You’re the Voice

You’re the Voice is a powerful protest song written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Chris Thompson and Maggie Ryder, and recorded by the very popular Australian singer John Farnham for his album Whispering Jack in 1986.

The song was one of the biggest hits of 1986 in Australia, topping the singles chart for seven weeks. In 1987 it was awarded the ARIA Award for “Single of the Year”. It was 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.

The song’s main message is an empowering one, encouraging people everywhere to take a stand against corruption and to make their voices heard. To wake up to your own power. It can also be described it as an anti-war song, since it was released in the mid-80s, during the height of the Cold War.

Farnham’s version of You’re the Voice contains one of the most famous bagpipe solos ever recorded. It was played by a group of four pipers. If you have a bagpipe soloist/s available, tacet the choir in the bagpipe section (from measure 59) to get the full effect!

The SATB arrangement provides scope for a massed choir situation: have a children’s choir sing the Soprano or Soprano and Alto parts in the section beginning at measure 84, with the semi chorus being a group of 3 or more strong singers, ensuring an appropriate balance between the solo, semi-chorus and full choir.