Michael Jackson MAN IN THE MIRROR Original Studio Multitracks (Listening Session, Analysis)
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- Опубліковано 4 лип 2023
- Free Voice Lessons: chrisliepe.com/free-your-voice/
My Website: chrisliepe.com
This is one of the best arranged Michael Jackson songs if you ask me. It's also easily one of my favorite MJ songs of all time.
The collaboration and the scale here is unmatched and, though it wasn't written by Michael, I feel that it represents, in a big way, where Michael's head space was at the time.
Oh yeah... And what a great vocal performance. We get to dive into the isolated vocals, all the instrumental multitracks and some breakouts of the choir and other group vocals. What a treat!
Let the church say AMEN! Michael went so hard here. You can’t help but be touched. No wonder people we’re falling out at his concerts. POWERFUL! Thanks again, Chris!
Absolutely!
Right! The Church of Michael Jackson.
where Michael Jackson himself is the preacher
Michael absolutely DESTROYED this at the ‘88 Grammy’s. His Passion & Voice! Still get chills when I see that performance
I nearly choked when I saw this comment. You do realise apart from the end part where he ad-libs he was lip sinking?
Imagine if Chris could have talked with Michael about creating his songs. Michael would have been so excited that an interviewer truly understood his craft.
Well said.
Michael Jackson is the gift that keeps giving
His vocals know no limit and his talent knows no boundary....there will never be another!
Loved this Chris 🔥🔥🔥❣
Gospel lives in michael, one of michael jackson's best songs, I don't think people will ever know the dimension of how much HISTORICAL this song is.
Greg is just such a boss on piano. Instantly recognizable.
On the Bad 25 doc, Greg explains that Michael jumps out of the booth and starts playing the piano melody.
MJ knew how to paint with all the colors. ❤
He was so special. He died from a broken heart it's so sad. I feel so blessed I grew up with him . Great job , Chris
yes. he was heartbroken since 1993, but lets face it. they murdered him, just like prince and whitney. wouldnt even surprise me if george michael was also murdered.
So sad to really think about the way he left.😢 heartbreaking.
I’m pretty sure he died from overdosing on propofol
You've got to check out the Grammy '88 live performance especially the outro where the playback fades and his microphone finally turns on, those adlibs 'stand up brother!', 'stand up sister!' are euphoria inducing.
love your work, hope you eventually get round to Stranger in Moscow.
I wanted to suggest that too
He was lip sinking the hole way through apart from the ad-libbing at the end. He started doing this towards the end of the bad tour because the kept adding dates to that tour that nearly lasted 2 years and unfortunately he began to rely on backing track because he set the bar too high for himself. By time he did the superbowl he near sang live apart from at the end of some songs.
Michael was a supernatural talent, gift from God, one of a kind... WOW, such an AMAZING performance 👏 🙌
One of the cool stories about this song is that after the choir parts were recorded and the vocalists left the studio, they realized (if I recall correctly it was Quincy Jones) that the song was missing something. He ran outside to the parking lot and brought the choir back in to record that final “change” at the end of the song. Then Michael added his little “make that change” to close out the track.
You should hear the original recordings of all the songs from the bad album, I think that another part of me is the only original recording that made it on the bad album and the rest were re recorded.
Siedah, i love her. Such a great talent, and Greg too. And there isn't enough words to explain Mike. He played that same piano sample that Greg did too. Some people only think that Mike could sing and dance, he could play instruments too. He wasn't Prince, but knew a few instruments. Thank you for this. Music isn't the same without him
6:09 6:54 if there was ever a melody coming straight from the heartstrings it must be this, RIGHT IT MUST BE THIS❤
I always say Michael tells a story with every word the theatrics he uses with every word like if the word is air he'll sing it light and Airy as if he's the air he was the absolute best at what he did THE GOAT
I agree with you
While there is not a single song of Michael’s that I don't enjoy/appreciate, there are a few particular ones that hold a special place in my heart due to the memories associated with them.
