"Man in the Mirror" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson. It was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It was released in January 1988 as the fourth single from Jackson's seventh solo album, Bad (1987).[1]
An instrumental version of the song was played at Jackson's memorial service.[6]
Writing and recording
"Man in the Mirror" was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett. Jackson's producer, Quincy Jones, invited Garrett to his home with a group of other songwriters and asked them to write material for Jackson's next album. Garrett recalled that Jones told the group: "I just want hits, that's all I want."[7]
Garrett took the brief to Ballard, her writing partner, who began playing a keyboard figure; Garrett wrote the lyrics. The two recorded a demo over the course of a week, with Garrett on vocals. Garrett delivered the tape to Jones, who called back a few hours later to tell her he approved.[7] At Jackson's request, Garrett and Ballard wrote a longer middle eight and modified the lyrics. Jones enlisted the Andraé Crouch Choir to record gospel vocals.[7]
The song runs for 5 minutes and 19 seconds and the sheet music for the song shows the key of G major. After 2 minutes and 53 seconds, the key changes to A-flat major.[8]
Critical response
When Ed Hogan of AllMusic reviewed the song, he called it "gentle."[9] Jon Pareles of The New York Times noted that this song has "gospelly lift."[10]Rolling Stone's Davitt Sigerson thought that "Man in the Mirror" stands among the half dozen best things Jackson has done: "On 'Man in the Mirror,' a song he did not write, Jackson goes a step further and offers a straightforward homily of personal commitment: 'I'm starting with the man in the mirror/I'm asking him to change his ways/And no message could have been any clearer/If you wanna make the world a better place/Take a look at yourself and then make a change.'"[11]
In 2009, Josh Tyrangiel from Time named "Man in the Mirror" among Jackson's ten best songs and "one of Jackson’s most powerful vocals and accessible social statements, not to mention the best-ever use of a gospel choir in a pop song".[3] In 2017, ShortList's Dave Fawbert said the song contained "one of the greatest key changes in music history".[12]
Music video
The video is a notable departure from Jackson's other videos; Jackson does not appear in it, aside from a brief clip toward the end in which he can be seen donning a red jacket and standing in a large crowd. Instead, it features a montage of footage of various major news events and famous people.[13]
"Man in the Mirror" was the fourth consecutive U.S. number-one single from Jackson's Bad.[16] The single debuted on the BillboardHot 100 on February 6, 1988.[17] It reached number 1 on March 26, 1988, remaining there for two weeks.[16]
"Man in the Mirror" originally peaked at number 21 in the United Kingdom in 1988. However, following Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, "Man in the Mirror" re-entered the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 2.[18] In Australia, the song originally charted at number 39.[19] After Jackson's death, the song re-entered the chart and reached number 8.[20] It was also the top single in iTunes downloads in the US and the UK following Jackson's death.[21] It has sold 567,280 copies in the UK as of January 2016.[22]
Personnel
Written and composed by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard
The Winans: Carvin, Marvin, Michael and Ronald Winans
Andraé Crouch and his Choir: Sandra Crouch, Maxi Anderson, Rose Banks, Geary Faggett, Vonciele Faggett, Andrew Gouche, Linda Green, Pattie Howard, Jean Johnson, Perry Morgan, Alfie Silas, Roberto Noriega
Rhythm arrangement by Glen Ballard and Quincy Jones
Synthesizer arrangement by Glen Ballard, Quincy Jones and Jerry Hey
12Davidson, Denton (August 28, 2024). "Michael Jackson: 25 best songs ranked". GoldDerby. Retrieved August 14, 2025. The gospel pop anthem pulls on the heartstrings of any listener, pleading for them to look in the mirror and make the change they want to see in the world.
↑『マン・イン・ザ・ミラー』（マイケル・ジャクソン）: ショートフィルム映像解説（動画・写真つき）["Man in the Mirror" (Michael Jackson): Short Film Commentary (with Video and Photos)]. leaf & letters (in Japanese). February 8, 2010. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
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