilst he dances. His bright red jacket and blue t-shirt are contrasting of the dark colours seen throughout the video so far and are also iconic of him. Spooky alleyways, bland buildings and barbed wire fences convey the social class of this area. The setting looks depressing and rough; suggesting once again that these people may be up to no good.
Jackson is then seeing dancing in the diner seen at the start of the video. It seems like he may be on the trail of these two groups of men. We then see him in the pool hall; in which he is once again letting go of his emotions through dance. It seems like Michael’s dancing is him ‘beating’ in the gang culture referenced through the song, and that he is not going to fall into the dangerous groups of individuals casting a shadow over the neighbourhood.
The groups of thugs are then seen entering some form of warehouse. Their body language is menacing, and it looks like they are ready for a fight. The man in the white outfit then comes into view, with a light shining on him. His position on a forklift higher than everyone else conveys his role as gang leader. The man introduced in the pool hall is focused on, before the men start to walk into the middle of their respective groups. Red lighting is subtly visible in this scene. Red has connotations of danger, blood and violence. The men then start to spar with knives until Michael Jackson finally enters the warehouse. He stands in between the two men as he utters the words, ‘it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right, just beat it’, the 3 begin dancing in unison. The punch in the air several times, echoing the message of beating gang violence. The dancing reflects the meaning of the song and the location has been excellently selected in creating a credible community which is dangerous to be a part of.
The opening lyrics open with 'It's been so long, I've been out of my body with you' and the video links in with this as the camera is overlooking the man on the stretcher as the paramedics rush around him with medical equiptment. This links because it appears to be the soul of the man on the stretcher overlooking himself as he may be dying, like his soul is parted from his body in limbo. As the next line kicks in (I feel alone, feel at home, feel like nothing is true ) a ghost figure of the man sits up from the bed and walks away. This suggests that he has now actualy died and the fact all the paramedics leave the room show that they have given up on him as they now cannot save him.
The next lyrics are 'You take me to a place where my senses gave way, turn it round, shut it down, what the people say Climbing up, coming down, gonna give you some, take my hand and let it come, let it come, let it... Take it back when she knows that your doing it right Cos everbody else knows what they're taking tonight'. To me these lyrics suggest that the man in question has been taking recreational drugs as the lyrics are saying 'climbing up, coming down' and coming down is a big part of taking drugs and the man in the video may have overdosed on some drugs which is why the paramedics have given up on him and he has died, because it is his own fault. The ghost figure is then seen panically running down the hospital hallway running into walls in a frenzy. This suggests that the soul of the man dying is scared and panicing due to his new found situation and he doesnt quite know what to do.
The next scene shows the infamous deadmau5 figure in a club environment surrounded by people in glittery masks dancing. By showing the figure it shows the audience who the song is by showing an inconagraphic figure.
The ghost figure is then seen doing things like riding down the street on a skateboard and getting a green tattoo on his neck. This suggests that the ghost has now come to an acceptance of his fate and is enjoying what he can while he can by doing crazy spontanious things. Although his fun is ended prematurly when he is met with other ghosts in the street which threaten to beat him up. This adds a comical aspect to the video and the storyline.
The next scene shows the ghost down and out in the street and then the deadmau5 figure and his crew walking down. They then encourage him to follow them and he does, showing that he has found some acceptance in his society. They then all enter the club from the previous scene and all dance to the song.
As the song is coming to a close the scene flicks back and forth from the club and a view of a nurse holding a light above the camera, this suggests that the man is actually now not dead and is now being brought back to life. As the ghost is met face to face with the deadmau5 figure, he wakes up in the hospital bed, bolting upright suggesting that prehaps the deadmau5 figure and the ghost are prehaps the same person.
When the man has awoken he still has the tattoo on his neck, suggesting that the scenes we just saw either actually a relapse of something that he has done previously or that that was what happened for him to get to the hosptial bed, that he had been out in a club and he had got there from either overdosing or getting into a fight.
