11 Memorable Songs About Mirrors or Reflections | Playlist

1. Set It Off, “Killer in the Mirror”

Midnight • Fearless • 2019

“Get back, put your hands up / Kinda messed up, but it’s tough luck / And I’m sorry, but I don’t feel bad for you / ‘Cause I know if you could switch this / You’d be dishin’ out the same shit…” Wow – those are fighting words! Alternative rock collective Set It Off truly ‘set it off’ in 2019 with the release of their fourth studio album, Midnight.  What brings Midnight to this reflective, mirror-centric playlist? Why, it is the opening record, “Killer in the Mirror.”

“Killer in the Mirror” is set in a minor key, possessing a dark vibe from the onset.  Some of the characterizing musical factors include driving bass and guitar, foreboding vocals, and a hellish vibe overall. Despite the darkness conveyed, the melody of “Killer in the Mirror” stands out throughout – tuneful and quite memorable. A rhythmic pre-chorus (aforementioned) sets up the high-flying, epic chorus. That epic, “killer” chorus is characterized by its robust sound, as well as incorporating some multi-syllabic treatment of the word, mirror.

“Now I know
There’s no one I can trust
I used to think there was
Tell me that I’m cutthroat
I think you got your eyes closed
Feel the fear
And swallow back the tears
Let weakness disappear
There’s nobody but me here
The killer in the mirror.”

2. Trey Songz, “Reflection”

11 • Atlantic • 2018

“They gon’ try to fuck us up, that’s just nature / Every time you goin’ up, don’t they hate ya? / Tell me what you feel, let me hold it / And if it’s real, they cannot control it.” In 2018, Trey Songz quietly released two projects – 11 and 28.   By ‘quiet,’ it also means that neither album performed well from a commercial standpoint – just keeping it 100. Anyways, remaining focused on the task at hand, the song that fits this particularly playlist, “Reflection,” appears on 11.

“Reflection” features a compelling, nuanced vocal performance by Trey Songz. As the record progresses, Songz sounds better and better, making a sizable jump between the first and second verses.  Furthermore, “Reflection” features respectable production, idiomatic of the urban contemporary vein. While it isn’t the most memorable Songz record ever released, he manages to deliver a respectable chorus.  It should come as no surprise that the chorus thrives off of Songz’s go-to topic, sex.

“Put that body on me, I know you like that shit
Treat it like a pony, the way you ride that shit
Know you love a n*gga, you ain’t gotta hide that shit
Fuck your other n*gga, he don’t provide that shit…
Kill that pussy and I never leave a witness
Fuck what they heard, tell ‘em, mind they business…
You a real one, that’s just my perception
Real recognize real, my reflection.”

Twice, the post-chorus, featured at the beginning of this write-up, follows the chorus.  It doesn’t reappear following the final chorus however.

3. Bazzi, “Mirror”

Cosmic • Atlantic • 2018

Eclectic is a great way to describe Bazzi, a rising urban-pop artist from Michigan, based in California. Andrew Bazzi is young and chocked-full of confidence and swagger. His breakout moment comes by way of single, “Mine”, among the best moments from his intriguing debut album, Cosmic.  “Mine” just doesn’t fit on this ‘reflective,’ mirror-centric playlist of course, so we go with the obvious choice from Cosmic, “Mirror.”

“I don’t know what I’m looking for / I don’t know what to say anymore… / Something is just not right.” On “Mirror,” Bazzi is confused.  Essentially, he’s struggling to wrap his fingers around his thoughts and identity.  While he’s nonspecific, it’s clear “Mirror” represents an internal battle.  On the chorus, the big takeaway is, “That man in the mirror ain’t me… I don’t wanna feel like this anymore.”

4. Mario, “Mirror”

Dancing Shadows • New Citizen / EMPIRE • 2018

“Why we keep running? Somebody tell me / Hiding from something, under your shelter.” Poetic – at least the last lyric of the pre-chorus. Sigh, likely, most folks were unaware that Grammy-nominated R&B singer Mario released a new studio album in 2018.  Dancing Shadows marked Mario’s first album in nine years. Luckily for us, the perfect song appears on the album that fits the playlist, “Mirror.”

“Mirror” features lovely lead vocals by Mario, who sings with incredible ease without ever breaking a sweat, sigh. Perhaps most impressive about his vocal performance is his falsetto, which is utterly superb.  The record itself is idiomatic of urban contemporary music.  The slick production makes excellent use of keyboards and synths and is anchored by a respectable beat.  Unsurprisingly, the reflection is central to “Mirror,” exemplified on the chorus.

“But if you look in the mirror long enough to see yourself
If you look in the mirror long enough to free yourself
You would notice that you’re alone waking up
If you look in the mirror, mirror, you remember yourself, yourself.”

5. Nine Inch Nails, “Shit Mirror”

Bad Witch • The Null Corporation • 2018

“Hey look what’s staring back at you / Caught reflecting in your eyes / I’m becoming something new / It’s getting hard to recognize.” In 2018, Nine Inch Nails returned with a brand-new, 30-minute album, Bad Witch.  The opening song features a colorful title, reflective of the aforementioned lyrics, “Shit Mirror.” Vocally, through the majority of the record, Trent Reznor’s vocals are incredibly distorted, as he goes through his ‘mutation,’ or something along those lines.  The music itself is incredibly energetic, gritty, and raw.

Oddly, the music cuts out completely at one point to near silence, before eventually returning in full-fledged, noisy fashion.

“New world
New times
Mutation
Feels all right.”

6. Young the Giant, “Mirror Master”

Mirror Master • Elektra • 2018

“Look in the mirror / Familiar figure / Staring right back at me / Split decision / Now my reflections talking / But I didn’t speak.” Okay… Alternative rock collective Young the Giant, fronted by Sameer Gahdia, released their fourth studio album, Mirror Master, in 2018.  Obviously, we chose the title track, which concludes the album for this playlist – duh!

Unsurprisingly, the mirror, reflections, and shadows are central to the lyrical success of “Mirror Master.” An assertive, energetic vocal performance by Sameer Gahdia definitely doesn’t hurt the case either.  Furthermore, add great production to the mix – gritty guitars, driving, rhythmic bass, and pummeling drums – and “Mirror Master” truly ends up being quite ear-catching. A catchy, confident chorus serves as the centerpiece of the record.

“You will be the chosen master
You will leave with the girl this time
You will be the leading actor
Movie of your own design
And when you hit disaster
The answer will be yours to find
You’re the mirror’s master
Now forever I’m resigned.”

7. The Neighbourhood, “Reflections”

The Neighbourhood • Columbia • 2018

“I know you’re sick / Hoping you fix whatever’s broken / Ignorant bliss / And a few sips might be the potion.” The Neighbourhood returned with their third full-length album, The Neighbourhood in 2018 (they’d also expand the project as Hard to Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing, featuring 21 songs).  Although it’s imperfect, the Jesse Rutherford-led collective delivers their best and most compelling album to date. We wish to ‘reflect’ on this effort by highlighting the album’s 10^th song, “Reflections” (see what we did there?).    

“Where have you been? / Do you know if you’re coming back?” After being ‘sky-high’ on the previous record, “You Get Me So High,” “Reflections” serves as a fitting and compelling follow-up, particularly on the chorus. Focused on love, clearly Rutherford fell hard AF.

“We were too close to the stars
I never knew somebody like you, somebody
Falling just as hard…
I see my reflection in your eyes (tell me you see it too).”

