Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
New Michael Jackson single appears old
| Entertainment
|
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
Entertainment
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Film
Music
People
Television
Arts
Industry
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
"New" Michael Jackson single appears old
Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:45pm EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
LOS ANGELES/LONDON (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's new single "This Is It" was released online and on radio on Monday but fans and music experts quickly spotted striking similarities to an 18-year-old recording.
"This Is It" was promoted as a new Jackson recording and was released around the world nearly four months after the "king of pop" died in Los Angeles of a prescription drug overdose at the age of 50.
It will be available to buy as part of a two-disc album that hits the shelves internationally on October 26 and in North America on October 27 to coincide with the global limited release of the Jackson rehearsal footage movie "This is It" on October 28.
Fans said the "This Is It" song has the same melody and almost identical lyrics to a little-known 1991 recording by Puerto Rican singer SaFire. A version of the SaFire song, called "I Never Heard," was posted on YouTube on Monday.
In Los Angeles, 1960s teen idol and songwriter Paul Anka told celebrity web site TMZ.com that he had written the song with Jackson in 1983, and that Jackson himself had recorded it under the title "I Never Heard" in the early 1990s.
Sony Music's Columbia/Epic Label Group and executors of Jackson's estate did not immediately return calls for comment.
But TMZ.com quoted executor John Branca as saying, "We acknowledge that Michael and Paul wrote this song together."
Anka told the website that those handling Jackson's estate had apologized for "ripping off my song."
The "This Is It track, which features backing vocals by Jackson's brothers, opens with a soft, soulful introduction and the lines: "This is it, here I stand/I'm the light of the world, I feel grand."
Jackson's other executor, John McClain, who is also a co-producer of the "This is It" album, had said in a statement on Monday that the song "only defines, once again, what the world already knows -- that Michael is one of God's greatest gifts."
Some critics begged to differ. Jon Pareles, the chief pop critic of The New York Times, said in a blog it "won't be on anyone's list of best Michael Jackson songs, even if it's a long list" and hoped there was something better in the Michael Jackson vaults of album outtakes.
The "This Is It" movie is based on rehearsal video shot in Los Angeles in the weeks before Jackson's planned 50 comeback concerts in London. It was the subject of a $60 million deal between Jackson's estate and concert promoter AEG Live and Sony Pictures.
Sales of Jackson's records spiked after his death and the release of the movie and album will add to the value of the "Thriller" singer's estate, estimated at around $400 million.
Sony Music said the first disc of the album will feature some of Jackson's greatest hits plus two versions of the "new" single.
The second disc will include unreleased versions of some of the singer's classic tracks and a spoken word poem entitled "Planet Earth" performed by Jackson and never heard before.
Sony Pictures and Sony Music are units of Sony Corp.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White in London and Jill Serjeant in Los Angeles; Editing by Bill Trott)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Former flight attendant sues Oprah over sex claim
Also on Reuters
T-Mobile Sidekick users face personal data loss
Video
Video: Americans get some needed relief at the pumps
Blog: Is Hillary Clinton being marginalized?
More Entertainment News
Former flight attendant sues Oprah over sex claim
A big hunk o' hair -- Elvis locks go under the hammer
Flaming Lips set "secret" L.A. show for Thursday
Barbra Streisand auctions off objects for charity
Mamet's "Oleanna" a contrived look at sex harassment
More Entertainment News...
Video
Talk of the Town
Play Video
More Video...
