Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords G, C, D/F#, D, Em, C/B, C/D, Am7 … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

G  D/F#  Em7  D  C9

G          D/F#          Em  D              C
I'm gonna make a change,    for once in my life
            G         D/F#               
It's gonna feel real good, gonna make a
 Em          D             C
Difference, gonna make it right
     G          D/F#     Em            D  
As I, turn up the collar on  my favorite
        C
Winter coat, this wind is blowin' my mind
           G             D/F#            Em          D
I see the kids in the street, with not enough to eat
           C
Who am I, to be blind, pretending not to see their needs

Am7                  C/B
 A summer's disregard, a broken bottle top
C                 C/B
 And a one man's soul
      Am7                      C/B
They follow each other on the wind ya' know
             C                 D
'Cause they got nowhere to go
                              G
That's why I want you to know

G     D4/B             C2         C/D
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
G   D4/B            C2        C/D
I'm asking him to change his ways
G     D4/B                  C        Db°
And no message could have been any clearer
C5+/D
If you wanna make the world a better place
                                           G
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

G       D/F#    Em      D/F#  C         C/D

G            D/F#     Em         D          
I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love
C
It's time that I realize
           G            D/F#        Em            D
There are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
             C
Could it be really me, pretending that they're not alone

Am7                     C/B
 A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart
C                   C/B
 And a washed out dream
      Am7                       C/B
They follow the pattern of the wind, ya' see
             C                D
'Cause they got no place to be
                               G
That's why I'm starting with me

G     D4/B             C2         C/D
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
G   D4/B            C2        C/D
I'm asking him to change his ways
G     D4/B                  C        Db°
And no message could have been any clearer
C5+/D
If you wanna make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself, and then make that

Ab       Eb4/C            Db2     Db/Eb
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
Ab     Eb4/C         Db2      Db/Eb
I'm asking him to change his ways
Ab      Eb4/C         Db             D°
And no message could have been any clearer
Db5+/Eb
If you wanna make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

End of song Play again?

Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Michael Jackson – Man In The Mirror: key and chord analysis

The song opens on G and ends on Db/Eb. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = F# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = C (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it opens on G and G is heard 15 times against 8 for Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	15×
bII	Ab	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Ab · C · Eb	2×
ii7	Am7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E · G	4×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	—
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	11×
IV	C/B	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	6×
IV	C/D	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	5×
IVsus2	C2	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · D · G	4×
IV7	C9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G · Bb · D	1×
#IVsus2	Db2	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Eb · Ab	2×
#IV	Db/Eb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · F · Ab	2×
V	D/F#	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	9×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	9×
V	D4/B	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	4×
bVI	Eb4/C	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Eb · G · Bb	2×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	7×
vi7	Em7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B · D	1×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	7×
i7	Em7	Tonic — home	E · G · B · D	1×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	15×
#III	Ab	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	2×
iv7	Am7	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E · G	4×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	—
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	11×
VI	C/B	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	6×
VI	C/D	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	5×
VIsus2	C2	Submediant — warm colour	C · D · G	4×
VI7	C9	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G · Bb · D	1×
#VIsus2	Db2	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Eb · Ab	2×
#VI	Db/Eb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · F · Ab	2×
VII	D/F#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	9×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	9×
VII	D4/B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	4×
#VII	Eb4/C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb	2×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 16 different chords appear 84 times in total; 11 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Ab, Eb4/C are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

D/F# Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×7
C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×4
C/D G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×4
D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×2
C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×2
D/F# Em7 GV → vi7deceptive cadence EmVII → i7Aeolian arrival ×1

The move to watch is D/F# → Em, heard 7 times. From the G side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected G, lands on Em); from the Em side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over D/F#, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Ab, follow the chord's notes (Ab · C · Eb) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

The song on the circle of fifths

Played in the song — chord of the key
Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
Played — borrowed or outside chord
Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

Capo and easier keys

With G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

The opening G lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is G, C, D/F#, D — I–IV–V–V from the G side, III–VI–VII–VII from the Em side. Ab briefly darkens the picture: neapolitan bii — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonic. Keep an ear on D/F# → Em (V → vi in G, VII → i in Em): deceptive cadence — expected G, lands on Em. The final chord is Db/Eb; the ear comes to rest in G.

This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.