Throughout his reign as the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson was praised for his clever lyrics and catchy melodies. His influence, however, stretches beyond the realm of music; his true artistry lies within the hidden messages found in his work. In 1983, Jackson released a music video for his song, “Beat It.” The deeper meaning of a song is often lost along the way, when one simply listens to it. A brand new dimension is added to the message when it is expressed both visually and audibly for the audience. The true intention of Jackson’s message would be missed without the visual component accompanying his lyrics. This short film follows the story of two rival gangs vying to gain power through the exertion of violence. As the video progresses, Jackson enters the enemy territory, breaks up the beginnings of a knife fight, and unites the gangs through his music. By looking at the visual tools of color composition, filmic gaze, and body language, one can see how today’s society dances around the issue of violence. This realization is extremely important because the road to recovery often begins with admitting the problem and then addressing it. 

The basis of Michael Jackson’s music video for “Beat It” speaks volumes about how society sweeps the extensive problem of violence under the rug. In one of the opening scenes, the camera zooms in on two rival gangs. Each is given their own shot from a bug’s eye view. This choice of angle depicts how violence is often viewed in correlation with power or strength— such as the gang leader who arrives to the scene on a forklift, creating the impression of a pedestal. The director further probes into the motif of violence through the employment of a complementary color scheme with accents of aggressive colors. The prevalence of black and white boldly contrast with the yellows and reds seen throughout the video’s entirety. For example, one gang leader wears a white jacket with a red lining while the other gang leader wears a yellow and black striped shirt. This draws the viewer’s attention to the different leaders and evokes an emotional association with threatening imagery. For example, the red can remind one of blood, while the yellow can further be translated as overconfidence or hazardous, as suggested by the Color Theory. By the purposeful usage of color, the viewer connects the gang leaders to violence. The medium shot used in this scene creates a sense of the proximity of violence in society. The closeness of the camera to the gang members’ faces demonstrates how each person is susceptible to this pitfall. Also, through scanning over the supporting faces of the gangs, the focus is drawn away from just the specific gang leaders, and is instead given a more universal application. This take-away establishes the threat of violence as seeded in the heart of every person. Jackson challenges the cultural view of violence by inferring that it takes a stronger man to stand up against violence than it does to participate in it. 

The crisis of violence ironically plays out through Jackson’s music video when two gangs meet face-to-face and draw their weapons. This theme is illustrated in the following climactic scene by the distance and angle of the camera. The director captures the act with a long shot from a bird’s eye view. This cinematographic choice gives a bigger picture of the gang members, demonstrating how widespread violence is.  Looking at the gangs from an elevated location, however, shows how truly petty it becomes. This angle gives the viewer a sense of the gangs’ position of weakness and vulnerability. In this particular scene, the gang leaders tie their arms, the arms not gripping their knives, together. While this may appear to be nothing more than a typical practice for a dispute, one could claim it is symbolic of how society is tied to violence. Although it may not go directly stated, society portrays violence with prestige. It is seen as showing dominance and strength. On the other hand, Michael Jackson’s simple, yet bold lyrics declare, “it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right, just beat it.” While the rope demonstrates society’s affinity for violence, it also illustrates how violence can be overcome. This bondage to violence is not made of iron— it can be cut or unraveled. Just like the ability of his prop, Jackson unravels the fabric of society by arguing that violence is not synonymous with power, but rather it is kin to weakness. Through the addition of visual context to his lyrics, Jackson declares that brutality can be beaten, if one would quit trying to save face and simply take the high road. He communicates through this depiction how peace does not make one less of man— it, in fact, makes you stronger. He challenges his fans to beat the stigma and fight the urge to cave in to brutality. Anyone can give into hate, but it takes a great leader, and someone truly powerful, to say no to violence.  

Michael Jackson presents a powerful case against the shadow of aggression found in society today through his music video for “Beat It.” Without visual context, one might listen to the tune and miss the message. Through the multiple compositional layers of imagery in this piece, one can see the contrast between society’s response to violence versus the proper response one should render. Instead of fighting fire with fire, Jackson arrives onto the scene and breaks up a rivalry by uniting two gangs through music and dance. If people can so easily rally together behind hatred, how much more could they gather together for a truly worthy cause? Jackson compels viewers to embrace the power of peace and forsake the authority of aggression. Dancing around the issue of violence was born in the past, and Jackson explains through the visual composition of his music video that it must be left there.