The two that stand out the most are Man In The Mirror and Will You Be There.
When I found out that Mike’s life got cut way too short, I was just about to walk into my parent’s half-bath when my mom told me the news.
I was stunned for what ended up being most of the day and could only think to myself, “Those poor babies,” thinking about Michael’s kids.
It wasn't until later in the day/evening, headed somewhere, that I was sitting at a red light when Man In The Mirror started playing on the radio, which is when I became a sobbing mess *[very few deaths of celebrities have resulted in such an emotional reaction-Mike’s is one that hit hard once I got passed the shock of it all],* just hoping the light would change so I could at least drive and cry, lol.
The song was always one of my favorites because, well, I mean, just listen to it, lol.
However, that memory at the red light is something forever etched into my mind to the point where it comes back every fucking time I hear the song.
7:08 omg this part is so beautiful i have chills
Felt the same, finished the video, read your comment, went back to that part and got double chills ...
something makes music a lil more special when sharing, connecting, and relating to each other the way it affect our soul and heart. Thnxs MJ❤
.J
To me Michael is the Most talented musician of modern days…he has a special kind of magic, he ate from really deep emotions. His music gets me like no other…like hes pentrate right into your soul, no matter what defence strategies youve build by some actions you lived through. Planting a germ inside your soul
Michael Jackson was the greatest....GOAT
The Winans, Sandra Crouch, Andrea Crouch are some of the gospel people he worked with alot. Remember the performance on the Grammys were he had church.
Siedah wrote it for Michael and Michael loved this song. It is in perfect tune with Michael’s essence. This is a song written very deliberately for this one singer to sing. It was Michael’s song, and his spirit is alive forever. Chris, thank you for this analysis and approach - it really has the soul, beauty and timeless power. “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change.”
I love her demo of it as well and glad Michael included her in the backing vocals
Siada just wrote this song and then it was presented to Michael and he loved it. Also he loved her way of singing this song and he copied it.
@@aniapietruszczak9684 She has said in interviews she wrote it SPECIFICALLY for Michael because she wanted him to know who she was. Look at her interviews on the subject.
@@musicmaestro88 I'll check it once again. As far as I remember I heard her saying different story.
@@musicmaestro88 Btw, I don't like her performance on IJCSLY
I have noticed with MJ songs he has a lot of sounds that you dont really hear in the final release
That "starting with the man in the mirror"at the end was his tribute to James Brown's "It's a Man's, Man's... World". Like Michael admitted many times, James Brown was his biggest inspiration.❤
Jackson is the Julius Caesar of pop music. He was ruthless on the mic (battlefield) and everyone felt his victory musically speaking. He has many many supporters and worshippers, like Caesar himself in ancient Rome. Then, he was taken from us all of a sudden by that inappropriate doctor of his. Someone he trusted. Like Caesar was stabbed by those whom he had trusted.
Got emotional right there. Anyway, thx for the analysis.
Wow i never thought about that 👏
❤
well said
Great comment 👍
Michael’s the GOAT.
He killed the game with this tune.
What a one from Siedah.
He continued the use of gospel themes in songs like Keep the Faith, Will You Be There and a song called On the Line - which i highly recommend to any Jackson fan. He accompanied each of those songs with some of the most powerful vocals of his career, and this ofcourse includes Man in the Mirror. I display my 12" single of Man in the Mirror very proudly 😍
I also love We've got enough
15:08 "Ah-hunh-auhuh! I've been a V-I-C-T-I-M OF a Salfish Kanda Lahv..."
Chris, I want to bring something up that you might have missed. And I wrote this lyric like this on purpose.
I put dashes in the word "VICTIM" as "V-I-C-T-I-M" to denote his aggression, grit, & growl.
I wrote the feel & sound of "Selfish Kind of Love" as "Salfish Kanda Lahv" to denote a snarl or sarcasm or attitude.
