John Farnham’s “You’re The Voice” is marking 40 years as one of Australia’s most recognisable songs, with the power ballad having grown from an unlikely album addition into an unofficial national anthem.
Released in 1986 on Farnham’s 10-track album Whispering Jack, the song helped revive the singer’s career and went on to top the Australian charts for seven weeks. It also reached number one in Germany and the top five in Ireland, while making the top six in the UK, Austria and Canada.
Its success was far from guaranteed. Co-writer Chris Thompson, a singer and guitarist with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, initially did not want Farnham to record the song, believing the former teen idol was “a joke” in Australia after hits including “Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)”.
Farnham and his manager Glenn Wheatley were nevertheless determined to establish him as a serious solo artist. By the time the album was being completed, the team had nine tracks and needed one more.
David Hirschfelder, then a 26-year-old musician who had worked with Farnham in the Little River Band, said the song stood out when it arrived among hundreds of cassette recordings sent to Wheatley.
“We already had nine songs, we were one song short, and we were considering writing one and then this one turned up,” Hirschfelder said.
“We had no idea how huge it would be. I mean, we all liked the song. It really leapt out at us as something very powerful, but you just never know with these things. You can’t predict a hit.”
The track acquired its distinctive sound during recording, when Farnham suggested adding bagpipes after panpipes, whistles and ocarinas had failed to work.
“John said, ‘Well, we’ve tried all those pipes. What about bagpipes?’ Ross and I looked at each other, ‘Bagpipes, that’s crazy’,” Hirschfelder recalled.
Hirschfelder and bagpipe expert Ross Campbell adapted the arrangement, shifting the song into another chord. The change, he said, made the whole track lift, while the bagpipes became one of its defining features.
The song, inspired by a 1985 anti-nuclear disarmament protest in London’s Hyde Park, was chosen as the album’s lead single. Although some rock radio figures initially regarded Farnham as unsuitable for their stations, it soon crossed into the mainstream.
“It’s become a classic now, and of course, we never ever dreamt of that,” Hirschfelder said.
As the record climbed the charts, Farnham’s band found audiences queuing around the blocks at suburban pubs. Hirschfelder said promoters were stunned that large crowds were turning up at small venues, before the group went on to tour overseas, where the reception included screaming fans in Sweden.
Music journalist Ian McFarlane said Farnham had been viewed by many as a former teen pop idol whose career had stalled after his time with the Little River Band. “Whispering Jack” changed that perception, pairing his powerful voice with the polished production of 1980s rock.
McFarlane said the song’s drum machines, Fairlight synthesiser, forceful beats and Celtic rock influence helped it capture the era, while the bagpipe solo gave it an unusual edge.
“It’s such an ear-catching chorus, and that’s the thing, everyone loves singing it at the top of their voice because John Farnham sings the hell out of it,” he said.
Annabelle Herd, chief executive of the Australian Recording Industry Association, said the song’s enduring appeal lay in its message of people standing up for what they believe in and coming together to create change.
“It makes you feel emotion every time you hear it, and you hear it a lot because it’s performed a lot. It’s very special,” she said.
“You’re The Voice” also helped Farnham dominate the first ARIA Awards, where Herd said he “pretty much won every ARIA that was going”. Four decades on, the song continues to be sung by new generations in cars, pubs and backyards across Australia.
