John Farnham’s You’re The Voice gets powerful Aboriginal makeover
A John Farnham classic has been released by indigenous star Mitch Tambo in his native language, Gamilaraay. Watch the performance.
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Indigenous singer Mitch Tambo has released an Aboriginal version of Australia’s unofficial national anthem, John Farnham’s You’re The Voice.
Tambo, who lives in Melbourne, recorded the classic track in his native Gamilaraay language.
“You’re the Voice’ is one of the greatest Australian songs ever written. The lyrics are about being a voice for change which really resonated with me as I too would like to be a voice for change – a voice for inclusion, love, hope and acceptance,” Tambo said.
“There’s no better way to do that than through song. I wanted to put my own spin on the track by singing it in the beautiful language of my people and show that music itself is a universal language.”
Tambo debuted his version of You’re The Voice when he competed on Channel 7’s Australia’s Got Talent earlier this year. But it was officially released as a single today.
Tambo is also in the mix of singers vying to represent Australia at Eurovision in 2020.
Farnham’s You’re The Voice, released in 1987, still stands as the highest selling Australian album in our chart history. It’s certified 24 times platinum, marking 1.7 million sales.
Famously, Farnham’s manager Glenn Wheatley had to mortgage his house to get the $150,000 to fund Whispering Jack, the album which has You’re The Voice on it.
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After Farnham recorded You’re The Voice with producer Ross Fraser, Wheatley and wife Gaynor arrived with a bottle of champagne, keen to hear the track and celebrate.
“Farnham looked at me and said ‘You don’t like it, do you?’,” Wheatley recalled.
“I told him there was just something special about the demo. He just went ‘OK, turn the lights out’ and went out into the studio and sang that vocal that gave me chills. That’s what I’d missed.”