Side by Side: 'Weird Al' Yankovic's 'Eat It' and Michael Jackson's 'Beat It'

A lot more attention to detail goes into Weird Al's parodies than you might realize. Here he is side-by-side with Michael Jackson to prove it.

[ClevelandRock]

I made this video so you can see the attention to detail that went into creating a shot-for-shot parody. I'm not interested in which one you think is better. I'm also aware that you can only hear the parody and not the original; playing both songs at the same time would ruin them both.

[mjSnap]

Michael loved Yankovic's ideas so much, he even arranged for Yankovic to be able to film at the original locations. Same with the Fat short film parody.

[calihyena]

We are looking at separate universes at once.

[FearFanatic]

Weird Al actually did a REALLY good job mimicking even the most subtle movements...it shows he was working hard to actually study Michael in the video, rather than just rely on the song and the scenery...

[caanandiaz]

This is what I love about Weird Al. He makes a funny song, using the original song. He doesn't just make fun of the original artist, like parody "artists" now a days.

[arcanask]

1:48 never realized the second gang wasn't around the corner because they still waiting on the bus. I've seen Eat It dozens of times and never noticed it. lmao

[adnoble]

I'm glad that Weird Al didn't let the Guitar Solo Guy go unnoticed. It's my favorite part of the recording and he always went unnoticed.

[dca-Letsplay]

What I love is I think that Al not only replicated the video as accurate as possible (when not mocking the video) but I believe he even got some of the same dancers and the same cinematographer to get it as accurate as possible and I love that

[nizloc]

If its gettin cold re-heat it. Love that line.

The exploding guitar guy and the overdone thriller eyes at the end are tied for the most awesome part of it all.

[Sbock]

Can’t believe Michael Jackson did a parody of Weird Al’s song “Eat It” ;-) Pulled it off pretty well

[nittanydragon]

It’s like while Al’s ultimate goal was to make a goofy parody, he’s still paying tribute to the original art

[TheMrRuttazzo]

1:38 kills me everytime.
From Michael's smooth head shake to Al's aggressive bite in a bun followed by a burp... xD

[mriyefa]

I haven't watched this parody for more than 3 and half decades. Impressive- all the details are so respected. Yankovic worked harder than we could think. It's actually a tribute to M.Jackson's video. Great job - thanks for allowing us to see both videos together.

[EmmyV]

Both Michael Jackson and Weird Al are complete Geniuses

[ReallyBadDriving]

I still cannot believe that the little one from the Jackson 5 had the audacity to parody one of Weird Al's best original masterpieces.

[MatthewSmith-tohz]

Weird al is proof you don't need to be vulgar or mean spirited to be funny. You just need to be creative.

[lostcelts]

I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed the fact they got most of the original performers from MJ’s video to reprise their role for Al’s parody.

[clescell]

I never realized how much attention to detail was put into weird al's version before seeing this. That had to be a monumental effort to parody the shots and choreography so well. (Btw... UHF is an underrated classic)

[adamdevree]

Imagine if Prince budged and let Weird Al parody him...

[Bachingchung]

I can't believe MJ made a parody of a Weird Al song.