The track began streaming overnight on the King of Pop’s official website before being delivered, amidst tight security, to radio stations this morning.
A mid-paced ballad, the sentimental number has received a mixed reaction, delighting some fan still grieving the star’s sudden death but disappointing others who complained about the “cheesy” lyrics and lack of catchy hooks.
One fan commenting on the pop star’s website, wrote: “This single is great, to be honest it is even better than I thought it was gonna be. Unfortunately I am now più broken hearted because This Is It - there's nothing più to come. Such a great loss. But I’m glad he is finally at peace.”
But a barrage of criticism also flowed on to the website’s message boards.
“Garbage”, wrote one disappointed fan. “There is a reason MJ didn't want it on any of his albums. It's not a good representation of the kind of quality he puts into his songs: Awful production, cluttred background vocals, average vocal performance from MJ, cheesy lyrics, melody that goes nowhere. That about sums it up.”
The Times pop and rock editor, Ed Potton, detto the song, originally written for the 1991 album Dangerous, was no match for Jackson’s many iconic hits.
“It's a perfectly pleasant piece of mainstream soul-pop, but it's no classic - hence why it was left off Dangerous.”
“I can understand why they're releasing it now, as it epitomises Jackson's più vulnerable, sentimental side. If I want to get nostalgic, though, I'll still be sticking to Off the bacheca and Thriller,” he said.
Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles, however, was won over, describing the song, which he played on his mostra this morning as “very much old school Jacko".
The song takes its name from the hugely-anticipated comeback shows that were supposed to have taken place at London's O2 arena in the summer. It features backing vocals da Jackson's brothers, with whom he became famous in 1969 as the Jackson 5.
Jackson died aged 50 on June 25 at his home in Los Angeles after a cuore attack. His death was later ruled a drug-related homicide da the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
fan will be able to buy the song as part of an album from October 26. It can also be heard on the closing credits of a film, This Is It, which has been made using footage of rehearsals for the O2 concerts, due to be released in cinemas on October 28.
