Perhaps it's not the British intellect that favours this anthem-like song over the more soulful Billie Jean, but your reserve. I'm surprised Will You Be There hasn't charted though. The na-na-nas at the end have that playful joy that he still had in the Bad era but largely lost after that. For MJ, the choices for that would be Man in the Mirror, Heal the World, Earth Song and, er, Stranger in Moscow, and Man in the Mirror is the first and best of those. This is similar to when John Lennon died and Imagine was the big hit - people want something uplifting and universal, rather than say a love song. Given Jackson's preoccupation with his appearance, there is an irony in the words:īut while it's interesting to interpret the words in that way, says Masterton, they would have more resonance if he had written them himself. If you were going to pick a Michael Jackson record with a more realistic way of looking at things, this would be it."
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"This has a more straightforward way of thinking - to change things one step at a time. It reached number 21 in the singles charts - a respectable position for most artists, but by Jackson's standards a low performer, when other singles from Bad were selling in large numbers.Ī regular part of the BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? Aims to answer some of the questions behind the headlinesīut while Jackson's other songs of that genre, such as Heal The World and Earth Song, can be rather overblown and saccharine, presenting him as a benevolent, all-knowing being, there is a welcome simplicity about Man In The Mirror. Man In The Mirror was the fourth single from Bad, Jackson's 1987 album, and was written by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard. "It deserves to be at the top of the charts and as it's always been popular among fans, it's as if they are saying: 'Let's get it the recognition it deserves.'" Its message, says Mr Blank, is that the ills of the world, like homelessness and suffering, can be cured if every individual makes his or her own contribution. It's not a song that can be pigeon-holed, he says, 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. It appeals to lots of people, not just Michael Jackson fans but the general public who might not consider themselves to be Michael Jackson fans in particular."
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"So Man in the Mirror is on middle ground.