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"You're the Voice" is a song recorded by Australian singer
John Farnham John Peter Farnham (born 1 July 1949) is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until the mid-1970s, billed as Johnny Farnham. He has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer.McFarlane (1999). Enc ...
released in 1986. It became an immediate hit in Australia as well as several European countries including the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was released as a single in September 1986 ahead of his album '' Whispering Jack'' and was written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson. In the United States, the song is perhaps best known for a charting version issued in 1991 by the band
Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
. It was also recorded by the Alan Parsons band, featuring Chris Thompson on vocals, and performed by them at the World Liberty Concert in the Netherlands in May 1995. It climbed the charts in Australia again in 2012 after being used in a TV advert. From early September 2023, Farnham's song was used in a video advert to advocate for the unsuccessful "Yes" campaign in the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.


Background

"You're The Voice" was composed by British songwriters Chris Thompson, Andy Qunta and Maggie Ryder in response to an anti-nuclear demonstration in London's Hyde Park in 1985. More than 100,000 people attended the rally, but Thompson overslept. As an act of
penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derive ...
he decided to express his remorse by composing a song that emphasised the importance of invoking personal agency when it comes to effecting political change. Keith Reid confirmed in June 2008 that "You're the Voice" started life with Thompson, who had the musical idea and wanted to have a lyricist involved. It was another of his projects where the music essentially preceded the words, which are all Reid's. The song was recorded in 1986 by Thompson in a version (not then released) which Farnham's version closely resembles (though it contained no bagpipes) according to Keith. It was included on the Keith Reid Project's ''The Common Thread'' 2008 solo CD. Thompson was initially doubtful if Farnham was able to do the song justice, as he only knew the singer from the
novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...
"
Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)" was Australian pop singer Johnny Farnham's first solo single. The novelty song was released in November 1967 and was No. 1 on the ''Go-Set'' National Singles Charts for five weeks in early 1968 NOTE: ''Go-Set'' publis ...
", which Farnham had performed about 20 years prior as a teenager. Thompson later admitted in an interview that his reaction to Farnham was "You've got to be joking. He's not doing it." Farnham, who was in considerable debt due to a series of "very bad business decisions", heard the demo and knew this was a make-or-break moment for his career. Having sold his house and car to pay down debts, Farnham went to the basement of the house he was renting and recorded the song. He made the decision to swap out the bass in the demo for
bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, N ...
, which turned out to be a masterstroke. Thompson said, "They changed one note on the bass and put in this brilliant bagpipe solo." Despite the song going through the chain of command and being improved at every juncture, they hit a wall when it came to securing a deal for Farnham. Wheatley said, "Every label passed on it. I had to release it on Wheatley Records because I couldn't get anyone to take the punt. I knew people at radio would still have a problem playing a John Farnham song they'd still think you of him as Johnny Farnham." Even when the single was released, radio stations were resistant to play it due to the "Johnny Farnham" image. The song, however, became hugely successful, revived Farnham's career and significantly helped ''Whispering Jack'' go 24× Platinum, with sales of 1.68 million in Australia alone. To date, ''Whispering Jack'' is the third-highest-selling album of all time in Australia as well as the highest of any Australian artist.


Music video

The
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was recorded with celebrities ( Derryn Hinch and Jacki Weaver) and musicians (James and Vince Leigh of Pseudo Echo) and Greg Macainsh, none of whom are on the original audio recording and were assembled by Farnham's manager, Glenn Wheatley. Wheatley later recalled, " twas done on a shoestring budget. I called in Derryn and Jacki, some of the guys from Pseudo Echo (James and Vince Leigh) and Greg Macainsh from Skyhooks are in the band, it was pretty much anyone who'd do me a favour".


Chart reception

"You're the Voice" was released as a single in September 1986 ahead of Farnham's album '' Whispering Jack''. It was written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder, and Chris Thompson. The song was one of the biggest hits of 1986 in Australia, topping the
Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...
singles chart for seven weeks from 3 November to 21 December. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by
ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
between mid–1983 and 12 June 1988.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 1987 it won Single of the Year. It re-entered the Australian singles chart more than 25 years after its original release (reaching No. 64), due to its appearance in a 2012 Ford TV commercial to advertise the company's ''SYNC'' voice control system. The
power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
is also one of Farnham's biggest successes in Europe, charting at No. 1 in Germany and Sweden and reaching the Top 10 in Austria, Ireland, Switzerland and the UK. Although "You're the Voice" was also successful in Canada (reaching the Top 20), in the United States the track performed relatively poorly, missing the chart on its initial 1987 issue. BMG/RCA re-released the song in the US in February 1990 after Farnham made the
Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
chart with "Two Strong Hearts". Farnham's version eventually spent eight weeks on the US charts, peaking at No. 82, but in the US the song is perhaps best known for a charting version issued in 1991 by the band
Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
. In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100" of the "most Australian' songs of all time", the song was ranked number 6.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


