"God Has a Voice, She Speaks Through Me" is a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

music group CocoRosie, released by

Touch and Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. Tou ...

on May 13, 2008. Touch and Go initially produced 3,000 pieces on vinyl, which included an untitled B-side track consisting of noises and distorted singing. On July 8, 2008, the label began releasing 7" picture disc versions of the single. Since 2012, the single has been sold only on digital platforms. The track has been described as art pop, downtempo, electronic,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, folk rock, indie rock, indietronica, and

progressive pop Progressive pop is pop music that attempts to break with the genre's standard formula, or an offshoot of the progressive rock genre that was commonly heard on AM radio in the 1970s and 1980s. It was originally termed for the early progressive ...

. CocoRosie said the track was "the first song we recorded" for their then-upcoming album, describing it as "a dance song about

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

, spiritual ecstasy and life under the veil." Producer and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Gaël Rakotondrabé, who was briefly a member of the group, is credited as one of the track's songwriters alongside the Casady sisters. On May 27, 2008, the Touch and Go Record
YouTube channel
released
music video
for the track.

Performances

David Courtright o
Atlanta Music Guide
reviewed a September 21, 2010 performance of the track at the

Variety Playhouse The Variety Playhouse (originally known as the Euclid Theatre) is a music venue in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is located on Euclid Avenue and features a variety of music acts including rock, indie, electronic, funk, country, folk, bl ...

in Atlanta, Georgia, which he deemed "the perfect venue for ocoRosie" Courtright described the track a "crowd-pleaser" for the "bohemian, rather same-sex oriented" audience. Detailing the performance, the review states that the Casady sisters appeared on stage wearing "a very

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

ensemble... floral-patterned black stockings with runs and holes, red lips outlined in black" and a "beat-box wizard, a percussionist and a piano/synth player... drum/percussion kit was encased in an antique baby's crib with fat baby painted on the side... Behind hemwas a large screen that projected every kind of bizarre

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

image... doll heads dripping blood and crying to orbiting paper roses, flashes of heat lightning, close ups of lion fur and mane, carousels spinning, lots of eyeballs crying and blinking, and crucifixes".

Reception

The single received mixed reviews, with music website Rate Your Music giving it an average rating of 2.95 out of 5.

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

described it as "an instructional auto-tuning paean to Mama Nature", stating that it "offers some supreme springtime anthemics" and that "the vocal effects take a little getting used to, though almost immediately they do make it all the easier to dance". A Brassland Records article on CocoRosie described it as "outrageously

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

". Amazon Music editorial reviews describe the track as having "a springtime dance floor sound", stating "CocoRosie narrates a suicide story that takes place in a tender and elated moment of innocence, focusing on releasing and returning to Mother Nature." A 2016 interview with Bianca Casady suggested that the track was "straight-forward" and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, and attempted to "overtly feminiz the Judeo-Christian God... only to find that the message was lost on listeners yet again." Bianca, retrospectively discussing its release, stated “I thought we were super heavy-handed... We had to start being so blatant about being feminist.” Bianca Casady has stated that the song is about women who wear the burqa and that the lyrics stem from Bianca's "being exhausted from thousands of years of a male image of god being foisted upon us. So I tried to create a more personal vision of god."

References

{{authority control 2008 singles 2008 songs CocoRosie songs Songs with feminist themes Songs critical of religion Islam in popular culture Songs about suicide