'stole' new song tape: songwriter

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'stole' new song tape: songwriter

Tue Oct 13, 6:56 AM

NEW YORK (AFP) - " stole " the tapes of a song released almost

four months after his death and his estate did not initially credit its

co-author, the songwriter at the center of the controversy said.

Hours after the release of " This Is It " on the Internet on Monday,

singer/songwriter Anka revealed that he co-wrote the song with in

1983 but was not given due credit on the new version.

He said that " stole " the original tapes of the song from his studio, and

threatened legal action against 's estate to secure royalties from the

production.

The song also appeared to have had a previous incarnation as " I Never Heard, " a

single recorded 18 years ago by Puerto Rican R & B singer Safire and credited to

and Anka.

In a video posted on TMZ.com, Anka -- a teen idol in the 1950s and 60s who

famously penned the lyrics to Sinatra's " My Way " -- said " stole

the tapes. He took the tapes out of my studio. "

But he stressed the issue had quickly been " resolved, " and that McClain, a

record producer named by as an executor, assured that the proceeds from

the single would be split with Anka.

" They realized it's a mistake, " Anka said in the video. " They realized it's my

song, they realized it's my production of his vocal in my studio, and I'm

getting 50 percent, actually, of the whole project, which is fair. "

The New York Times reported on its website that the estate released a statement

saying in part, " The song was co-written by the legendary Anka. "

The newspaper said " This Is It " was based on a tape of 's piano and vocal

left at Anka's studio for a duets album that Anka was recording.

The new recording, arranged by McClain, features backing vocals by 's

brothers and will be played during the closing sequence of the forthcoming

documentary " 's This Is It " and feature on a two-disc CD set of

the same name.

Aside from changes in lyrics, the song sounds markedly similar to " I Never

Heard. "

Rob Stringer, chairman of the Columbia/Epic Label Group, a part of Sony Music

which reportedly has dozens of unreleased songs in its vaults,

said he was unaware of the similarity to the Safire single until fans

discussed it online over the weekend, the Times reported.

The album will go on sale later this month to coincide with the worldwide

release of the movie on October 28.

The film will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he rehearsed

for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place this year in London, Sony

said.

Chronicling the months from March through June 2009, the film is drawn from more

than 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring rehearsing a

number of his songs for the show.

died on June 25 at age 50 after taking a lethal cocktail of prescription

drugs.