Think about the lyric's meaning "I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love"
It means 'I have been blind to others' suffering & may have been conditioned to be that way by society'.
It's a Bad thing to be, right? That's why he's a Victim to this selfish mentality.
The growl he does at Victim shows his RESENTMENT & REGRET of this conditioning.
He's fighting his former state of being. Growling at it like some people use the evil eye to ward off bad spirits.
He's trying to push the mentality away so he growls with aggression to ward it off.
AND when he sounds like "Salfish Kanda Lahv" on the next part, he's mocking the whole notion of "Selfish Love".
Selfishness is not Love! He's snarling at the sentiment as a mistake & an error in his prior judgment.
He's a little disgusted with himself so he growls & snarls to push those former sentiments away from him.
That's why when he goes "It's Time That I REALIZED" he sounds mournful in tone going deep. It's his Atonement!
The emotion he puts into this is ALSO used to better IMPLANT the message to OTHERS who listen to the song.
He sings it like that so listeners may think in the way he's trying to portray.
He's trying to change YOUR mentality if it's like this. If YOU yourself are a victim of a selfish kind of love.
He highlights & punctuates the message with his emotional dynamic delivery. All for resonance with the listener.
And I also think he's feeding off the energy of others in the room & it's bringing this delivery out of him.
He's fully in the spirit singing this song & that explains so much of his dynamic range you speak about in this song.
That's just my interpretation of his delivery here. It works on so many levels!
Man this was just awesome to read. Thank you for this insight. Yes it does hit on so so many levels!
@@chrisliepe Thank you Chris! I enjoy how enthusiastic you are in your breakdowns of these songs.
It's almost like you're learning things at the same time you're teaching us.
You really nerd out to it & I love it. I like people who are genuinely into what they are doing.
The passion is infectious! I figured you would like my observation on that lyric.
We both learned something from that one passage in totally different ways.
Excellent perspective
I’ve watched all your videos about michael jackson today, and here s a new one perfect timing 😂, could u also do “ give in to me “? That guitar melody is insane and his vocal performance as always, outstanding and so is your explaining of learning from this all 💯
Love your enthusiasm about MJ´s art and singing and all the clever remarks on his art. Thank you for this video.
Best song ever.
The best song ever made. Can't wait to get into this video, oh my God.
Genius is little for MJ, I am grateful to God for having lived in the same world as this enlightened being. He left too soon and left us with a longing that won't go away 💔 I miss you 🇧🇷❤️👑
The choir is consisted of Andrae Crouch singers and The Winans.
Michael was friends with the Crouches.
I saved this for later because I wasn’t ready. Watching now and I’m still not ready. Amazing.
Just an awesome song and beautiful analysis. Thank you
Thanks, Chris. Absolutely brilliant. It's all of his little nuances that implore me return to his music time and time again. I've been a fan since 1991 and still discover new elements to songs I've heard a million times. You're helping keep his legacy alive, so thank you.
8:36 Keep the faith song from Dangerous album
His vocals on Keep the faith are incredible. It's his most UNDERRATED song in my opinion.
I always get a new appreciation for his music after these videos. People say Michael wasnt proud to be black - this is black gospel right here and it's a thing of beauty.
While Siedah is well recognized for writing this song but let's not forget Glen Ballard who wrote the music❤
That bridge is everything! So powerful!
“If you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make a change, you gotta get it right while you got the time ‘cause when you close your heart (you can’t) then you close your mind (Close your, your mind)”
Also love Siedah singing “you know, you know”
A lot of those things that come off as so free and experimental, i think, is how he put himself into the song in terms of his emotions. I mean, obviously he was insanely skilled and was very well trained as a vocalist, but it was never a straight up angry song or a straight up sad song, or a straight up love song or whatever, it was nuanced. not just in the song itself, but the way he performed it. I think that's why you'll hear him going from really sweet to guttural very quickly so often. The guy was so well rehearsed that he could do that seamlessly. He also had insanely good breath control, I can't stress that enough, like he didn't have to yell to get out really powerful notes.
