First Listen: Michael Jackson, ‘This Is It’
Last month we learned that Sony Music would be releasing a new single and new album from the late Michael Jackson to coincide with the release of the new documentary/concert film Michael Jackson’s This Is It which was pieced together from hours of rehearsal footage from MJ’s This Is It Tour preparations. The title song, This Is It, was released online late last night for all to hear:

Apparently, this track will be released in two versions on the new soundtrack album for the This Is It film … a slow ballad, This Is It has a bit of a mournful feel to it. After the jump, listen to the new track from Michael Jackson in full …
To be honest, I was hoping the new track would be more upbeat … more festive. I suppose since the tour was titled This Is It way before MJ’s untimely death, the plan all along was to release this track as the first single from the soundtrack album. Considering the circumstances surrounding the song’s release, tho, I suppose it is apropos for a slow ballad to be released. What do y’all think … do you like? I’m not a fan of pop ballads so I’m curious to hear if there are any new upbeat songs to come from the new album (due out on October 27).
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Tags: 'This Is It', Michael Jackson


October 12th, 2009 at 6:54 am
It’s okay….Really, chipper.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:03 am
It sounds like it could have been on the B-side of the Thriller album. Not that it’s bad, just…it is so…maybe Diana Ross or Jackson 5 ish. This song has a different vibe than todays music.
October 12th, 2009 at 8:48 am
i love it! vintage michael. he sounds great. get tight with it T!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:07 am
I like it. It reminds me of Motown. He still sounded great too!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:28 am
meh it’s ok not great but not bad
October 12th, 2009 at 9:28 am
i like it! :) always been a MJ fan….
October 12th, 2009 at 9:30 am
not a fan of it.
October 12th, 2009 at 10:14 am
[...] Emmy Rossum Looking Pretty In Blue (Hollywood Rag) First Listen: Michael Jackson, ‘This Is It’ (Pink Is The New Blog) [...]
October 12th, 2009 at 11:03 am
EH…
October 12th, 2009 at 11:18 am
it’s old school MJ, and that’s a good thing to hear. it’s almost like he came full circle with this song. really fitting.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
The song itself is okay, but Michael himself sounds fantastic. He sounds like his old self, and that, more than anything, is what is heartening.
October 12th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
song was recorded in the 1980’s :)
October 12th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
This song was recorded around the time of “off the wall” Michael just taped it and then dropped it in a box. The recording was found years later in which it only had Michael’s voice and a piano playing. Sony then added the strings and finger snaps. I liked the song, it’s amazing how Michael’s voice never changed.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
sounds great
October 12th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Sounds like earth song to me, same beat, decent enough though… would be a hit whatever they brought out tho.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Gosh, it sounds outdated. Sorry but it is true.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Well, it’s NOT MJ’s song. He co-wrote it with Paul Anka in the 1980s and then ran off with the tapes. Anka is not credited on this release nor did he give his permission for the release.
That, and the song is total crap.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I love it. I feel like it’s a nice mix of classic Michael with a new vibe thrown in. It reminds me of something Usher or Ne-Yo might try. Or even Justin Timberlake. And really, it seems as though everyone has been releasing upbeat songs lately, it’s nice to get another ballad in the mix. I love Michael Jackon’s ballads. I feel like he captures a very raw sort of emotion. His voice sounds fabulous. It really is a shame he didn’t get to release this or do the tour himself. It absolutely would have been the comeback of a lifetime. Even if he were still alive I would have bought whatever new album he had.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:34 am
The comeback of a lifetime? Puh-lease. How much did you hear of this “comeback” before he died? Zero. It’s a shame that the man had so many problems and ended up dying because of them, but I don’t think anything was going to resurrect a dead career that ran off the rails decades ago.