Is Michael Jackson's "This Is It" A Rip-Off?

October 12, 2009

Is Michael Jackson's "This Is It" A Rip-Off? • Paul Anka, who co-wrote a very similar song with the dearly departed zombie clown in '83, thinks so. The '60s crooner says Jacko stole the master tape, changed the title, and please give him all the money. Compare versions here. UPDATE: Anka gets 50%.

Posted at 5:00 PM
Tags: Michael Jackson | Paul Anka

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11 Comments

zombie clown? jacko?
damn, stereogum. show some respect.

Posted by: what at 10/12/09 7:19 PM | Reply
Score = -5

if you thought that was bad, take a look at the original post they linked up there. i and a few other people said the same thing in the original post written by amrit:

http://stereogum.com/archives/new_michael_jackson__this_is_it_094901.html#comment-5438441

looks like one of the the'gum staffers in particular has some serious biased heat again m.j. for some odd reason. glad to see others caught onto this disrespectful display of blogmanship. i'm guessing if panda bear died, amrit would be calling him the christ of music, the king of avant pop or something gushing and undeserving, too?

Posted by: brad_ford in reply to what's comment at 10/12/09 8:08 PM | Reply
Score = -5

I hope your crusade to erase all mean things written about Michael Jackson on the internet is going swell.

Posted by: Really thanks in reply to brad_ford's comment at 10/12/09 10:27 PM | Reply
Score = 2

Well one thing's for sure, he couldn't have made the plagiarism any more obvious...

Posted by: Johnny Hype at 10/12/09 9:48 PM | Reply
Score = 0

I don't know. The story does clearly state that michael "co-wrote" the song. And you know, the TMZ link even says that Anka "gave the song to another artist to record in 1990", and I bet you he didn't share the profits with Michael for that one.

This really just seem like a lot of media sensationalism blowing things out of proportion. We need some new tabloid headlines I guess.

Posted by: Zayin_451

at 10/12/09 11:50 PM | Reply
Score = 0

This isn't about defending Michael Jackson, but defending the standard of journalism. Show some class Stereogum.

Posted by: REAL TALK at 10/13/09 2:36 AM | Reply
Score = 0

Exactly! I'm calling for a ban on reading all posts written by Amrit. Who's with me?!

Posted by: brad_ford in reply to REAL TALK's comment at 10/13/09 10:31 AM | Reply
Score = 0

If Jackson were still alive, and there was this same post about a new song being a theft/reworking of an old song, etc., with the same lines about "Jacko" and "zombie clown" in them, none of you would give a shit whatsoever that he is being made fun of. You are all a bunch of fucking idiots. Even in death, the man was still a FREAK. Jesus, at least now he doesn't have to be alive to hear about how the world thought he was one.

Posted by: steve in reply to brad_ford's comment at 10/13/09 12:43 PM | Reply
Score = 0

Michael Jackson was a child molester and rapist. If he had a speck of human decency in life, he wouldn’t be mocked in death.

Posted by: Greydon Clark at 10/13/09 1:05 PM | Reply
Score = 0

I'm fed up of people posting sh*t about Michael Jackson. Please let a good man like him rest in peace.

Posted by: Mee at 10/13/09 1:45 PM | Reply
Score = 0

Can't you see i'm trying/Idon't even likeit/Ijust lied to get to your apartment

Posted by: Charlie at 10/16/09 12:28 PM | Reply
Score = 0