"Van Halen left his signature style on the song's guitar licks, but that wasn't all. He also shared that he put his own spin on the song's production behind Jackson's back!" https://www.etonline.com/how-eddie-van-halens-uncredited-guitar-solo-on-michael-jacksons-beat-it-came-to-be-154293
"Michael left to go across the hall to do some children's speaking record. I think it was E.T. or something," he recalled. "So I asked Quincy, 'What do you want me to do?' And he goes, 'Whatever you want to do.' https://www.etonline.com/how-eddie-van-halens-uncredited-guitar-solo-on-michael-jacksons-beat-it-came-to-be-154293
And he goes, 'Whatever you want to do.' And I go, 'Be careful when you say that. If you know anything about me, be careful when you say, 'Do anything you want!'" https://www.etonline.com/how-eddie-van-halens-uncredited-guitar-solo-on-michael-jacksons-beat-it-came-to-be-154293
"I listened to the song, and I immediately go, 'Can I change some parts?' I turned to the engineer and I go, 'OK, from the breakdown, chop in this part, go to this piece, pre-chorus, to the chorus, out.' https://www.etonline.com/how-eddie-van-halens-uncredited-guitar-solo-on-michael-jacksons-beat-it-came-to-be-154293
Took him maybe 10 minutes to put it together. And I proceeded to improvise two solos over it."
"I was just finishing the second solo when Michael walked in," he remembered. https://www.etonline.com/how-eddie-van-halens-uncredited-guitar-solo-on-michael-jacksons-beat-it-came-to-be-154293
"I was just finishing the second solo when Michael walked in," he remembered. https://www.etonline.com/how-eddie-van-halens-uncredited-guitar-solo-on-michael-jacksons-beat-it-came-to-be-154293