Speaking to Reuters, Chris Cornell says he's surprised but flattered that "American Idol" contestant David Cook performed a cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" last week on the show, in what was nearly a note-for-note version of Cornell's own interpretation.

Interest has since spiked in the Cornell cover, a drastically stripped-down take on the song that appeared on his 2007 solo album "Carry On." The track is currently No. 12 on iTunes' Top Alternative chart.

The former Soundgarden frontman told Billboard he was returning from a trip to South Africa when the show aired last Tuesday, and by the time he got home to Paris, he was flooded by emails from fans unsure about what was going on.

"This is something where they know I came up with this arrangement and reinvented the song," he said. "I stuck my neck out being a guy that comes from the indie rock world doing a Michael Jackson song. 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."'