This song was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett who did a duet with Michael with his single I Just Can't Stop Loving You in 1987.

Man In The Mirror was released on January 9th 1988 off Michael's 7th major solo album Bad.

It was Michael's only single released off the Bad album not to reach the top 20 in the UK, it only got to number 21. But after Michael's death in 2009 the song was re released in the UK and entered at number 11, the week after it hit the number 2 spot.

In 1988 Man In the Mirror hit the number 1 spot in the US during its 8th week in the charts and stayed there for 2 weeks. It became his 4th single to become a number 1 off his Bad album.

Siedah Garrett can be heard singing in the background of Man In The Mirror, along with The Winans and the Andrae Crouch gospel choir.

Seidah had the idea for the song while on her way to record I Just Cant Stop Loving You, she said she saw a face in the mirror and it all started from there.

At around the same time Man In The Mirror was released a lot of artists were using gospel choirs for their songs, from David Bowie for a track in The Labyrinth film, to Madonna's Like A Prayer.

Jermaine Jackson made reference to this track while in the Big Brother house in 2007 after white house mates were making racist comments towards Asian house mate Shilpa Shetty.

Michael performed an extended version of Man In The Mirror at the Grammy awards in 1988, he also performed the song on his Bad world tour, Dangerous world tour, and also at the Royal concert Brunei for the last time in 1996 for the United We Stand Benefit Concert.

Man In The Mirror was nominated for record of the year at the Grammy Awards.

At Michael's memorial after his death, an instrumental version of the song was played while his coffin was being carried out. An important moment during this was when they shone a spot light on the empty space behind a microphone, marking a moment that Michael was no longer with us.

I'm gonna make a change,
for once im my life
It's gonna feel real good,
gonna make a diference
Gonna make it right...

As I, turn up the collar on
my favorite winter coat
This wind is blowing my mind
I see the kids in the streets,
with not enought to eat
Who am I to be blind
Pretending not to see their needs

A summer disregard, a broken bottle top
And a one man soul
They follow each other on the wind ya' know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know

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
(If you wanna make the world a better place)
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change
(Take a look at yourself, and then make a change)
(Na na na, na na na, na na, na nah)

I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love
It's time that I realize
That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
Could it be really me, pretending that they're not alone?

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart
And a washed-out dream
(Washed-out dream)
They follow the pattern of the wind ya' see
'Cause they got no place to be
That's why I'm starting with me
(Starting with me!)

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Ooh!)
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
(If you wanna make the world a better place)
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change
(Take a look at yourself, and then make a change)

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Change his ways - ooh!)
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 that..
(Take a look at yourself and then make that..)
CHANGE!

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Man in the mirror - Oh yeah!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Better change!)
No message could have been any clearer
(If you wanna make the world a better place)