vocals, drum case beater Paul Jackson Jr. – rhythm guitar Steve Lukather – lead guitar, bass guitar Eddie Van Halen – guitar solo Steve Porcaro – synthesizer, synthesizer programming Greg Phillinganes – Rhodes, synthesizer Bill Wolfer – keyboards Tom Bahler – Synclavier Jeff Porcaro – drums Greg Smith – Synergy synthesizer Production Michael Jackson – songwriting, co-production, rhythm and vocal arrangement Quincy Jones – production, rhythm arrangement Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts All-time charts Certifications Beat It 2008 For Thriller 25, Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am remixed "Beat It". The song, titled "Beat It 2008", featured additional vocals by fellow Black Eyed Peas member Fergie. Upon its release in 2008, the song reached No. 26 in Switzerland, the top 50 in Sweden and No. 65 in Austria. This was the second remixed version of "Beat It" to get an official release, following "Moby's Sub Mix" which was released on the "Jam" and "Who Is It" singles in 1992, as well as the "They Don't Care About Us" single in 1996 (and re-released as part of the Visionary campaign). Reception "Beat It 2008" received generally unfavorable reviews from music critics. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone claimed that the song was a "contender for the year's most pointless musical moment". AllMusic criticized Fergie for "parroting the lyrics of "Beat It" back to a recorded Jackson". Blender's Kelefa Sanneh also noted that the Black Eyed Peas singer traded lines with Jackson. "Why?", she queried. Todd Gilchrist was thankful that the remix retained Eddie Van Halen's "incendiary guitar solo", but added that the song "holds the dubious honor of making Jackson seem masculine for once, and only in the context of Fergie's tough-by-way-of-Kids Incorporated interpretation of the tune". Tom Ewing of Pitchfork observed that Fergie's "nervous reverence is a waste of time". Charts Fall Out Boy version American rock band Fall Out Boy covered "Beat It". The studio version was digitally released on March 25, 2008, by Island Records as the only single from the band's first live album, Live in Phoenix (2008). The guitar solo is played by John Mayer. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 21 on the defunct-Billboard Pop 100 chart, also charting internationally. The band has since regularly incorporated it in their set list at their shows. Background, recording and release In early 2008, it was announced that