There's been a lot of talk about the new Michael Jackson movie and song, This Is It. The previously unreleased song, from the upcoming rehearsal-footage film, made its debut Sunday night as a Web exclusive and, almost immediately, speculation on the song's origins surfaced. Apparently, the song isn't very new, and it's also not entirely Jackson's.
"This Is It" movie poster.
The track was co-written with singer-songwriter Paul Anka and was originally recorded in 1983 under the name "I Never Heard." Anka also gave the song to Latin R&B artist Safire, who recorded and released "I Never Heard" in 1991.
After recognizing its mistake, the Jackson estate settled with Paul Anka, allowing him 50 percent of the publishing rights for "This Is It." The song was originally written for the Anka duets album Walk a Fine Line, but when plans for the song fell through, Jackson took the tapes. The recording of Jackson's piano and vocals was found in storage, and additional tracks — including backing vocals from the Jackson family — were added before it was released for the documentary's soundtrack.
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