CUM A COMPUS SIEDAH GARRET ,,MAN IN THE MIRROR"

http://www.singersroom.com/interview/129/Siedah-Garrett-The-Woman-I...

Siedah Garrett: At the time there was a music supervisor who knew that the director Bill Condon was going to work with the original composer Henry Krieger on new songs to replace scripts that were sung in the play. He wanted to replace that kind of sing-poppy music in the play with real songs so there were five new songs that they wanted to use the original composer for. The original lyricist would have been used but he passed away in the 80s, so they went around auditioning lyrics from different songwriters. You send your lyrics in and they go over them. What they were looking for was a lyricist that could paint a picture with the words and tell the story with the way that the words were put together. One of the samples I sent in was “Man In The Mirror” and they ended up choosing me and 2-3 others to write the five songs. I ended up writing two of the five songs that were open in the movie.

Singersroom: Where is the funniest place that an idea for a song has come to you?

Siedah Garrett: I was writing with a friend of mine at his house. We were in the middle of writing a song and his phone rang. He stopped what he was doing (he was playing piano) and started talking on the phone.

I only heard chunks of the conversation...I only heard what he was saying and it went something like this:
“Yeah.”
“What man?”
“Oh, the man in the mirror”
I wrote that phrase down.
Two years later I was in a room with Glenn Ballard trying to come up with a song for Michael Jackson’s album and I’m flipping through my lyric book and I see the phrase “Man In the Mirror” and I just started singing.

I couldn’t write the words fast enough. I couldn’t get it out fast enough and Glenn was just playing the chords. It just seemed to just flow with exactly what I was going to sing musically. It was weird. It was like magic.... I couldn’t write fast enough.


MAN IN THE MIRROR
(Written by Siedah Garrett / Glen Ballard)
Michael Jackson


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)

(Take a look at yourself and then make the change)
(You gotta get it right, while you got the time)
('Cause when you close your heart)
You can't close your... your mind!
(Then you close your... mind!)
That man, that man, that man, that man
With the man in the mirror
(Man in the mirror, oh yeah!)
That man, that man, that man,
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Better change!)
You know... that man
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 the change
(Take a look at yourself and then make the change)
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Na na na, na na na, na na, na nah
(Ooooh...)
Oh no, no no...

I'm gonna make a change
It's gonna feel real good!
Come on!
(Change...)
Just lift yourself
You know
You've got to stop it,
Yourself!
(Yeah! - Make that change!)
I've got to make that change, today!
Hoo!
(Man in the mirror)
You got to
You got to not let yourself...
brother
Hoo!
(Yeah! - Make that change!)
You know - I've got to get
that man, that man...
(Man in the mirror)
You've got to
You've got to move! Come on!
Come on!
You got to...
Stand up! Stand up! Stand up!
(Yeah! - Make that change)
Stand up and lift yourself, now!
(Man in the mirror)
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Aaow!
(Yeah! - Make that change!)
Gonna make that change...
come on!
You know it!
You know it!
You know it!
You know it...
(Change...)
Make that change.