Powerful, invigorating, yet vulnerable, Michael Jackson's 'Man In The Mirror' acted
as a compelling social cry for change and is said to have been one
of the artist's favorite songs. Perfectly encapsulating much of his own
personal philosophy in an embolden performance with a commanding message.
However, although Michael Jackson was
a renowned songwriter, this track wasn't his own.
The music was created by Glen Ballard
and the words are by Siedah Garrett, the first song that Garrett had written.
Jackson and his producer, Quincy Jones,
chose the song as part of their mission to create, quote, an '"anthem" that,
as Jones said, "would spread some sunshine on the world".
Better known for dance crazes and big business entertainment,
it was critical for Jackson to wield his expanding global influence towards more
meaningful causes. Not only to become a powerful force
for good, but to also silence the press who are becoming increasingly critical
of Jackson's commercial dominance, growing wealth and unconventional lifestyle.
Released on February 6th, 1988,
as the fourth single from his seventh solo album, 'Bad'. 'Man in the Mirror'
would become Jackson's fourth U.S. number one hit from his 'Bad' album,
setting a record for the most number one singles from the same album.
This is the story behind the inspiration,
production and commercial reaction to one of pop history's most iconic music
releases Michael Jackson's 1988 hit 'Man in the Mirror'.
The Inspiration. After years of songwriting and recording dozens of tracks for what
would later become the album 'Bad'. Both Jackson and his producer, Quincy Jones,
were unsure of the record's overall direction
and Jones became concerned by Michael's growing self-doubt and decisiveness.
Although both felt it was important
for Jackson to write and co-produce the majority of the songs featured
on the record, Quincy still reached out to many of the music industry's most
celebrated writers for songs that could match Jackson's enormous star power.
Much like Michael Jackson's previous hits, 'We Are the World' and 'Can You Feel It?',
they were looking for a similar anthem that sought to inspire social change.
But it was a formidable challenge expected not only to write a hit,
but an inspirational hit. Something with a luminous musical magnitude that
Michael could make his own.
This was a big one,
it had to have everything, a great melody,
a soulful, compelling feel and a lyric of substance.
Of course, many songwriters jumped
at the chance to have the biggest star in the world performed their music.
However, nothing met the criteria
and for a full two years,
Michael Jackson declined to record anything that was submitted.
Siedah Garrett, who at the time was a member
of the Quincy Jones, produced five piece, Deco, took
the commission to her writing partner, Glen Ballard.
Ballard, who was working as a producer
for Quincy Jones label, had previously come close to placing
a song on the 'Thriller' album called 'Nightline'.
But it ultimately got bumped off when
Jackson came up with edgier hits like 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It'.
They sat down and started playing a figure
on the keyboard, and Siedah opened up her notebook.
Garrett caught Ballard's attention when she mentioned some lyrics about a man
looking in the mirror, a title she had been holding onto for about a year.
"When that title came to me,
I already knew the concept behind the whole song.
We wrote it quickly. Usually it's a much longer process".
Ballad wrote the music for 'Man in the Mirror', and Siedah added her
distinctive vocal sound to the finished demo.
By that Friday evening, the demo was complete.
knowing that Quincy's offices were going to be closed until Monday
Garrett called Jones.
Later that night he called and said to Garrett, "Baby, the song is great.
It's really good, but I don't know.
I've been playing songs for Michael
for two years and he has yet to accept an outside song".
Three days later,
Siedah Garrett got a call from Quincy Jones, and he told her that he
played her demo to Michael and he loved the song and wanted to cut it.
In response, Siedah screamed.
The Production. Not only did Michael fall in love with the song, but also by Siedah's
voice on the demo. The singer's soulful interpretation
of the lyrics inspired Jackson to not only preserve the purity of the music's
intention, but also add his own vocal intensity that drives its urgent message.
Michael immediately enlisted Garrett to personally guide his vocal sessions as
he wanted to sing it like she did on the demo.
When speaking about her writing process,
Siedah Garrett said, quote, I was thinking, what can I say to him
that he wouldn't be afraid to say to the rest of the world?
And this song came through and that is the truth.
The song was deeper than just the visual
of a man looking at himself in the mirror. To make a difference
on the outside, you have to first start from within.
So Michael just got it,
He got the meaning of the song right away.
Michael asked me where I got the idea for the song.
My answer to him was that I asked for it.
I didn't mention God because I didn't know
then where he was as far as religion goes, but he knew who I was talking about.
Michael Jackson then had the idea of enlisting gospel star Andre Crouch
to arrange the song, who previously created music for the 1985
film 'The Color Purple', which earned him an Academy Award
nomination, to add more body and a soulful dimension.
Jackson also included background vocals
from Garrett, the Winans and the Andre Crouch Choir to the final track.