More News
UPDATE 2-"New" Michael Jackson single a "mistake"
Monday, 12 Oct 2009 11:44pm EDT
"New" Michael Jackson single appears old
Monday, 12 Oct 2009 07:44pm EDT
New Michael Jackson single hits the airwaves
Monday, 12 Oct 2009 05:16am EDT
Jackson lost will to live, confidante says
Friday, 25 Sep 2009 07:34pm EDT
New Michael Jackson single to hit airwaves October 12
Thursday, 24 Sep 2009 12:40pm EDT
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
UPDATE 2-"New" Michael Jackson single a "mistake"
UPDATE 2-GE to have right to sell stake in new NBC venture
U.S. healthcare overhaul poised for big step forward | Video
U.S. to house detained migrants in converted hotels
Former flight attendant sues Oprah over sex claim
Housing risks still lurk even as buyers return
Chavez says Obama did "nothing" to deserve Nobel
U.S. recession over, unemployment seen at 10 percent | Video
Vietnam's chronic currency weakness takes toll on firms
White House blasts insurance sector report | Video
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Deadly blast in Pakistan
Relief at the pump
Death sentences for Xinjiang riots
Battle heats up over healthcare bill
First woman wins Nobel Economics
Clinton's push for N. Ireland peace
Talk of the Town
UK energy targets will be costly
Edgar Allan Poe's final send off
British brides trash their dresses
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Journalism Handbook |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Tuesday, 13 October 2009 Netanyahu: No war crimes trials for Israelis
France charges 'Big Bang' scientist with terror ties
Philips posts surprise profit as cost cuts help
Britain unveils huge asset sale to cut debt
Rentokil to use Google's Apps cloud, biggest yet
T-Mobile Sidekick U.S. users face personal data loss
Israel's Netanyahu stands by tough peace terms
Sarkozy junior embroiled in nepotism row
US recession over, but employment will lag: survey
Philips posts surprise profit as cost cuts help
Arthur Levinson quits Google board, appeasing FTC
Israel's Netanyahu stands by tough peace terms
| International
|
Report: Israel military's West Bank probe drags on
Lufthansa, Panasonic deal for in-flight Internet
Hezbollah official among dead in Lebanon blast: sources
| International
|
T-Mobile-Sidekick U.S. users face personal data loss
| Technology
|
Job data to show stimulus aided teachers, laborers
Auction house all shook up over Elvis hair
Rentokil to use Google's Apps cloud, biggest yet
| Technology
|
Trial starts in slaying of 7 at Indianapolis home
Google's Q3 set to return to growth, shares strong
| Technology
|
Risque ads: Live it up in Ky.'s 'Possibility City'
Report: North Korea fires 5 short-range missiles
Correction: Afghan-Sept 11 story
Day care next frontier in fighting kids' obesity
Summers: Bush era set stage for economic troubles
Russia's Putin in China for trade, political talks
Yale holds memorial for Le
Ostrom thanks husband, colleagues for Nobel prize
Amtrak ridership down, but still near record high
Six sentenced to death for China's Xinjiang riots
Mike Tyson on late daughter: `That's my angel'
East Timor government survives no-confidence vote
North Korea fires missiles, puzzles outside world
41 dead as suicide blast hits northwest Pakistan
Maoist rebels damage roads, rail tracks in India
China court sentences 6 to death in Xinjiang riots
OECD unemployment hits 8.6%
Pakistan may issue new Islamic license for Gulf-banker
Iran signs gas deal with South Korea firm-media
Freer trade fails to create better jobs: study
Orlando Bloom named goodwill ambassador for kids
| Entertainment
|
Orlando Bloom named goodwill ambassador for kids
Flaming Lips set secret L.A. show for Thursday
| Entertainment
|
Obama aide accuses Fox of operating as GOP arm
Nobel Prizes plagued by rumors of leaks
Polanski feels depressed in jail: lawyer
| Entertainment
|
Lauren Graham stepping into NBC's 'Parenthood'
Anger fuels US talk of secession, states rights
Syria bans smoking in public places
Late German dance legend Bausch's successors named
Orlando Bloom named UNICEF's goodwill ambassador
France tops Europe for quality of life: study
New Michael Jackson single debuts online
US-TECH Summary
Putin's party sweeps local polls, opposition alleges fraud
Hezbollah denies five killed in Lebanon blast
Genentech chairman resigns from Google board
North Korea readying to fire more missiles: report
| International
|
White House targets Fox as it goes after press critics
First woman wins Nobel Economics Prize
Japan to end Afghan refueling mission
| International
|
Google's Q3 set to return to growth, shares strong
Clinton to question Moscow on Iran
File sharing drops in Sweden after govt crackdown: association
Honduran abuses rampant after coup: rights groups
| International
|
Armenia leader to pursue thaw in Turkey visit
China, Russia bolster ties with $3.5 billion in deals
| International
|
BSkyB says to launch online music service
Tropical storm Patricia churns off Mexico's Pacific
| International
|
Business halted Iran firms on nuclear fears
Australia PM intervenes with Indonesia on asylum boats
| International
|
Chinese reveals latest in series of deaths in custody
| International
|
Australian attitudes cool towards China
China vows crackdown on industry overcapacity
Report: North Korea fires 5 short-range missiles
Poll test for India's ruling Congress party
Commuter jet makes emergency landing in Texas
North Korea to fire more missiles ahead of talks
Clinton visits Russia to discuss Iran, nuclear treaty
