This Is It (Michael Jackson album)
Encyclopedia
Michael Jackson's This Is It (or simply This Is It) is a posthumous two-disc soundtrack album
by American recording artist Michael Jackson
. Released by Epic Records
on October 26, 2009, This Is It features previously released music, as well as six previously unreleased recordings by Michael Jackson. This Is It was released to coincide with the theatrical release of Michael Jackson's This Is It
, a concert film documenting Michael Jackson's rehearsals for the This Is It
concert series at London's O2 Arena. This Is It is the sixth album to be released by Sony and Motown/Universal since Michael Jackson's death in June 2009.
This Is It debuted at number one in fourteen countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy and France. Aside from charting at number 11 in Finland, This Is It peaked within the top 10 of the charts in other nations. This Is It has been certified Gold, Platinum, and twice-Platinum in multiple countries. This Is It was the twelfth best selling album of 2009 in the United States and the third best selling album of 2009 based on worldwide sales. The title track from the album, "This Is It
", earned Michael Jackson a Grammy Nomination in 2011 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
on June 25, 2009 from cardiac arrest (it would later be determined that Jackson died of "acute propofol
intoxication" with the additional factor of "benzodiazepine
effect"). Prior to his death, the singer was planning on performing 50 concerts for his sold out This Is It
tour in the United Kingdom from 2009 to 2010. Shortly after his passing, on September 23, 2009, Sony Music Entertainment
announced that they were to release a two-disc compilation "soundtrack" for Jackson's concert documentary film, Michael Jackson's This Is It
. In the announcement it was confirmed that This Is It would be released on October 26, 2009, one day before the film's theatrical release. This Is It is the sixth posthumous album to be released by Sony and Motown/Universal since Jackson's death in June 2009. The previous five albums are The Collection
, Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection
, The Stripped Mixes, The Definitive Collection
, and The Remix Suite
. This Is It was released on Sony Music's Epic Records
, though, in certain countries, This Is It is listed under Sony Music Entertainment (see release history). The album was made available for pre-order – on Amazon.com
as a compact disc and on the iTunes Store
as a digital download
. As planned, This Is It was released on October 26, 2009 in the US and worldwide on October 27 and 28.
(1982), Bad
(1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and one from The Jacksons' album Destiny (1978). Fourteen of the already released tracks were arranged in order of how they would have appeared on the This Is It setlist and how they appeared in the concert film. On September 23, 2009, Sony Music Entertainment announced that it would release the song "This Is It
" as a single to promote both the album and film. However, shortly after "This Is It"'s digital debut on MichaelJackson.com, it was confirmed that the single's planned physical release was cancelled.
This Is It contains previously unreleased music by Michael Jackson, which consists of demo
s and instrumental versions of his songs. The first disc contains "This Is It", which was written by Michael Jackson and Paul Anka
in 1983; the song had originally been planned as a duet between the two for Anka's Walk a Fine Line album. After Michael Jackson's death, his brothers found a demo of Michael Jackson's version of the song, described as a "bare bone" recording. They added their voices and instruments into the background of the track. Two versions of "This Is It" were added to the album; the original and an orchestra version
that is over one minute longer. The second disc consists of four unreleased versions of Michael Jackson's classic hits. The disc contains three demo versions of Michael Jackson's "She's Out of My Life
" (1979), "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
" (1982) and "Beat It
" (1982). The disc's fourth track is a spoken word poem by Jackson, entitled "Planet Earth", which was already published in the liner notes of Michael Jackson's 1991 album Dangerous.
, selling 373,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album had the fifth-best sales week for an album in the United States in 2009. This Is It, which also debuted at number one on Billboards Soundtrack chart, marked Jackson's sixth number one entry on the chart. This Is It slightly out-sold Jackson's first-week sales of his previous album Invincible which sold 363,000 units in 2001. This Is Its chart performance tied Jackson with several other artist for the most number one albums on the Billboard 200 chart; among the solo male artists, Jackson currently is tied with Garth Brooks
for second place with fifty-one entries. Jackson's This Is It album was the twelfth best selling of 2009, having sold an estimated 1.29 million units since its release of nine weeks. The album had also charted alongside Jackson's Number Ones at number three with 2.36 million units, Thriller
at number fourteen with 1.27 units and The Essential Michael Jackson
at number twenty with 1.15 units in the Top-20 year-end list of 2009. It`s video is also being sold as USB Flash Drive by Kingston Company, first time ever in company`s history, according to deal done with Sony Music, published as Limited Edition.