The gospel choir would also appear on Madonna's Like a Prayer and then again
on Michael Jackson's 1993 hit, 'Will You Be There'
The Music Video. With Michael Jackson
performing to sold out stadiums across Japan and Australia on the first leg
of his 'Bad tour' in late 1987, there was no time for the artist to fly
back in order to appear in a music video for the upcoming single.
Instead, the music video directed
by Donald Wilson was almost entirely a compilation of raw news footage
covering everything from homelessness to racial violence.
Wilson explained the idea to Rolling Stone, quote,
"Michael wanted to do something real heart wrenching and tell a story.
So Michael and I sat down and just started
making a list of things that we could think of.
I went to all these places that had
archival news footage and say, Give me all your worst stuff".
In the end, 'The Man in the Mirror' music video featured a montage of clips of children in Africa,
Adolf Hitler, the Ku Klux Klan, Martin Luther King Jr.,
Mother Teresa, Gandhi,
Nelson Mandela and other historical figures.
Michael Jackson himself does not appear in the video.
Aside from a brief clip toward the end
in which he can be seen donning a red jacket and standing in a large crowd,
an alternative live video was also created as the opening song in Jackson's 1988 film,
Moonwalker, with live audio and footage from several
live performances of the song during the 'Bad World Tour'.
The Release. As the last song added to the album, Man in the Mirror,
was Michael Jackson's fourth single from his 'Bad' record.
The single sleeve for 'Man in the Mirror' contained a dedication
to Yoshiaki Ogiwara, a five year old boy from Tokarski,
Japan, who was kidnapped and murdered in September 1987.
When news broke out, Jackson was touring Japan and dedicated
concerts in Osaka and Yokohama to Yoshiaki's memory.
For many, their first introduction
to the song was during Michael Jackson's live performance of it at the 1988
Grammy Awards, billed as his first televised performance
since his groundbreaking Motown 25 rendition of 'Billie Jean' in 1983,
five years previously, expectations were high.
Many predicted a dazzling performance, with a high production value befitting
of a star who was set to cement his pop dominance during a new era.
But instead, the artist chose to pair it back, performing a near acappella
introduction to his already number one hit 'The Way You Make Me Feel'.
And then an electrifying extended version of his new single 'Man in the Mirror'.
With a gospel choir supplying a rousing
crescendo, Jackson demonstrated his skill as a powerful vocalist and a visceral
talent for performance unmatched by any other. Even without the embellishments
of glistening costumes and flashing pyrotechnics.
'Man in the Mirror' became the fourth
consecutive number one single for Jackson's 'Bad' album
in the United States, reaching number one by its eighth week
on the chart on March 26, 1988, where it remained for two weeks.
The song was also nominated for Record of the Year at the 31st Grammy Awards.
Once reviewed, even some of Michael Jackson's harshest
critics, who may have been largely unconvinced by many of the tracks
from the 'Bad' Album, were unanimous, stating that 'Man in the Mirror' was
undoubtedly a musical triumph with such gravitas
it immediately drew the listener and transcended all musical genres.
Robert Hilburn from the Los Angeles Times wrote, quote, "Michael Jackson's Man
in the Mirror is an ideal vehicle for Jackson's dramatic pop instincts.
But it's Jackson's impassioned, gospel edged vocal that is the real showpiece.
It's easy and all the celebration of Jackson's
dancing to forget how brilliant a singer he can be.
He doesn't always come up with worthy
material, but he does hear". Michael Jackson performed the song as
the ending of the concert during the Bad World Tour's second leg
and it was the finale on Jackson's Dangerous World Tour four years later.
On July 16th, 1996.
Jackson also performed 'Man in the Mirror' at the Royal Concert in Brunei.
The last time this song was performed
by Jackson was in October 2001 at the United We Stand concert that was held
in Washington, D.C., as a tribute to the victims of September 11th.
The Legacy. Upon the news of Michael Jackson's death in June 2009,
the world was in shock, and during the initial period of mourning,
'Man in the Mirror' experienced a resurgence
Unlike any other of Jackson's back catalog.
In 1988, the song reached number 21 in the UK singles charts.
But in 2009, 'Man in the Mirror' peaked
at number 2. The most popular song in a chart that also
contained 12 other Michael Jackson tracks in the Top 40.
A fan at the time said, quote, "It's quite inspirational.
It appeals to lots of people,
not just Michael Jackson fans, but the general public.
It's not a song that can be pigeonholed
because it's not pop or soul, but it's an anthem that a lot of people
can relate to, especially with the world going through hard times".
At the end of the artist's memorial service, an instrumental introduction
to the song was played while his casket was being carried out,
followed by the appearance of a spotlight shining on a microphone on an empty stage.
After a closing prayer that incorporated themes from the song,
the spotlight remained shining on the lone microphone, a testament to the song's
significance in Michael Jackson's life and in his legacy.