As already noted, the top debut on the Billboard’s singles chart this week was “Beat It,” Fall Out Boy and John Mayer’s energetic cover of the Michael Jackson megahit. It may be a bit premature to declare this the best rock song of the year, but “Beat It”–and its success–could signify several promising developments for the state of rock.
• If Guitar Hero has inspired Fall Out Boy and John Mayer to rock hard and fast, imagine what it will do to musicians who already kind of do?
• Emo kids already dress hair-metal; this cover may inspire them to play it.
• Fall Out Boy now has three hits that aren’t ballads. Perhaps established rock bands will realize there is actual commercial potential for songs that aren’t slow, turgid, or any other quality we associate with Nickelback.
• This song’s success might keep Fall Out Boy from putting out so many damn ballads themselves.
• Patrick Stump can sing pretty well, and he avoids that anonymous, butt-cleching nasal tone we associate with most emo acts. Hell, in the world of emo this kid is Teddy Pendergrass or something.
• The return of the instrumental solo to pop music. Today the guitar, tomorrow the saxophone!
Beat It - Fall Out Boy ft. John Mayer - Guitar Hero [YouTube]
So who’s going to cover “Eat It” in response?
If you would have told me that I would enjoy a Michael Jackson cover involving both Fall Out Boy and John Mayer I would have said you’re crazy. But, I am enjoying this…quite a bit actually. Now if Pete Wentz could only figure out how to a write decent verses to go along with their big choruses, they might be onto something.
I still can’t get my head about how terrible Mayer’s solo is on this cover. It gives me a renewed appreciation for EVH…
These guys really showed Alien Ant Farm how it’s done.
@Ned Raggett: Perez Hilton, John Mayer and Pete Wentz, of course!
@Audif Jackson Winters III: thanks for making me spit up seltzer all over my keyboard!
Fall Out Boy now has three hits that aren’t ballads.
I’m kind of puzzling over this line. They’ve had 4 previous originals that have charted higher than “Beat It” has so far, and they were all pretty umtempo — the only single they’ve had that I can kinda-sorta see as a ballad, “I’m Like A Lawyer,” wasn’t one of those big hits.
Biggest question this cover raises for me is how pissed Jacko/Epic must be that they didn’t do it a few months ago to help push the Thriller reissue.
@Al Shipley: Do I smell an “Expanded Deluxe Edition”?
@Al Shipley: “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs” is faster than I remembered (still sucks), but I wouldn’t call “Sugar, We’re Going Down” uptempo.
OK, it’s more midtempo than uptempo, but a ballad?
@Al Shipley: I could totally hear it on some 2000s power ballad comp, and that’s my last comment on this pedantry.
@Anthony Miccio: @Al Shipley: is this where my “’sugar, we’re goin’ down’ reminds me of creed’s ‘my sacrifice’” argument comes in?
I heard this on the radio not too long ago. When I heard the DJ say, “This is Fall Out Boy with ‘Beat It’,” I was like, “Aw, shit. This is going to be some slowed down crap.” When I heard it blare out of the car speakers at a pretty fast tempo, I was astounded. And I’m right there with you on the instrumental solo. What? A guitar solo? They didn’t edit that out. Good on ‘em, I say.
congrats, guys, you made one of the greatest pop/rock songs ever merely tolerable. POINTLESS.
best rock song of 2009 - Panic At the Disco and Michael Buble’s cover of “Helter Skelter”!
actually, the idolators are probably really excited about that.
Thanks for noting that Stump can in fact sing, Anthony. I tolerate FOB more than the rest of their ilk, mostly because of Stump’s voice and the fact that he and Pete balance each other out pretty well. One is all skinny and girly and eyeliner and occasionally laughable lyrics while the other is husky and normal looking and does the music.
@westartedthis: “Helter Skelter” by Panic At The Disco and Michael Bublé? It’s totally sad that I’d actually want to hear that, isn’t it?
I totally peed a little when I saw the Guitar Hero clip, then it finally occurred to me that this wasn’t GH3, so it’s totally some sort of create your own song thingy that isn’t for the XBox 360.
what hath i wrought?
I agree… I actually really liked their cover, though John Mayer’s no Eddie Van Halen.
I’d even look forward to Panic at the Disco doing Helter Skelter. Would it have accordions?
Easy answer: No. Or at least, “God, I hope not.”
I’m kinda meh on this. Sure its fun and gimmicky and all the players do their thing. But, really they just recorded a Michael Jackson song from sheet music without Michael Jackson’s voice. BFD.
if nothing else, this beats Patrick Stump’s wretched cover of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” hands down, in the sense that it’s not a total abortion.