Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson

Overview

Key: G major · Chords used: 29 · Sections: 9

Form: Intro → Verse → Chorus → Interlude → Verse → Chorus → Chorus → Interlude → Outro

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). This page shows that transcription as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Key changes

• Chorus 3 moves to A♭ major.

Section by section

Intro

• G – G9sus4 – G – D/F♯ – Cadd9 (×3)
  I – I9sus4 – I – V⁶ – IVadd9

Verse 1

• G – G9sus4 – G – D/F♯ – Cadd9 (×2)
  I – I9sus4 – I – V⁶ – IVadd9
• Am7 – Gadd9/B – Cadd9 – Gadd9/B – Am7 – Gadd9/B – Cadd9 – D9sus4
  ii7 – Iadd9 (bass B) – IVadd9 – Iadd9 (bass B) – ii7 – Iadd9 (bass B) – IVadd9 – V9sus4

Chorus 1

• G – G/B – C – Dsus4 – Dadd9 (×2)
  I – I⁶ – IV – Vsus4 – Vadd9
• G – G/B – C – A9/C♯ – Dm11
  I – I⁶ – IV – II9 (bass C♯) – v11

Interlude 1

• G – D/F♯ – Em7 – D – Cmaj9 – D7 – Em7 – D/F♯
  I – V⁶ – vi7 – V – IVmaj9 – V7 – vi7 – V⁶

Verse 2

• G – D/F♯ – Em7 – D – Cadd9 – Cmaj9 – Cadd9 (×2)
  I – V⁶ – vi7 – V – IVadd9 – IVmaj9 – IVadd9
• Am7 – Gadd9/B – Cadd9 – Gadd9/B – Am7 – Gadd9/B – Cadd9 – D9sus4
  ii7 – Iadd9 (bass B) – IVadd9 – Iadd9 (bass B) – ii7 – Iadd9 (bass B) – IVadd9 – V9sus4

Chorus 2

• G – G/B – C – Dsus4 (×2)
  I – I⁶ – IV – Vsus4
• G – G/B – C – A9/C♯ – Dm11
  I – I⁶ – IV – II9 (bass C♯) – v11
• G – G/B – C – Dsus4 (×2)
  I – I⁶ – IV – Vsus4
• G – G/B – C – A9/C♯ – Dm11
  I – I⁶ – IV – II9 (bass C♯) – v11

Chorus 3

• A♭ – A♭/C – D♭ – E♭sus4 – E♭add9 (×2)
  I – I⁶ – IV – Vsus4 – Vadd9
• A♭ – A♭/C – D♭ – B♭9/D – E♭m11
  I – I⁶ – IV – II9 (bass D) – v11
• A♭ – A♭/C – D♭ – E♭sus4 – E♭add9 (×2)
  I – I⁶ – IV – Vsus4 – Vadd9
• A♭ – A♭/C – D♭ – B♭9/D – E♭m11
  I – I⁶ – IV – II9 (bass D) – v11

Interlude 2

• A♭ – E♭/G – Fm7 – E♭ – D♭add9 – D♭maj9 – D♭add9 – A♭ – E♭/G – Fm7 – E♭ – D♭add9
  I – V⁶ – vi7 – V – IVadd9 – IVmaj9 – IVadd9 – I – V⁶ – vi7 – V – IVadd9

Outro

• D♭add9
  IVadd9

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• G9sus4 (I9sus4) is borrowed from the parallel key, G minor.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the McGill Billboard Project (Burgoyne, Wild & Fujinaga, 2011). Expert transcription by trained musicians (song 1188, CC0), via ChoCo.
• Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
• 4 chords were simplified to the closest symbol our player supports (for example, an unusual added tone dropped).
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.