Internationally, This Is It had similar commercial reception. The album was released worldwide on October 26 and October 27, 2009 and debuted at number one in fourteen countries. The fourteen countries include Italy, France, Sweden and Holland, the album stayed at number one in Holland for two consecutive weeks. Other countries where This Is It didn't debut or peak at number one were, placing at number two, Denmark, Australia and Switzerland, placing at number three, Norway and the United Kingdom, placing at four in Germany and sixth in Ireland. In the album's second week of release its chart positions saw both an increase and decrease. This Is It increased from four to three in Germany and sixth to fifth in Ireland while it held onto its second and third positions in Switzerland and Norway respectively. By its third week of release, the album went on to peak at number three in Ireland. This Is It sold 78,000 units in its first week of release in the United Kingdom.
This Is It has received multiple certifications since its release from different countries worldwide; although sales per certificate vary per country. Four days after This Is Its release in the United Kingdom, it was certified gold for 100,000 units sold on October 30, and platinum for 300,000 units sold on November 27, 2009. The album was certified 2x platinum by Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) on December 4, 2009. This Is It was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
for the shipment of over 70,000 units in Australia. The album was also certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
for the sales of over 40,000 units in Canada and was certified 3× Platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry
for the sales of over 210,000 units in Italy, as well as 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
for the sales of over 30,000 units in New Zealand. It was the third best selling album of 2009 based on worldwide sales.
, praised the album and gave it an overall rating of a B+. Vozick-Levinson described the album's track "This Is It" as being an "uplifting ballad" and felt that "if you’re feeling generous" you can "count the minimally distinguishable" orchestra version of "This Is It" having thought of it as being a "decent if slight addition to Jackson’s songbook." Vozick-Levinson stated that while the album's second disc only contains four tracks that were unreleased, that included a "fairly unremarkable" spoken-word poem, after hearing Jackson "work out the vocal harmonies" for "Beat It
," he in particular, felt that This Is It was "well worth the price of admission (or at least a healthy chunk of it)." Brian Linder, of IGN
, described This Is It as a "freshly designed" release of a greatest hits album, and that the album's tracks of an all-vocal arrangement of "Beat It" was "particularly awesome" and the acoustic version of "She's Out of My Life
" allows Jackson's "vocals to shine without the distraction of dated '70s musical underpinnings." Linder did note that he felt that the album was both a "fitting tribute" to Jackson and a "crass, commercial double-dip."
Bill Lamb, of About.com
, described the "rough take" on "Beat It" as "stunning" and that the album, that is "stripped primarily to vocal parts" has rough takes on a "true classic" and is "in the making" of "something you will want to hear." Lamb stated that while "many pop fans may look at this album as merely an attempt to further cash in on the uniqueness of the concert documentary, but it truly is a release that has elements to justify its existence." Will Hines, of Consequence of Sound, gave This Is It a rating of four and a half out of five stars. Hines commented that: "On one level [of the album], it’s an attempt to focus and draw attention to what Michael Jackson lived for (music), and not what he did (scandal). On a more superficial level, this is Sony milking his legacy. Any true MJ fan will already own 90% of the songs that make up this two-disc set. It is, however, that 10% which justifies this album’s existence."
Negative reviews from critics were mainly centered around them feeling that the album was released only for profit. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, of Allmusic, gave This Is It two and a half out of five stars. Erlewine commented that, "an important thing to remember when considering the soundtrack to This Is It: this entire film and CD project was never supposed to happen". He noted that Jackson's death had "created considerable demand" for his final rehearsal footage and that This Is It was an "accompaniment" to the film. Andy Gill, of The Independent
, strongly criticized This Is It describing it as being a "shoddy apology for an album" and felt that it was made just for a profit, commenting,
Disc two
Notes
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
by American recording artist Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. Released by Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
on October 26, 2009, This Is It features previously released music, as well as six previously unreleased recordings by Michael Jackson. This Is It was released to coincide with the theatrical release of Michael Jackson's This Is It
Michael Jackson's This Is It
Michael Jackson's This Is It is a 2009 American documentary–concert film directed by Kenny Ortega that documents Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for the concert series of the same name scheduled to start on July 13, 2009, but canceled due to his death eighteen days prior on June 25. It...
