CHRIS CORNELL - CORNELL'S BILLIE JEAN COVER ENJOYS AMERICAN IDOL SALES BOOST

Sales of CHRIS CORNELL's cover of MICHAEL JACKSON classic BILLIE JEAN have increased by 300 per cent following a wannabe's performance of the track on AMERICAN IDOL. Former Soundgarden and Audioslave rocker Cornell recorded a dark, growling version of Jackson's 1982 track for his 2007 album Carry On. And following American Idol contestant David Cook's "note-for-note" version of Cornell's cover on the U.S. TV talent show last week (25Mar08), fans have clamoured to download the track online. Cornell says, "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.' "Don't get me wrong. He sang it great. 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?' "Watching the response from the judges was really gratifying. They were signing off on it right there."