You're the Voice

"You're the Voice"
Single by John Farnham
from the album Whispering Jack
B-side	"Going, Going, Gone"
Released	15 September 1986[1]
Format	7-inch single 12-inch single CD single
Recorded	1985–1986
Genre	Rock pop rock
Length	5:04
Label	Wheatley
Songwriter(s)	Andy Qunta Keith Reid Maggie Ryder Chris Thompson
Producer(s)	Ross Fraser
John Farnham singles chronology
"Love (It's Just the Way It Goes)" (1985) "You're the Voice" (1986) "Pressure Down" (1986)
Audio sample
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"You're the Voice" is a song written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson, and recorded by the Australian singer John Farnham for his album Whispering Jack, released in 1986.^[2][3] "You're the Voice" was one of the biggest hits of 1986 in Australia, topping the Kent Music Report singles chart for seven weeks from 3 November to 21 December.^[4] The song was also awarded the 1987 ARIA Award for "Single of the Year".

"You're the Voice" would re-enter the Australian singles chart more than 25 years after its original release (reaching No. 64), thanks to its appearance (to advertise the company's SYNC voice control system) in a 2012 Ford TV commercial.^[5]

The power ballad^[6] 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 US, 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 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 probably best known for a charting version issued in 1991 by the band Heart.

Chart history

Uses in popular culture

The song has been featured in numerous TV and film productions, including the film Hot Rod, the BBC series Merlin, the film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa and comedian Peter Kay's Car Share.^[19]

Heart version

As a lead promotion for their first live album Rock the House Live! in 1991, US rock band Heart released their live version of "You're the Voice" as a single. It was captured during the US leg of their Brigade world tour in November 1990. The single performed moderately well, reaching No. 20 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. In the UK, the single was a minor hit, reaching No. 56.

It was released in multiple limited edition formats in different territories, with the UK boasting the highest number of these:

1. 7" etched one-sided single
2. 7" red vinyl single
3. 10" red vinyl single
4. 12" etched one-sided single
5. CD single

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 the greatest hits package, Greatest Hits: 1985–1995.

Chart performance

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Canadian Singles Chart[20]	65
UK Singles Chart[21]	56
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart[22]	20

"You're the Voice"
Single by Alan Parsons
B-side	"White Dawn"
Released	1995 (1995)
Format	CD single
Recorded	February 1995
Studio	Parsonics, Santa Barbara, California
Genre	Rock pop
Length	4:14 (radio edit)
Label	CNR Music
Songwriter(s)	Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder, Chris Thompson
Producer(s)	Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons singles chronology
"Luciferama (live)" (1994[23]) "You're the Voice" (1995) "Brother up in Heaven" (1996[24])

World Liberty Concert

"You're the Voice" was performed at the World Liberty Concert in 1995 by Alan Parsons Band, Chris Thompson, and Metropole Orkest. The only official release associated with the concert, the single featured a studio recording of the song, rather than the live version.

The B-side was a live recording of "White Dawn", which was performed by the Metropole Orkest and Gelders Opera and Operetta Gezelschap (GOOG) choir. The song was arranged by Andrew Powell and conducted by Dick Bakker.^[25] During the performance of "White Dawn", a battle was simulated that included gunfire, which can be heard around the middle of the recording.

The radio edit of the "You're the Voice" single was also featured on Alan Parsons: The Very Best Live (1995).^[26]

Other cover versions

• In 1987, behind the Iron Curtain, Estonian chanteuse (and Bonnie Tyler lookalike), Marju Länik, covered it as - Terassüdamega mees - which translates loosely to Steel-hearted man.^[27]
• In 1989, Scottish singer Barbara Dickson covered it on her album Coming Alive Again.
• In 1990, David Foster included a cover on his album River of Love with Jeff Pescetto on vocals.
• The music for song "Mera Dil Tere Liye" composed by Nadeem-Shravan from the 1990 bollywood film Aashiqui is inspired from this song.^[28]
• In 1993, Lavrentis Machairitsas covered the song with Greek lyrics on his album Rixe Kokkino Sti Nihta. The song was later performed as a mash-up of the original and the cover version in the first season of The Voice of Greece.^[29]
• In 1995, Alan Parsons included a live recording on his album "The Very Best Live," sung by co-author Chris Thompson.
• In 1996, Christian singer Rebecca St. James covered it on her album God.
• In 2004, British vocal group G4 covered it on their album G4 & Friends.
• A happy hardcore bootleg remix of the song was released by DJ Impact in 2006.^[30]
• In 2010, power metal band Blind Guardian covered the song for inclusion on their album At the Edge of Time.
• In 2012, British heavy metal band I Am I released a cover as a single. An audio sample can be heard on their official website.^[31]
• In 2013, Welsh rock band Attack! Attack! covered the song on their third album "Long Road To Nowhere".
• In 2013, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange performed a spoof of the video wearing a platinum mullet wig in Juice Rap News episode 20 as part of his Australian Senate election campaign.^[32] The spoof was subsequently taken down due to a copyright claim by Fable Music Pty Ltd.^[33]
• In 2016, Jørn Lande recorded a cover for his Heavy Rock Radio covers album.
• In 2018, Céline Dion performed a cover during her Australian concerts. Farnham joined Dion on stage in one of the Melbourne concerts.

Sampling

A UK hardcore track released by Waxman in 1996 sampled "You're The Voice".

References

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics