Quand l'intime se transforme en manifeste

L'introduction arrive. La chanson ne commence pas vraiment... Elle s'éveille.

Le roi de la pop, retenu, introspectif, use de variations de timbre et d'ornements vocaux.

Le titre se construit en crescendo et s'appuie sur des chœurs gospel qui dialoguent avec l'artiste, jusqu'à le submerger peu à peu.

Le tout avance à pas feutrés avant de nous faire basculer.

Le début repose sur une voix basse, comme dans une confidence fragile, puis Michael Jackson fait de son chant un langage commun dans les ad-libs. Et l'intime se transforme en véritable manifeste.

Introspectif, spirituel, habité, explosif... Un hymne universel.

Paroles :

"I'm gonna make a change

For once in my life

It's gonna feel real good

Gonna make a difference, gonna make it right

As I turn up the collar on my favorite winter coat

This wind is blowin' my mind

I see the kids in the street with not enough to eat

Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their needs?

A summer's disregard, a broken bottle top

And a one man's 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

Take a look at yourself and then make a change

Na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na

Uh-huh

I've been a victim of a selfish kinda love

It's time that I realize

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 (a 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

I'm starting with the man in the mirror (who?)

I'm asking him to change his ways (who?)

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 a change

I'm starting with the man in the mirror (who?)

I'm asking him to change his ways (who?)

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 change

I'm starting with the man in the mirror (oh, yeah)

I'm asking him to change his ways (oh, you 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)

Then you close your (your) mind (that man, that man)

With the man in the mirror, oh, yeah (that man, that man)

I'm asking him to change his ways (that man, that man, that man)

Oh, you better change (you know, that man)

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 change

Na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na

(Ooh) gonna feel real good, yeah (oh, yeah)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (na-na-na), yeah, yeah (na-na-na, na-na-na-na)

Oh-oh, oh, no

I'm gonna make a change

It's gonna feel real good, shamone (change)

Just lift yourself, you know

You've got to start with yourself (yeah)

I gotta make that change today

(Man in the mirror) you've got to

You got to start with yourself, brother

(Yeah) you know

I've got to be that man, that man

(Man in the mirror) you've got to

You got to move, shamone, shamone

You got to stand up (yeah), stand up (make that change), stand up

Stand up and lift yourself now (man in the mirror)

Go make that change, shamone (man in the mirror)

You know it, you know it, you know it, you know (change)

Make that change"