Chris Cornell Speaks Out on Idol Cover of "Billie Jean"
April 1, 2008

Despite media reports that seem to be trying to make something of American Idol David Cook's recent note-for-note cover of Chris Cornell's 2007 version of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", namely the hype that Cornell might have been pissed that Cook ripped off his rearrangement in such an accurate fashion, it appears that Chris Cornell was both surprised and flattered. The issue stems from David Cook's American Idol performance last Tuesday when he slowed down "Billie Jean" and gave a near flawless rendition of Cornell's 2007 version. It appears that Cornell is concerned that many fans might be confused after the performance, thinking David Cook rearranged the song when it was Chris Cornell's alt-take on the song for his 2007 solo album.

Despite the Idol controversy, Cook's American Idol performance gave Cornell's sales of the song a boost on iTunes, which is now sitting in the #12 spot on the iTunes Top Alternative Chart. As well, we're sure the exposure will also help sales of Michael Jackson's original "Billie Jean" as well.

As Reuters reports via Billboard, Cornell was quick to point out the reality of the song but was fine with the overall performance, "You can clearly see that the judges are giving this guy credit for it on national television. My fans were like, 'Wait a minute! That's Chris Cornell's moment... Don't get me wrong. He sang it great. But it was literally a note-for-note take on what I came up with. At the end of the day, it's all good. It's a good thing for me."

However, as Cornell elaborated on the issue to Billboard, the former Soungarden and Audioslave frontman mentioned that people can often become confused when a certain approach is applied to rearranging a song and that credit needs to be given to an approach when it dramatically departs from a familiar work. If it's too similar, Cornell states, "... if it's not something that's completely recognizable, it can be mistaken." Cornell admits that his version is such a radical departure that it is indeed recognizable as his unique version of the song.

After wading through the reports, we have a quick question... shouldn't Michael Jackson have a say in the matter?