, a concert film documenting Michael Jackson's rehearsals for the This Is It
This Is It (Michael Jackson concerts)
This Is It was a planned series of fifty concerts by Michael Jackson to be held at The O2 Arena in London. They were scheduled to begin in July 2009 and continue through to March 2010. However, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died less than three weeks before the first concert date...
concert series at London's O2 Arena. This Is It is the sixth album to be released by Sony and Motown/Universal since Michael Jackson's death in June 2009.
This Is It debuted at number one in fourteen countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy and France. Aside from charting at number 11 in Finland, This Is It peaked within the top 10 of the charts in other nations. This Is It has been certified Gold, Platinum, and twice-Platinum in multiple countries. This Is It was the twelfth best selling album of 2009 in the United States and the third best selling album of 2009 based on worldwide sales. The title track from the album, "This Is It
This Is It (Michael Jackson song)
"This Is It" is a song co-written by American pop star and musician Michael Jackson and singer-songwriter Paul Anka. The song was recorded by the former and featured as a track on the album, This Is It , which accompanies the 2009 concert documentary Michael Jackson's This Is It. This was premiered...
", earned Michael Jackson a Grammy Nomination in 2011 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Background and concept
Michael Jackson died at the age of 50Death of Michael Jackson
On June 25, 2009, American singer Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication after he suffered a respiratory arrest at his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, said he found Jackson in his room, not breathing, but with a faint pulse,...
on June 25, 2009 from cardiac arrest (it would later be determined that Jackson died of "acute propofol
Propofol
Propofol is a short-acting, intravenously administered hypnotic agent. Its uses include the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, sedation for mechanically ventilated adults, and procedural sedation. Propofol is also commonly used in veterinary medicine...
intoxication" with the additional factor of "benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepine
A benzodiazepine is a psychoactive drug whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring...
effect"). Prior to his death, the singer was planning on performing 50 concerts for his sold out This Is It
This Is It (Michael Jackson concerts)
This Is It was a planned series of fifty concerts by Michael Jackson to be held at The O2 Arena in London. They were scheduled to begin in July 2009 and continue through to March 2010. However, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died less than three weeks before the first concert date...
tour in the United Kingdom from 2009 to 2010. Shortly after his passing, on September 23, 2009, Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
announced that they were to release a two-disc compilation "soundtrack" for Jackson's concert documentary film, Michael Jackson's This Is It
Michael Jackson's This Is It
Michael Jackson's This Is It is a 2009 American documentary–concert film directed by Kenny Ortega that documents Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for the concert series of the same name scheduled to start on July 13, 2009, but canceled due to his death eighteen days prior on June 25. It...
. In the announcement it was confirmed that This Is It would be released on October 26, 2009, one day before the film's theatrical release. This Is It is the sixth posthumous album to be released by Sony and Motown/Universal since Jackson's death in June 2009. The previous five albums are The Collection
The Collection (Michael Jackson album)
The Collection is a compilation box set by Michael Jackson released four days after his death, though its release was already scheduled before Jackson's passing. With the exception of HIStory, it contains all of Jackson's Epic studio albums. It has peaked at number one in several countries...
, Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection
Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection
Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection is a 71-track triple disc compilation album commemorating Michael Jackson's early years with Motown Records...
, The Stripped Mixes, The Definitive Collection
The Definitive Collection (Michael Jackson album)
The Definitive Collection is a compilation album by Michael Jackson, and the third album to be released since his death.- Charts :The Definitive Collection charted on number 30 on Billboard 200 and number 17 on R&B/Hip Hop Albums.- Track listing :...
, and The Remix Suite
The Remix Suite
The Remix Suite is a compilation of remixed hits by Michael Jackson. Although labeled as a Michael Jackson release, the majority of remixes are of hits during his tenure with The Jackson 5. Starting from August 25, five remixes each were released digitally as "suites" via iTunes, AmazonMP3 and...
. This Is It was released on Sony Music's Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, though, in certain countries, This Is It is listed under Sony Music Entertainment (see release history). The album was made available for pre-order – on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
as a compact disc and on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
. As planned, This Is It was released on October 26, 2009 in the US and worldwide on October 27 and 28.