In popular culture

The song has been featured in numerous TV and film productions, including the films '' Hot Rod'', '' Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa'', the BBC series '' Merlin'' and comedian Peter Kay's '' Car Share''. The
Australian Electoral Commission The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for the management and oversight of Australian federal elections, plebiscites, referendums and some trade union A ...
has used the song in advertisements surrounding Australian state and federal elections since 2001. In 2009, the song was included in '' Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City'' for the Vice City FM radio station, but was removed following its 10th anniversary. In 2012 the song was used in a Ford TV commercial to advertise the company's ''SYNC'' voice control system. The song was used by anti-lockdown protesters who rallied in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Victoria, during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. On 21 September 2020, it was reported by '' Seven News'' that the song had become a common theme at rallies around the city as Stage 4 lockdowns continued. Farnham's manager described the unauthorised use of the song as "offensive" to Farnham and the manager himself. From 3 September 2023, the song was used to advocate for the "Yes" campaign in the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, a vote to change the Australian Constitution to enshrine a Voice to Parliament for
Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
. The song played as a soundtrack for a video advert directed by filmmaker Warwick Thornton, which was released on social and other digital media and television.


Heart version

As a lead promotion for their first live album, '' Rock the House Live!'', in 1991, US rock band
Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
released their live version of "You're the Voice" as a single. It was recorded during the US leg of their ''
Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
'' world tour in November 1990. Commercially, the single reached No. 20 on the US ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Album Rock Tracks chart. In the UK, the single peaked at No. 56. A music video was released that includes footage shot from the tour while coverage of the then-ongoing
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
intervene. The song was released in multiple limited-edition formats in different territories. A studio version of the track had been recorded in late 1989 as part of the sessions for the ''Brigade'' album, though it did not make the album track list. This studio version would not see release until July 2000, when it was included on '' Greatest Hits: 1985–1995''.


Charts


Alan Parsons and Chris Thompson versions

Chris Thompson had joined Alan Parsons' band for his first solo album after the split of
the Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock music, rock duo formed in London in 1975. Its core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons, and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They shared w ...
and was also one of the two frontmen on the ensuing tour, which was captured on the album '' Alan Parsons Live''. For the US release of this album in 1995 (retitled ''The Very Best Live''), the band added three new studio recordings recorded in February 1995. One of these was "You're the Voice", which marked the first time a version featuring the original songwriter had been released. Parsons produced the song. "You're the Voice" was then performed at the World Liberty Concert in May 1995 by the Alan Parsons Band, Thompson and Metropole Orkest. The only official release associated with the concert was a single featuring a radio edit of the live version (faded out after four minutes). The B-side was a live recording of "White Dawn", which was performed by Metropole Orkest and the Gelders Opera and Operetta Gezelschap (GOOG) choir. The song was arranged by Andrew Powell and conducted by Dick Bakker. During the performance of "White Dawn", a battle was simulated that included gunfire, which can be heard around the middle of the recording. This track has not been issued on any other release.


Track listing

#"You're the Voice (Radio Edit)" – ( Qunta, Thompson, Reid, Ryder) – 4:14 lead vocals Chris Thompson #"White Dawn" – ( Parsons) – 4:50 instrumental Thompson has continued singing the song live in concert, e.g. with Mandoki Soulmates as recorded on the live album ''BudaBest'' as well as recording several more studio versions, e.g. with Mads Eriksen on the album ''Rediscovery''. The original demo by Qunta and Thompson appeared on the deluxe reissue of Qunta's album ''Legend in a Loungeroom''.


Other cover versions


Planet Rock Allstars

In November 2019, a single in support of the mental health charity
MIND The mind is that which thinks, feels, perceives, imagines, remembers, and wills. It covers the totality of mental phenomena, including both conscious processes, through which an individual is aware of external and internal circumstances ...
was curated by Planet Rock DJ Wyatt Wendels in conjunction with a 2000-mile charity cycle ride ''The Road to Rockstock''. The limited release CD was then made available from the ride's support vehicle, during late November/early December. The CD features three versions, the main version featuring many rock artists including Alice Cooper, Joe Elliott, Justin Hawkins, Bruce Dickinson and Dan Reed. The other versions include the original backing track with Toby Jepson on vocals, and a version with vocals by Joe Elliott. The song was released as a digital download on 6 December 2019.


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1986 songs 1986 singles 1991 singles 1995 singles ARIA Award-winning songs John Farnham songs Heart (band) songs Rebecca St. James songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Denmark Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Sweden 1980s ballads Pop ballads Rock ballads Songs with lyrics by Keith Reid Songs written by Andy Qunta Capitol Records singles CNR Music singles Song recordings produced by Richie Zito