Behind the Mask (song)

"Behind the Mask"
1980 UK single cover
Single by Yellow Magic Orchestra
from the album Solid State Survivor and X∞Multiplies (international versions)
Released	August 1980
Studio	Alfa Studio "A", Shibaura, Minato, Tokyo
Genre	Synth-pop[1]
Length	3:35
Label	Alfa
Composer(s)	Ryuichi Sakamoto
Lyricist(s)	Chris Mosdell
Producer(s)	Haruomi Hosono
Yellow Magic Orchestra singles chronology
"Rydeen" (1980) "Behind the Mask" (1980) "Nice Age" (1980)

"Behind the Mask" is a 1979 song by the Japanese synth-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra. The composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, wrote the first version for a television commercial. A new version with lyrics by Chris Mosdell was released on the 1979 Yellow Magic Orchestra album Solid State Survivor. In the US and the UK, "Behind the Mask" was released as a single from the 1980 album X∞Multiplies.

In the early 1980s, the American pop singer Michael Jackson recorded a version with extra lyrics and melodies. It was omitted from his 1982 album Thriller as no royalty arrangement could be agreed. Jackson's demo was released on the album Thriller 40 in 2022.

In the 1980s, artists including Greg Phillinganes, Eric Clapton and the Human League recorded versions based on Jackson's demo. Clapton's version, released in 1987, was a top-20 single in some markets. An updated remix of Jackson's version was released on the 2010 album Michael.