Music
The press release announcing the two-disc album describes it as a "stand-alone companion" to the motion picture. This Is It was released as a two-disc compilation album. The first disc consists of sixteen tracks, fourteen of which were already released on Jackson's previous studio albums: ThrillerThriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
(1982), Bad
Bad (album)
Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...
(1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and one from The Jacksons' album Destiny (1978). Fourteen of the already released tracks were arranged in order of how they would have appeared on the This Is It setlist and how they appeared in the concert film. On September 23, 2009, Sony Music Entertainment announced that it would release the song "This Is It
This Is It (Michael Jackson song)
"This Is It" is a song co-written by American pop star and musician Michael Jackson and singer-songwriter Paul Anka. The song was recorded by the former and featured as a track on the album, This Is It , which accompanies the 2009 concert documentary Michael Jackson's This Is It. This was premiered...
" as a single to promote both the album and film. However, shortly after "This Is It"'s digital debut on MichaelJackson.com, it was confirmed that the single's planned physical release was cancelled.
This Is It contains previously unreleased music by Michael Jackson, which consists of demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
s and instrumental versions of his songs. The first disc contains "This Is It", which was written by Michael Jackson and Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
in 1983; the song had originally been planned as a duet between the two for Anka's Walk a Fine Line album. After Michael Jackson's death, his brothers found a demo of Michael Jackson's version of the song, described as a "bare bone" recording. They added their voices and instruments into the background of the track. Two versions of "This Is It" were added to the album; the original and an orchestra version
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
that is over one minute longer. The second disc consists of four unreleased versions of Michael Jackson's classic hits. The disc contains three demo versions of Michael Jackson's "She's Out of My Life
She's Out of My Life
"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by musical artist Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, Bahler stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera...
" (1979), "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is a song by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was released on May 8, 1983, by Epic Records as the fourth single from Jackson's sixth studio album Thriller in 1982. It is the first song on Thriller...
" (1982) and "Beat It
Beat It
"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones . It is the third single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Eddie Van Halen was hired to add the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but was prevented by his...
" (1982). The disc's fourth track is a spoken word poem by Jackson, entitled "Planet Earth", which was already published in the liner notes of Michael Jackson's 1991 album Dangerous.
Commercial performance
This Is It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 373,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album had the fifth-best sales week for an album in the United States in 2009. This Is It, which also debuted at number one on Billboards Soundtrack chart, marked Jackson's sixth number one entry on the chart. This Is It slightly out-sold Jackson's first-week sales of his previous album Invincible which sold 363,000 units in 2001. This Is Its chart performance tied Jackson with several other artist for the most number one albums on the Billboard 200 chart; among the solo male artists, Jackson currently is tied with Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
for second place with fifty-one entries. Jackson's This Is It album was the twelfth best selling of 2009, having sold an estimated 1.29 million units since its release of nine weeks. The album had also charted alongside Jackson's Number Ones at number three with 2.36 million units, Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
at number fourteen with 1.27 units and The Essential Michael Jackson
The Essential Michael Jackson
-U.S. version:-Limited Edition 3.0 bonus disc:-Charts:-Year-end charts:-Certifications:-See also:* List of number-one albums of 2009 * List of number-one albums of 2009 * List of number-one albums from the 2000s...
at number twenty with 1.15 units in the Top-20 year-end list of 2009. It`s video is also being sold as USB Flash Drive by Kingston Company, first time ever in company`s history, according to deal done with Sony Music, published as Limited Edition.
Internationally, This Is It had similar commercial reception. The album was released worldwide on October 26 and October 27, 2009 and debuted at number one in fourteen countries. The fourteen countries include Italy, France, Sweden and Holland, the album stayed at number one in Holland for two consecutive weeks. Other countries where This Is It didn't debut or peak at number one were, placing at number two, Denmark, Australia and Switzerland, placing at number three, Norway and the United Kingdom, placing at four in Germany and sixth in Ireland. In the album's second week of release its chart positions saw both an increase and decrease. This Is It increased from four to three in Germany and sixth to fifth in Ireland while it held onto its second and third positions in Switzerland and Norway respectively. By its third week of release, the album went on to peak at number three in Ireland. This Is It sold 78,000 units in its first week of release in the United Kingdom.