My favorite "Man In The Mirror" live performances is from Wembley 1988 (Bad World Tour) and Bucharest 1992 (Dangerous World Tour).
What a strong song and the line
“If you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change” 🎶✨
got this phrase tattooed 🥰
Thank you so much, Chris for sharing Michael Jackson song again. What a timeless masterpiece!
Totally fascinating.
Every time I hear this I cry.. When Siedah wrote this, it was just Michael all day long.. This song has touched many 🥰❤️ Miss you Michael
This song is a Musical Jewel and is my favourite song, above all, in his discography. Furthermore, the presentation at the Grammy Awards of 1988 is INCREDIBLE and IMPECCABLE💯
#Music #Dance #Pop #RhythmAndBlues #Gospel #Performance #MJJProductions #EpicRecords #CBSInc #LegacyProductions #ConcordProduction #Bad #1987 #Tenor #Voice #MichaelJosephJackson #michaeljackson #kingofpop #GrammyAwards #30thAnniversary #1988
boy his dynamics...no wonder he was and will always be the KING of Pop!
Love the way you broke it down specially on Micheal’s vocals and his delivery and approach . Thank you 🙌🏼✨
You're so welcome!
Michael voice is an instrument 🎺
One of the goat vocalist/performers/entertainers, dancers, humanitarians the goat
Duuuude this is the one I've been waiting for! Quite possibly my favourite song of all time.
AMAZING breakdown Chris - I think you could do a whole video on just the instrumental alone. For me the 1988 Grammy performance of this song is the epitome of the fluidity of Michael’s voice. Admittedly, the majority is lip sync BUT the breakdown toward the end where Michael takes it ALLLL the way to church has me in a child like awe to this day! I do wish a version with the ‘stand up for your brother, stand up for your sister’ etc. ad-libs were released as he always did them performed the song live!
Thank you as ever Chris ❤
*edit - year typo*
*88
This is my favorite song from Michael and of all time!! ✨️ I've waited for a long time for you to make an analysis of this gem and I'm so happy that day came! 🥰 Thank you so much for these videos, they always put a smile on my face ❤
I realize MJ’s sound in his instruments and voice hits so many levels of the hi and lo spectrums
Michael always worked with gospel choir, musicians,
Man In The Mirror is my favourite Michael Jackson Song
Yessssssssss. Been waiting for an mj vid 🎉
Words are not enough to express this perfection!
Love to see your passion listening to this. MJ was such a talent, I still grieve there will be no more...
Thank you Chris.
I love so much about these multi tracks. First, because this song contains my favorite Michael Jackson vocal ever, which is the line "They follow the pattern on the wind they see, because they got no place to be, that's why I'm starting with me". I don't know what it is about that specific run, but I just love it. In addition, the other favorite thing about this multi to me is the amazing piano playing from Greg, a lot of which is buried in the final mix.
One of the greatest if not THE best song of all time! I'm excited that you are excited to watch and listen to this solofest of multitracks in action! Shameless plug. You really need to check out my rnb/ballad song 'Stick It In' if you like harmonies and MJ's influence is all over. I'm in 12 playlists so far, hopefully going up when the right people discovers my crazy music!
He didn't write it.
Although MITM is an all time fav for most fans, for me too, Keep the faith has the same gospel energy, with more different parts, and Mike's killing it, of course. To sing it all alone at home with the speakers loud enough to get you in and encourage you let it all out is a MASSIVE treat 😊
Oh no no, you didn't. I am in to much of a shock of excitement that I have to watch this pearl with full attention. 🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤ I rewatch these MJ videos every now and then. Omg this is going to be spectacular.
Bruce Swedien liked to capture the sound of the speakers aswell for more "Room/Stereo feel" didn't matter if the sound was digital or a real amp he did that a lot. Perhaps he forgot to mute the percussion or he wanted them it in there with the capture. He talks about it here somewhere on UA-cam!
