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 During a live acoustic radio session at Stockholm’s O Baren back in 2006, Chris Cornell unveiled a bold and bluesy new arrangement of Michael Jackson’s 80s dance anthem Billie Jean. Not so much a cover, more a reinvention, it swiftly became an underground favourite among fans and later surfaced in a full band version on his 2007 solo album Carry On.

Controversy followed when American Idol contestant David Cook drew praise from the judges when he used Cornell’s Billie Jean arrangement for his own spot on the show. It took a while for the judges to realise where the idea’s origins lay, but it helped Cook on his way to winning the contest – and the unexpected musical pairing went on to bear more fruit. Cook’s US single Light On, which debuted at #8 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart, was co-written by Cornell with producer/writer Brian Howes.
The following was posted on chriscornell.com :

 Since Cook’s success in the US, other hopeful TV contestants around the world have sought to replicate the Billie Jean effect. In Michael Jackson week on Britain's The X Factor, American Idol judge Simon Cowell chose the arrangement for his protegé Austin Drage. Even more recently, Teale Jakubenko performed the song on Australian Idol and 15-year-old Paulina Lenda gave the lyric a sex change on Poland's Got Talent. Most recently, popular recording artist Christos Dantis caused a scandal when he used Cornell’s arrangement for his guest performance on Greece’s version of The X Factor – and passed it off as his own.

Performances have resulted in a huge sales boost worldwide for Cornell’s version, which came about after his wife challenged him to think of the most unlikely cover version he could attempt. “And off the top of my head, the least likely thing I could think of was Michael Jackson," said Cornell, whose idea seems to have caught the imagination of aspiring singers right around the world.

Sometimes it’s the unlikeliest collaborations that catch the public imagination – something which Cornell’s own forthcoming album “Scream” with super-producer Timbaland is sure to underline. Set for release early in 2009, it's a groundbreaking work which looks set to spearhead a brave new world of cross-genre collaboration.