This Is It has received multiple certifications since its release from different countries worldwide; although sales per certificate vary per country. Four days after This Is Its release in the United Kingdom, it was certified gold for 100,000 units sold on October 30, and platinum for 300,000 units sold on November 27, 2009. The album was certified 2x platinum by Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) on December 4, 2009. This Is It was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
for the shipment of over 70,000 units in Australia. The album was also certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
for the sales of over 40,000 units in Canada and was certified 3× Platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry
Federation of the Italian Music Industry
The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy....
for the sales of over 210,000 units in Italy, as well as 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
for the sales of over 30,000 units in New Zealand. It was the third best selling album of 2009 based on worldwide sales.
Critical response
Upon its release, This Is It received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, praised the album and gave it an overall rating of a B+. Vozick-Levinson described the album's track "This Is It" as being an "uplifting ballad" and felt that "if you’re feeling generous" you can "count the minimally distinguishable" orchestra version of "This Is It" having thought of it as being a "decent if slight addition to Jackson’s songbook." Vozick-Levinson stated that while the album's second disc only contains four tracks that were unreleased, that included a "fairly unremarkable" spoken-word poem, after hearing Jackson "work out the vocal harmonies" for "Beat It
Beat It
"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones . It is the third single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Eddie Van Halen was hired to add the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but was prevented by his...
," he in particular, felt that This Is It was "well worth the price of admission (or at least a healthy chunk of it)." Brian Linder, of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, described This Is It as a "freshly designed" release of a greatest hits album, and that the album's tracks of an all-vocal arrangement of "Beat It" was "particularly awesome" and the acoustic version of "She's Out of My Life
She's Out of My Life
"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by musical artist Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, Bahler stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera...
" allows Jackson's "vocals to shine without the distraction of dated '70s musical underpinnings." Linder did note that he felt that the album was both a "fitting tribute" to Jackson and a "crass, commercial double-dip."
Bill Lamb, of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
, described the "rough take" on "Beat It" as "stunning" and that the album, that is "stripped primarily to vocal parts" has rough takes on a "true classic" and is "in the making" of "something you will want to hear." Lamb stated that while "many pop fans may look at this album as merely an attempt to further cash in on the uniqueness of the concert documentary, but it truly is a release that has elements to justify its existence." Will Hines, of Consequence of Sound, gave This Is It a rating of four and a half out of five stars. Hines commented that: "On one level [of the album], it’s an attempt to focus and draw attention to what Michael Jackson lived for (music), and not what he did (scandal). On a more superficial level, this is Sony milking his legacy. Any true MJ fan will already own 90% of the songs that make up this two-disc set. It is, however, that 10% which justifies this album’s existence."
Negative reviews from critics were mainly centered around them feeling that the album was released only for profit. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, of Allmusic, gave This Is It two and a half out of five stars. Erlewine commented that, "an important thing to remember when considering the soundtrack to This Is It: this entire film and CD project was never supposed to happen". He noted that Jackson's death had "created considerable demand" for his final rehearsal footage and that This Is It was an "accompaniment" to the film. Andy Gill, of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, strongly criticized This Is It describing it as being a "shoddy apology for an album" and felt that it was made just for a profit, commenting,
Awards
The title track, "This Is It", earned Michael Jackson a Grammy Nomination in 2011 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.Track listing
Disc oneDisc two
Notes
- The two versions of "This Is ItThis Is It (Michael Jackson song)"This Is It" is a song co-written by American pop star and musician Michael Jackson and singer-songwriter Paul Anka. The song was recorded by the former and featured as a track on the album, This Is It , which accompanies the 2009 concert documentary Michael Jackson's This Is It. This was premiered...
" along with the second disc contents are available separately as the digital-only EP Selections from Michael Jackson's This Is It. - "Smooth CriminalSmooth Criminal"Smooth Criminal" is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's 1987 Bad album. The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth" assailant. It was released as a single on October 24, 1988 and peaked...
" is excluded from the China release. - Despite the fact that a sticker on the album claims all songs on the album are in their original full-length album versions, "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"Shake Your Body ", released December 9, 1978, is a hit single recorded by The Jacksons for the CBS/Epic Records album Destiny and peaked in the Spring of 1979....
" is included in its 7" edit version. - An eco-friendly version sold only at Walmart includes only the first disc.