Chris, love and passion with that you say about vocal - it's incredible. You are great
Thank you so much for this video. Man in the Mirror is my favourite song Michael Lives Forever❤
7:07 Great Harmonics
Thank you so much for this amazing video! Man In The Mirror is one of the best songs of all time, it is so complex yet the impact is so strong ❤
I feel like in every video we learn something knew about Michael's vocal technique and we see how differently he approached each song ❤
Great unpacking. You’ve really brought out the importance and significance of how you exit the note, and the tonal dynamics. These are amazing tools that take singing into another level. Thank You Chris for all you give.
Keep doing MJ videos this is amazing! He was incredible
This is my 5th favourite MJ song. The second half of the song is my favourite.
finally, the day has come, this song is amazing, as well as your analysis
idk if anybody told you, but there's a video that was put on youtube not too long ago, Michael Jackson recording his song "Childhood" in the studio, you could check out his approach and mannerisms, hope you could analyse it (would be easier for the copyright stuff too, since it doesnt include any multitracks)
just search: "michael jackson childhood recording".
One of my favs of MJ's ... Great message in the song, he was so talented, u do him justice so nice how u bring out the best in the great ones we hve lost & new ones tht are out , independent artists just making it big, great Channel, ur so talented yourself, that u break everything down perfectly 💯 💯
Thanks Chris. What a song Man in the Mirror!
that's why the elders of M.I has always confessed which it's not MJ who set his voice with music but this is the music that has to be set with MJ' s sound.
just one word; ICONIC
tanx Chris boy
Thanks for this analysis ❤. Michael wanted this song plays like church and he did it!
Engineer Bruce Swedien was known for his love of combining DI synth sounds with the same sound played out of speakers and mic'ed to combine room ambience with the DI sound. I believe this is what you are hearing in the synth bass. The first track is the DI and the other two are recorded in a room with FX or just natural chorus.
Thank you so much for all the details! I sing myself, and your advice as well as pointing out specific ways Michael sung is so cool! Greetings from Germany
Hi Chris ,
Think you, think you so much,
This song is the Monument on the classics songs on Michael Jackson !
Also, the precious group Choir
The Master Andraé Grouch and The Winans…
This people are Magic !!
I meet Siedaj Garret in Paris and she told the story this song…
She give me the goose flesh !!
This song is a Hymn
it is part of the news of several decades and especially today, thank you for this beautiful message,
A big thank you to you Chris for sharing the musical passion,
I really hope to meet you someday...
I have the vinyl of the album. This was always my favourite track. Spot on analysis of one of the greatest performers of all time. This was a real treat and couldn't be long enough 🎤🔥
This is my second favourite MJ song this song is perfection! The messaging PLUS the absolute masterful performances both vocal and instrumental. Everything about this brings me joy every time I hear it
That’s also my second favourite MJ song! I’d love to know which one is your favourite? Let me have a guess… Earth Song?
lol this is my second fav too! my favorite is you rock my world
@@ontopram incredible 😭
Mine is Earth Song 🥹
Chris, I love the way you convey what you observe and sense in these MJJ multitracks. Great work! Warmly, C.
This was pure magic. Also, we need to give Siedah Garrett her credit for writing AND contributing to the background harmonies. Mama needs her flowers for this song! 🌺🌻🌼🌸
She better be getting those royalties
guitar work is just spotless
The piano and percussion together is just fabulous! ❤
MJ we miss you ❤
It can be said Siedah wrote the song, but she didn't do to it what Michael did. That song is nothing much on paper, some of the lyrics don't even make much sense, but what he brought to it was magic and depth and an almost religious feeling with his voice and his technical skills. All together it was a piece of art. He deserves all the credit. Perfection.
