When Ed Hogan reviewed the song, he called it "gentle." Jon Pareles of The New York Times noted that this song has "gospelly lift." 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.' "
Jones enlisted the Andraé Crouch Choir to record gospel vocals.
At Jackson's request, Garrett and Ballard wrote a longer middle eight and modified the lyrics. Garrett delivered the tape to Jones, who called back a few hours later to tell her he approved. The two recorded a demo over the course of a week, with Garrett on vocals. Garrett took the brief to Ballard, her writing partner, who began playing a keyboard figure Garrett wrote the lyrics. Garrett recalled that Jones told the group: "I just want hits, that's all I want." 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. "Man in the Mirror" was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett. Keeping the gospel choir arrangement, the song was remixed for the soundtrack of Jackson's tribute tour Immortal.Īn instrumental version of the song was played at the end of Jackson’s memorial service. The song peaked at number 21 in the UK Singles Chart upon release in 1988, but in 2009, following the news of Jackson's death, the song peaked at number 2. It was nominated for Record of the Year at the 31st Grammy Awards. "Man in the Mirror" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, becoming Jackson's tenth number-one single on the chart, and was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was released on February 6, 1988, as the fourth single from Jackson's seventh solo album, Bad (1987).
It was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. " Man in the Mirror" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson.