Shakhsadinova 1

Farida Shakhsadinova

Professor Dean Leonard

English 1201.2V7

2 March 2022

Man in the Mirror Times Two

When the world needed him most, Michael Jackson, also known as the king of pop, released

“Man in the Mirror.” With its overwhelming montage of events and people that are not so

simple, Jackson shows a world that is drowning in poverty and inequality. He goes on to express

a powerful message that explains that to make the world a better place, people must start with

themselves first. In Joyful Noise’s version of “Man in the Mirror,” the singing choir goes on to

express the same meaningful message but relaying it to a more religious audience instead. The

two audiences perceive the same meaning differently as Michael Jackson sings out to a crowd

who is trying to stand upright from the struggles that this world has put upon them, and Joyful

Noise’s choir sings for a religious audience who are trying to better their faith so that God

improves the circumstances of the world in exchange.

Jackson’s music video starts off with a zoomed in shot of a famished child with a slow and

solemn beat in the background. It slowly goes on to show various parts of the world

impoverished and mentally and physically starved. He uses several forms of figurative language

to show the different classes that he and the people of the world belong to. The singer’s lyric

“this wind is blowing my mind,” uses personification to show that it is not the weather that is

affecting him physically but the views he sees when he goes outside. The video continues to

display morally and ethically wrong tapes of police brutality, KKK meetings, and racist protests.
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Instead of the slow beat now, the instruments are getting louder as the videos go on. With

everything going on, Jackson rhetorically questions himself, “who am I, to be blind?” Meaning

that no matter what class or status he belongs to, it is inhumane to ignore the cries of help from

the people that are not as fortunate as him. It is also important to note that Jackson does not star

in the music video at all besides his singing which allows the viewers to focus more on the

content. As the tapes morph into more positive figures, such as Mother Teresa, MLK, and

Gandhi, Jackson’s repeated chorus takes on a happier and more hopeful note. The sequence in

the events that were shown was extremely important as it motivates the viewers and changes

their feelings accordingly.

In the cover of “Man in the Mirror” that is featured in the movie Joyful Noise, the watchers can

see the choir standing in elevated rows practicing a new pop song for the church. Unlike

Jackson’s video, this cover is set in one place, allowing different viewpoints to exist. The scene

then continues to a zoomed in shot of Keke Palmer, who plays the lead singer of the choir,

slowly starting to sing acoustic and getting lost in the song. This does not go on for too long

before getting cut off by the coach and reminding Palmer that she wants to hear God through her.

Once the cue is received, the band sitting in the back starts playing the familiar tune of “Man in

the Mirror.” Palmer, embarrassed, sings with a refrained tone as well as refrained movements

followed by the rest of the choir. The song goes on with the singers of the choir swaying from

side to side in sync with the vocals getting stronger and stronger. Nearing the song’s ending,

Palmer starts to lose herself in the song again but does not get reprimanded by her coach this

time. This can be because one can visually see her passion in her faith through her singing. After

the outstanding performance, the group explodes into cheers and claps as they are all elated with

how it turned out.

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Jackson’s music video contains extraordinarily strong use of pathos as the content is extremely

graphic and moving. Although this sparks emotion and outrage in many people, the audience for

this cover are people who recognize that for them to leave the world a better place than they

found it, they must start with themselves first. The lyrics tell a story about a man who has

struggled enough to see that something must be done, changes must be made. Hence the title of

the song, “Man in the Mirror,” it is extremely important for their heart to be in the right place

before they stop being a bystander and act. Joyful Noise’s cover goes along the same lines but

directs it to a religious audience. Although set in a church, it can be for any religion as they all

involve faith and a God.

Showcasing a global problem and inspiring people to take action at the same time is what

Michael Jackson achieved during his video. Joyful Noise reinforced people’s faith by showing

them the gift that God has given them. “Man in the Mirror” includes the same lyrics and message

in both videos but for slightly different audiences.

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Works Cited

Jackson, Michael. Man in the Mirror. Youtube, 3 Oct. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=PivWY9wn5ps.

Joyful Noise. Man in the Mirror. Youtube, 9 July 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=ytZsndEc830.