As long as I have been alive, I have known of Michael Jackson. When I was 5, Thriller came out. I was aware of the songs and music. And he had an amazing career, filled with hit after hit after hit. When you search out his best songs, somewhere in there you’ll find Thriller, Billie Jean and Beat It as some form of the top 3 or even top 5. I love those songs. In this list, Rolling Stone has Billie Jean as #1 and Man in the Mirror as #12.
So let’s get into the reasons why I believe it’s his best song. First reason is he didn’t write it. It was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett. They were asked by Quincy Jones to write music for Michael’s next album and Quincy’s directive was “I just want hits, that’s all I want”. Within a week of meeting with Quincy, a demo of this song was created and shared with Quincy and Michael. After some input from Michael for some lyrics changes and changes to a section, it was set.
The second reason is the lyrics. I absolutely adore the lyrics of this song. I mean, “If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make that change.” GOOSEBUMPS! Changing the world seems ominous and impossible. But this song says, change starts with you. Change what you can control. Change what’s in your power. Absolutely a doable and possible option!
Third, let’s talk about the layout of this song. At the beginning, it’s a simple synth and Michael snapping and singing. As that first verse goes on, instruments are added, and the layers start to build. His vocals are the beginning are very simple and feel like they’re trying to go somewhere. Once the instruments come in, it feels vocally like he’s on his feet and we’re off. When the chorus kicks in, we’ve got that funky, funky synth bass line in and he’s peak Michael on vocals. Musically, I love that walkup on the line “and no message could have been any clearer”. That’s just a gorgeous bass walkup that I’ll sing along with every time I hear it! After verse 2, we get a double chorus. And at the end of the second chorus, Michael literally takes us to church. We get to the line, “take a look at yourself and then make that”. And there’s a pause. AND WE HIT A KEY CHANGE. I love modulations like this. But more than we have a gospel choir. Not just any gospel choir, the Andrae Crouch Choir. Because if you’re Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, only the best will do. And we hang out at church for a while, and the end of the song goes back to as simple as the song began. It’s beautiful.
Fourth, vocally, I think it’s one of Michael’s best performances ever. He goes from vulnerable and breathy at the beginning to belty and an absolute powerhouse in the “make that change” section with the choir. And of course, his “you know it”, “sha’mon” and of his other vocal inflections are numerous throughout the track.
Honestly, you could throw a dart at most of his songs (Not “The Girl is Mine”) and have an argument for why it’s one of his best songs ever. I was watching the “You’ll Hear It” podcast talking about the album Bad and that’s really what sparked my thought on this song. I’ve always loved it, not only for those reasons I’ve listed, but also for reasons that I just can’t quite put into words. It’s definitely on my top 10 list of all time favorite songs, maybe even top 5. I have to sit down sometime and make that list. 🙂
What’s your favorite Michael Jackson song and why?
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