Man in the Mirror
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| “Man in the Mirror” | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Michael Jackson from the album Bad |
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| Released | January 18, 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format | CD single | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Soul | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 5:18 (album version)
5:03 (single edit) |
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| Label | Epic Records | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Glen Ballard Siedah Garrett |
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| Producer | Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michael Jackson singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Man in the Mirror" was a number-one hit for singer Michael Jackson when released as a single in the spring of 1988. It is one of Jackson's most critically acclaimed songs and it was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards. The song garnered massive airplay and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks.
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[edit] Song information
The midtempo track is well known for its dramatic flourishes and Jackson's passionate delivery of its poignant lyrics. The song's lyrics were composed by Glen Ballard, Siedah Garrett (who can be heard singing in the background with Jackson) and Michael Jackson. Jackson added background vocals from Garrett, the Winans and the Andrae Crouch Choir, which gave the song its distinctive sound. It is rumoured that Jackson and Garrett wrote the lyrics to the song in one night.
Arranged with a gospel choir, a year after David Bowie used the same device for "Underground", from the fantasy film Labyrinth, other popular artists at the time who had tracks featuring gospel choirs include Debbie Gibson, Mariah Carey and Madonna for her 1989 number one hit "Like a Prayer". Siedah Garett was one of the backing vocalists for Madonna's Re-Invention Tour of 2004 and performed a short solo during "Like a Prayer'.
Jackson has performed a live, extended version of the song at the 1988 Grammy Awards. He also performed the song as the endings of his concert at his Bad World Tour's second leg, and regularly at his Dangerous World Tour. In the latter, the song was ensued by stuntman Kinnie Gibson dressed as Jackson flying out of the arena in a jetpack. On July 16, 1995, Jackson also performed "Man in the Mirror" at the Royal Concert Brunei.
This song has been included in most of Jackson's numerous compilation albums but for some reason it was omitted from the recent Visionary: The Video Singles box set.
The song was quoted by Jermaine Jackson during Celebrity Big Brother 2007, while confronting several white housemates who had been racially bullying an Indian housemate, the Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty.
The television series Cold Case used the song for the ending montage in the episode "Time to Crime".
The song is sampled by Brooklyn MC Papoose during the summer of 2006 on his "Gonna Make a Change." The song describes his rough upbringing and his struggles. Later the song was freestyled by rapper Rhymefest with Michael singing the chorus & singing part of his second verse.
[edit] Chart performance
"Man In The Mirror" was the fourth consecutive U.S. #1 single from the Bad album. The single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #48 on February 6, 1988, and reached #1 by its eighth week on the chart, March 26, 1988, where it remained for two weeks.
[edit] Music video
The music video to "Man in the Mirror" features sequences of footage of Jackson performing on stage. Although it generally shows footage of historic events in escalating intensity of violence and despair, leading up to a nuclear explosion at the key change, followed by footage expressing hope and peace.
Some of the footage used in the video clip includes:
- The nuclear explosion footage from the Baker test of Operation Crossroads.
- Rescue footage of Baby Jessica McClure.
- Martin Luther King
- Funeral of John F. Kennedy
- Robert F. Kennedy
- 1984 Famine in Ethiopia
- South Africans marching for the release of Nelson Mandela
- Mahatma Gandhi.
- Live Aid
- Mother Teresa
- Lech Walesa
- Adolf Hitler
- Iran hostage crisis
- Muammar al-Gaddafi
- Mikhail Gorbachev
- Ronald Reagan
- Willie Nelson
- Bob Geldof
- Bishop Desmond Tutu
- Jackie Kennedy
- Coretta Scott King
- Farm Aid
- John Lennon & Yoko Ono
- Jimmy Carter
- Footage of the Rainbow Warrior
- Scenes of the KKK
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] Track listing
- "Man In The Mirror" (7" Version) – 4:55
- "Man In The Mirror" (Album Mix) – 5:17
- "Man In The Mirror" (Instrumental) – 4:55
[edit] Mixes
- Album Version 5:18
- 7" Version 4:55
- Instrumental 5:03
[edit] Credits
- Written and composed by Siedah Garret and Glen Ballard
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson featuring Siedah Garret, The Winans and The Andrae Crouch Choir
- Clap: Ollie E. Brown
- Guitar: Dan Huff
- Keyboards: Greg Phillinganes
- Synthesizers: Glen Ballard and Randy Kerber
- Background vocals: Siedah Garrett, The Winans: Carvin, Marvin, Michael and Ronald Winans and The Andrae Crouch Choir: Sandra Crouch, Maxi Anderson, Rose Banks, Geary Faggett, Vonciele Faggett, Andrew Gouche, Linda Green, Francine Howard, Jean Johnson, Perry Morgan and Alfie Silas
- Rhythm arrangements by Glen Ballard and Quincy Jones
- Synthesizer arrangement by Glen Ballard, Quincy Jones and Jerry Hey
- Vocal arrangement by Andrae Crouch
| Preceded by "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single March 26, 1988–April 2, 1988 |
Succeeded by "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" by Billy Ocean |