"He deserves all the credit" - I promise you, you can compliment Michael's work without diminishing the contributions of those he worked with. Siedah and Glen Ballard wrote and constructed a fantastic song and Michael performed it exquisitely. See, it's not difficult to do.
@@TheYoungSquire Not sure why you're forcing your opinion on a random stranger instead of just pleasantly sharing your own independently, which you're welcome to do. I would compliment their work if I agreed with you, but I disagree with your argument. He didn't just perform it exquisitely, he gifted us all with the final result. The demo was nice. It had a lot of potential but it was hollow and lacked skill and heart. It was shopped to Michael because they knew he could do something amazing with it they could not do on their own. You could not have given that demo to another artist and received the same result. That's all Michael. The style, body, and soul of that song is Michael. God showed up in his version because he made room for Him to do so. There are not many other people capable of that.
@@Hevynly1 It wasn't "shopped" to Michael. This wasn't some random song that Michael happened to get his hands on. It was specifically written FOR Michael. The talent to write a song so perfectly for someone else isn't something to be diminished. Have some respect for the contributions of other artists and grow up. Take care.
@@TheYoungSquire Of course it was. He had the right to reject it if he wanted to. Fact is that the original demo that she gave him was not what she has let people hear over the years. It was extremely rough, the lyrics weren't complete, most of it was humming, and the melody was completely unfinished. He sent it back, told her to refine it, which she did to an extent, but it still was nowhere near a developed demo. He took that and turned it into a full and complete song. She gave him lumber, and he built a mansion. Those are the facts. If you don't like them, that's your privilege. You can keep your opinion and allow others to have their own.
@@Hevynly1 And yet Michael had Siedah stay in the studio because he wanted to sing it like her. His words.
The problem with your 'opinion' is that it's not rooted in fact but a mean spirited immaturity. This is UA-cam and if you comment publicly, you should expect responses to that. If your fragile ego is incapable of handling that, I suggest you keep those opinions to yourself.
Once again; you don't have to bring others down in your attempt to bring Michael up.
Feel free to respond, I won't be replying back, so have at it bub! 😂
I believe Sieha wrote this for him because Michael put her on a song he wrote called I Just Can't Stop Loving You that skyrocketed to #1 and she was so grateful for that
But it was on the same album? It would have been released at the same time so she wouldn’t know it would be number 1
The story goes like this. In 1986, Quincy and Michael demoed well over 100 songs to make the track list of Bad. Quincy suggested a strong, soulful ballad, and Michael and Quincy agreed that it needed to be a duet. They tapped Whitney Houston and Barbara Streisand to be featured on the song Michael wrote called “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”. Both declined, and it just so happens that Quincy received a demo from Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard that would eventually become Man in the Mirror. Michael would himself feature Siedah on Bad’s first single.
This is one of my favorites from Michael! congratulations for the video!
This video is amazing, but I can't believe you didn't analyse the outro! Probably my favourite part, that lingering deep bass with the gospel behind it
Great song, I still love listening to it and with what you've shown today I once again understand more what's inside. I remember too well one or two Grammy performances where he played that song live. The transition you describe was clearly visible on stage. Incredibly beautiful! Thank you for showing and preserving the technique of one of the best singers of all time. Thank you very much, Chris!
This is so beautiful, so touching. Loved how you opened this up Chris.
Thank you. Missed your videos for so long. Don't ever take MJ break for so long
Haha. Only so many more that are available that I can do! :)
Chris Liepe, Great featured track & tutorial. Lots of information & nuggets of creative techniques. Thank you
Please do MJ’s ‘I Cant let her get away’ . So much of his genius beatbox hidden in that! Would be so exciting to listen to the beatbox track..
always look forward to these mj vids from you man. i appreciate you chris.
Mi Favorite Song ❤❤
OMG I love your videos about Michael Jackson very much!❤❤❤ I've been waiting for this for so long! Keep doing stuff like this, please!🥰
Thank you for this! ❤Could you please do Will You Be There at some point too.