Beat It Chords | Michael Jackson Guitar Lesson


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Beat It | Chords + Lyrics


Intro

| G | G | E | E | G | G |
||: D | D :||
x4
||: Ebm riff | Db riff | Ebm riff | Db riff :|| 

Verse 1

| Eb5 | Db5 |
They told him, “Don’t you ever come around here”.
| Eb5 | Db5 |
“Don’t wanna see your face, you better disappear”.
| B5 | Db5 |
The fire’s in their eyes and their words are really clear,
| Eb5 | Db5 |
so beat it, just beat it.

Verse 2

You better run, you better do what you can.
Don’t wanna see no blood, don’t be a macho man.
You wanna be tough, better do what you can,
so beat it, but you wanna be bad.

Chorus 1

||: Ebm (riff) | Db (riff) | Ebm (riff) | Db (riff) :|| 
Just beat it (beat it), beat it (beat it), no one wants to be defeated.
Show them how funky, strong is your fight, it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right.
Just beat it (beat it). Just beat it (beat it). Just beat it (beat it). Just beat it (beat it, uh).

Verse 3

They’re out to get you, better leave while you can.
Don’t wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man.
You wanna stay alive, better do what you can, 
so beat it, just beat it, uh.

Verse 4

You have to show them that you’re really not scared.
You’re playing with your life, this ain’t no truth or dare.
They’ll kick you, then they’ll beat you, then they’ll tell you it’s fair,
so beat it, ah, but you wanna be bad.

Chorus 2

Just beat it (beat it), beat it (beat it), no one wants to be defeated.
Show them how funky, strong is your fight, it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right.
Just beat it (beat it), beat it (beat it), no one wants to be defeated.
Show them how funky, strong is your fight, it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right.

Breakdown

||: Eb5 | Eb5:|| x8
Just beat it (beat it, beat it, beat it), beat it (beat it, beat it, beat it). 
Beat it (beat it, beat it, beat it). Beat it (beat it).

Solo

||: Eb5 | Db5 | Eb5 | Db5 |
| B5 | Db5 | Eb5 | Db5 :||

Chorus 3

Beat it (beat it), beat it (beat it), no one wants to be defeated.
Show them how funky, strong is your fight, it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right.

Chorus 4

||: Just beat it (beat it), beat it (beat it), no one wants to be defeated.
Show them how funky, strong is your fight, it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right. :|| x3



Beat It Chords: Learn the progressions


Surprisingly similar to Ain’t Nobody, Beat It’s chords primarily move between Ebm and Db, before shifting to a B—just like Chaka Khan’s smash hit, released one year earlier.

But that’s only half the story. The real essence of the chords lies in the iconic riff, which is based on the Eb minor pentatonic scale with an added ninth.

I’ve tabbed out the chorus riff for you. To learn the solo, check out the video lesson in the playlist at the top of this page. Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Beat It – Guitar Lesson with TAB.

Of course, most of your time will be spent mastering the solo—compared to that, this chord chart will feel like a breeze!


Beat It chord chart.


Beat It Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro


Should you want to download this chord chart, here’s a PDFBeat It Chord Chart PDF.

This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Beat It iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.



Eddie played on Beat It for a six-pack of beer!

Eddie played on Beat It for a six-pack of beer!

As the third single from the hugely successful Thriller, Beat It was Michael Jackson’s attempt at writing a rock song. Clearly, he succeeded—it won a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal in 1984.

Of course, having Eddie Van Halen, the biggest electric guitar icon of the time, didn’t hurt. He famously recorded his now-legendary solo for free—aside from a couple of six-packs of beer. Other musicians on the track included members of Toto.

Originally ranked No. 337 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, Beat It was promoted to No. 185 in 2021.



Beat It Chords | Related Pages


Beat It | Guitar Lesson + TAB

Beat It TAB lesson.

With this guitar lesson, you can learn to play Beat It by Michael Jackson using TAB and chord analysis.

| Eb5 | Db5 |
They told him, “Don’t you ever come around here”…


Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics

When you can play Beat It's chords, try these five tunes from the song book.


Michael Jackson tunes

Find out more about Michael Jackson, the man who wrote Beat It's chords.

The King of Pop became world-famous before he was a teenager, signing to Motown with his brothers as part of The Jackson 5.

After a string of hits, Michael Jackson launched an extraordinary solo career, eventually reaching the level of fame enjoyed by Elvis and The Beatles.


Michael Jackson on the web

Listen to Michael Jackson on Spotify.


About me | Dan Lundholm

Dan Lundholm wrote this guitar lesson about Beat It's chords.

This was a guitar lesson about Beat It chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.

Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.


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