Texas man found asleep with corpse inside closet
NKorea agrees to hold talks with SKorea
New Indonesia stoning law is 'torture': rights group
Cambodia seeks arbitration in land dispute
NKorea fires five short-range missiles: official
Texas man found asleep with corpse in closet
Transfer to China of dissident unlawful: Hong Kong lawmaker
Insurers' warning shot has Democrats scrambling
Wash. agency assessing landslide near Naches
Pumpkin squashes competition in Calif. weigh-off
Mich. governor signs law giving farm animals room
Calif governor signs gay marriage recognition bill
Taiwan dollar firms on inflows and exporter deals
S.Korea president: world economic crisis not over
Seoul shares fall; STX tumbles, eyes on N.Korea
S.Korea bonds rise on foreign buying, weak shares
S.Korea listed firms' Q3 capex jumps to over 1-yr high
Seoul shares open down on banks; N.Korea weighs
NZ retail sales rise in Aug, rates in focus
Chinese shoe tariff extension proposed in EU
China's Hainan Airlines to begin service to Hawaii
Indonesia police confirm killed terror suspects' identities
New Michael Jackson single appears old
| Entertainment
|
US Nobel sweep points to brain drain
A big hunk o' hair -- Elvis locks go under the hammer
| Entertainment
|
Age no concern at World Masters Games
Barbra Streisand auctions off objects for charity
| Entertainment
|
Newark mayor to settle feud on 'Tonight Show'
Mamet's Oleanna a contrived look at sex harassment
| Entertainment
|
Carrie Underwood headlines Fox variety show
| Entertainment
|
Matthew Perry developing new sitcom
| Entertainment
|
Barbra Streisand auctions off objects for charity
"New" Michael Jackson single appears old
Tom Hanks hasn't forgotten Ohio theater roots
Tatum O'Neal lands Sweet deal on indie film
| Entertainment
|
Ethiopian rocker swaps prison cell for spotlight
Reno 911! stars bring comedy to NBC
| Entertainment
|
Thousands expected to visit Catholic relics in London
`Couples Retreat' takes top spot with $34.3M
Schwarzenegger signs tougher anti-paparazzi law
Iran's Karroubi faces legal action
Russia accuses Georgia of aiding Al-Qaeda
Gold hits record high close to $1,064
UK 'on brink' of exiting recession: business body
Iraqis enjoy more choice, new styles as attacks fall
Heidi Klum announces birth of fourth child
Clinton says not yet time for Iran sanctions
| International
|
Obama approves 13,000 more troops to Afghanistan
Opel deal to be signed on Thursday: report
Unemployment looms over Finnish shipyards
Russia, China seal trade ties with $3.5 bln in deals
Pakistan bombs militants in South Waziristan
| International
|
Honduras rivals to discuss Zelaya return post-coup
| International
|
Positive signs for Latin American banks: S & P
Suicide bomber kills six Iraq's Diyala province
| International
|
Hundreds of tourists evacuated in Greek forest fire
| International
|
UAE convicts U.S. man for terror funding: reports
| International
|
Fatah accepts Egypt's Palestinian unity proposal
| International
|
Afghan frustration mounts over vote result delay
| International
|
Philippine navy tries to seal off priest's kidnappers
Trading emotionally? Dutch device warns of stress
| Technology
|
Obama celebrates Spain and Hispanic music
Google's Q3 set to return to growth, shares strong
| Technology
|
Japan to end naval refueling mission
Kadeer: China death sentences will 'enrage' Uighurs
Karzai defends conduct of election in Afghanistan
East Timor govt survives no-confidence vote
CAPITAL CULTURE: In a word, they are Obama's faves
China protests Indian leader's visit to border
Vacuum cleaner icon Dyson takes aim at room fans
| Technology
|
Greedy dogfish blamed for Mass. fishery's problems
Viadeo buys Unyk, second only to LinkedIn
| Technology
|
The nation's weather
Maoists blow up comms towers, rail tracks in India
Thailand rejects widening of Cambodia border dispute
Taiwan's falling birth rate hits colleges: report
Driver of deadly Thai train crash fell asleep
Cuban spy seeks reduced 20-year sentence
Aus PM discussed immigrants amid Indonesia swoop
Calif. wildfire-area communities prepare for rain
MLK's children settle lawsuit over estate
A look at the MOP, 'massive ordnance penetrator'
JAL revamp process going 'smoothly': minister
China auto sales jump 78 percent in September
Russia, China seal trade ties with $3.5 bln in deals
Pakistani stocks end slightly higher; rupee flat
China Sept auto sales soar 77.9%
60 years on, Liza Minnelli still driven to perform
GM chief says Opel sale may come this week
BoJ mulls winding down emergency support
AIG sells Taiwan unit for $2.15 bln
Gazprom says preliminary deal struck with China
Sendak, ever-untamed, sees `Wild Things' adapted
Indonesian student suspected of aiding terrorists
Booker win boosts Tudor page-turner 'Wolf Hall'
Potter star laments end of film series
Madonna shoes offered to Gypsy charity in Romania
Keith Urban, Vince Gill host all-star concert
New details in Anna Nicole Smith case scheduled
Wild Things movie gets author Sendak's blessing
| Entertainment
|
LatAm natives protest Spanish conquest's 'genocide'
60 years on, Liza Minnelli still driven to perform
Zombieland director weighs flurry of offers
| Entertainment
|
Courtney Love closes Twitter account
| Entertainment
|
Hirst tackles painting with nod to Bacon, Richter
| Entertainment
|
Fluid on the lungs killed Boyzone singer
| Entertainment
|
China special guest at Frankfurt book fair
Banner Nobel year signals progress for women
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights