Mirrors
by Wale

Album: Attention Deficit (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • On this old-school jam Wale and southern rapper Bun B spar for the title of "who's real."
  • Mark Ronson, producer of Amy Winehouse's Back to Black album, is the man behind the controls on this track. Ronson has acted as a mentor for Wale in his early career and is listed as executive producer on Attention Deficit. The DJ/producer actually only worked on three of the album's eleven tracks.
  • Phantom Planet's Alex Greenwald sings backup vocals on the track. Greenwald contributed to Ronson's version of Radiohead's "Just ," which was a track on the DJ/producer's 2007 album, Version.
  • Wale called out this track to MTV News as one of his favorites. "'Mirrors' is cool to perform," he said. "It's about the climate. I'm analyzing the psyche of a lot of people in this business. There's a belief that in order to have success you have to sound a certain way or look a certain way. But a lot of these things aren't real. In the end, you can only perform for the person in the mirror."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Evolution of "Ophelia"

The Evolution of "Ophelia"Song Writing

How five songs portray Shakespeare's character Ophelia.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.