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
2 |
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
2 |
| Belgium Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
1 |
| Belgium Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Wallonia) |
1 |
| Brazilian Albums Chart | 4 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 |
| Czech Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
2 |
| Danish Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
2 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
1 |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
11 |
| French Albums Chart | 1 |
| French Digital Albums Chart | 1 |
| German Albums Chart | 3 |
| Greek Foreign Albums Chart | 1 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
1 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
3 |
| Italian FIMI Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
1 |
| Japanese Album Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
1 |
| Mexican Albums Chart AMPROFON Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas is a non-profit organization integrated by multinational and national record companies in Mexico. Established on April 3, 1963, it groups phonographic companies that represent more than 70 percent of the market in Mexico... |
3 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
1 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
3 |
| Polish Albums Chart OLiS OLiS is the official list of the highest selling music albums in Poland. The list exists since October 23, 2000 and is provided by ZPAV.... |
7 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
2 |
| Spanish Albums Chart PROMUSICAE Spanish Music Producers is a trade group representing the Spanish recording industry... |
3 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
1 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 2 |
| Taiwan International Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
7 |
| United Kingdom Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
3 |
| United States Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| United States Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
Certifications and sales
| Chart (2009) | Provider | Certification(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
Platinum |
| Austria | IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
Gold |
| Belgium Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
2x Platinum |
| Canada | CRIA Cria A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically... |
2x Platinum |
| Denmark | IFPI | Platinum |
| Finland | IFPI | Gold |
| Middle East | IFPI | Platinum |
| Germany | IFPI | Gold |
| Greece | IFPI | Platinum |
| Hungary | MAHASZ Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
2x Platinum |
| Italy | FIMI | 4x Platinum |
| Japan | RIAJ | Platinum |
| Mexico | AMPROFON AMPROFON Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas is a non-profit organization integrated by multinational and national record companies in Mexico. Established on April 3, 1963, it groups phonographic companies that represent more than 70 percent of the market in Mexico... |
Gold |
| Netherlands | NVPI NVPI The NVPI is the Dutch tradeassociation of the entertainment industry... |
Platinum |
| New Zealand | RIANZ | 2x Platinum |
| Poland | ZPAV Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... |
Platinum |
| Sweden | Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
Gold |
| Spain | Promusicae PROMUSICAE Spanish Music Producers is a trade group representing the Spanish recording industry... |
Platinum |
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Platinum |
| United States | RIAA | 2x Platinum |
End of year charts
| Chart (2009) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
30 |
| Czech Albums Chart IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
14 |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
47 |
| Mexican Albums Chart AMPROFON Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas is a non-profit organization integrated by multinational and national record companies in Mexico. Established on April 3, 1963, it groups phonographic companies that represent more than 70 percent of the market in Mexico... |
100 |
| United States Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
43 |
| Chart (2010) | Rank |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
10 |
| German Albums Chart | 85 |
| Japan Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... albums chart |
55 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
22 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | October 26, 2009 | Epic Records Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A... |
CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... , LP LP album The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
| Canada | Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
||
| Australia | |||
| Germany | |||
| Greece | |||
| Italy | October 27, 2009 | ||
| Turkey | |||
| Hong Kong | |||
| Japan | October 28, 2009 | Sony Music Japan | |
| China | December 1, 2009 | Sony Music China | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
See also
- Michael Jackson's This Is ItMichael Jackson's This Is ItMichael Jackson's This Is It is a 2009 American documentary–concert film directed by Kenny Ortega that documents Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for the concert series of the same name scheduled to start on July 13, 2009, but canceled due to his death eighteen days prior on June 25. It...
- This Is It (Michael Jackson concerts)This Is It (Michael Jackson concerts)This Is It was a planned series of fifty concerts by Michael Jackson to be held at The O2 Arena in London. They were scheduled to begin in July 2009 and continue through to March 2010. However, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died less than three weeks before the first concert date...
- This Is It (Michael Jackson song)This Is It (Michael Jackson song)"This Is It" is a song co-written by American pop star and musician Michael Jackson and singer-songwriter Paul Anka. The song was recorded by the former and featured as a track on the album, This Is It , which accompanies the 2009 concert documentary Michael Jackson's This Is It. This was premiered...
- This Is It (Michael Jackson concerts)
- List of works published posthumously