Chris Cornell tribute or rip off
April 1st, 2008, 4:42 am Teen Hobbies
Chris Cornell says he’s surprised but flattered that American Idol contestant David Cook performed a cover of Michael Jackson’s %26#34;Billie Jean%26#34; last week, in what was nearly a note-for-note version of Cornell’s own interpretation. Interest has since spiked in the Cornell cover, a drastically stripped-down take on the song that appeared on his 2007 solo album Carry On. The track is currently No. 8 on iTunes’ Top Alternative chart in Canada and No. 12 in the U.S. Cornell tells Billboard he was flooded by emails from fans unsure about what was going on. %26#34;This is something where they know I came up with this arrangement and reinvented the song,%26#34; he says. %26#34;I stuck my neck out being a guy that comes from the indie rock world doing a Michael Jackson song. 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.’%26#34; %26#34;Don’t get me wrong. He sang it great,%26#34; he continues. %26#34;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. There was a moment when I was sitting there writing this new arrangement thinking, `Is this a good idea or a bad idea?’%26#34; Despite the fact that Idol host Ryan Seacrest introduced Cook’s performance as %26#34;Chris Cornell’s version of `Billie Jean,’%26#34; Cornell is concerned that viewers remain confused.Billboard.com
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