(Saturday, April 30, 1983) — “Beat It” by Michael Jackson peaked at #1 on today’s Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for three weeks (April 30, May 7/14, 1983).

It was the musician’s fifth of 13 #1 hits on the chart (1972-1995; he also had four #1 hits with The Jackson 5 in 1970).

Rolling Stone magazine placed “Beat It” in the 337th spot on its 2004 list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”