8. Good Charlotte, “Shadowboxer”

Generation Rx • Good Charlotte / BMG Rights Management • 2018

“I remember suffering / With every single word they said / I could always feel them / I could always feel them.” Hmm, hearing voices rarely seems to be a good thing Good Charlotte, just saying. The aforementioned lyrics hail from the opening verse of “Shadowboxer,” the third track from the long-time band’s quietly-released 2018 album, Generation Rx. The Madden bros’ psychological shadowboxing examines the consuming power of hatred, and the importance of self-examination and introspection.  Think Michael Jackson – staring at “The Man in the Mirror”.

This particular song, which previously appeared on 13 Songs Where the Shadows Are Looming, fits this list thanks to its reflective sentiments. The chorus seems to nail that sentiment to the nth degree.

“All this hate will burn your life down
All the pain, you cause your own suffering
Tell me when you look in the mirror and talk to yourself
Do you even see at all?
All this hate, you chose to throw your life away
Do you even see at all?”

9. Mac Demarco, “Chamber of Reflection”

Salad Days • Captured Tracks • 2014

Throughout Salad Days, singer/songwriter Mac Demarco seems incredibly down – there is the sense of the constant ‘bummer.’ Even though Demarco gets down within Salad Days about various things, he also offers atoning words of wisdoms and relatable truths.  There is a magic about Salad Days that makes the 11-track, 34-minute affair among the best of 2014 – it’s almost hypnotic.

“Chamber of Reflection” is definitely a change of pace from everything else, featuring a hard, heavy beat and synths.  Bass punctuations brilliantly anchor things down, while an exceptional harmonic progression exemplifies R&B/soul music.  Further praising the instrumental aspects, Demarco makes excellent use of space and pacing.  The vocals continue in understated fashion, making the listener truly listen closely and think about the lyrics.  The chorus is nothing ‘special’ on paper, but perfectly sums up the track contextually: “Alone again, alone again / alone again, alone”.

10. Mac Miller, “Objects in the Mirror”

Watching Movies with the Sound Off • Rostrum • 2013

In 2013, the late, Grammy-nominated rapper Mac Miller dropped a creatively-titled sophomore album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off.  Watching Movies with the Sound Off is more accomplished than his debut (Blue Slide Park), with Miller stepping up his game lyrically and musically. He overindulges in references to drugs and sex at times but has more triumphant moments than not.

“Mend a broken heart, girl, if you can / I don’t expect you to be capable / You got the world right in your hands / That responsibility is unescapable.” On the song at hand, “Objects in the Mirror,” Miller delivers home run. Rather than rap, he opts to sing, showcasing a different side of himself.  While it seems as if Mac Miller is singing about love and heartbreak explicitly, he is referencing drug use and demons, particularly lean.  Pharrell Williams provides him with an excellent backdrop, characterized by its lush electric piano, strings, and anchoring percussive groove. The chorus shines.

“Just a little taste and you know she got you
Can you hide away? Can you hide away?
Sound of silence as they all just watch you
I kinda find it strange how the times have changed
I wish we could go and be
Free once, baby, you and me
We could change the world forever
And never come back again.”

11. Justin Timberlake, “Mirrors”

The 20/20 Experience • RCA • 2013

“Aren’t you somethin’ to admire? / ‘Cause your shine is somethin’ like a mirror / And I can’t help but notice / You reflect in this heart of mine.” The eight-minute long “Mirrors,” the second single from The 20/20 Experience (2013), straddles the lines between pop and urban music – good old urban-pop! Justin Timberlake delivers exceptional lead vocals, delivering an utterly sublime falsetto. Timberlake is supported by slick production work (Timbaland and Jerome ‘Jroc’ Harmon), beautifully harmonized backing vocals, and lovely strings provided by The Benjamin Wright Orchestra.

The amorous message is beautiful, conveyed through the quick-paced vocals of the chorus.

“‘Cause I don’t wanna lose you now
I’m looking right at the other half of me
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space that now you hold
Show me how to fight for now
And I’ll tell you, baby, it was easy
Coming back to into you once I figured it out
You were right here all along
It’s like you’re my mirror
My mirror staring back at me...”