John Farnham slammed by No voters for gifting You’re The Voice to Indigenous Voice to Parliament Yes campaign

John Farnham is facing anger from bitter No voters for lending his iconic anthem You’re the Voice to the Yes campaign for the Voice to Parliament.

John Farnham is facing a wave of bitter backlash from No voters for lending his iconic anthem You’re the Voice to the Yes campaign for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Farnham has been accused of being a “sellout” after allowing his legendary ballad to be the soundtrack of a series of ads from The Uluru Dialogue, the organisation dedicated to advancing the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

However, Yes voters have expressed their pride at the iconic anthem being used in the campaign.

John Farnham has been slammed for lending his iconic 1986 anthem You’re the Voice to the Yes campaign. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images.

The first ad – a three minute package on TV and digital channels – was released on Sunday and pairs the rousing song with clips of major moments in Australian history, including the 1967 referendum and the marriage equality plebiscite.

Farnham has been ultra protective of You’re the Voice sinceits release in 1986. This is understood to be the first time the song has ever been allowed to be used in a commercial.

But the singer said he hopes gifting it to the Yes campaign can help “in some small way, to change the lives of our First Nations peoples for the better”.

But Farnham has been lashed for pinning the legendary tune to the referendum.

The move has caused fury even among his most loyal fans, so much so that the dedicated John Farnham Fan Club on Facebook has had to delete and close comments on the ad and the Voice referendum online.

John’s fan site now closing all comments - and removing existing ones- relating to use of the song. pic.twitter.com/pogOOGhR0M

— Peter Ford (@mrpford) September 4, 2023

Some fans on the page accused Farnham, who is recovering from cancer, of making a “desperate attempt … to remain relevant”.

“Have lost any respect I had for Farnham. Total cop out. This song used to mean a lot to Australians. Now I hate it. Regardless, it won’t sway me. Still voting NO!” one user wrote.

The onslaught continued on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, as fans and pundits said the singer and his team had made a “disaster” move to attach himself to the referendum.

“Farnham has made a terrible mistake in dividing up his fans and trashing this wonderful song’s legacy,” one user wrote.

You’re the Voice has long been the unofficial Australian national anthem, now it is the anthem of the Yes campaign in support of the Voice to Parliament. Picture: Supplied

Others dramatically declared they would boycott the singer’s music, some rebranding the singer as “Whispering Hack”.

Another unhappy fan said the 74-year-old singer was “dead to me”.

“How can you sell out the very people you represented,” they wrote.

“I’ll never listen to your music again, no doubt it’ll be flogged to death over the coming weeks, then never to be heard again.”

“If only entertainers stayed in their lane and stuck to entertaining rather than politics,” someone else wrote.

Farnham is the latest in a string of Australian musicians to lend their support and talents to the Yes campaign for the Voice to Parliament.

Former Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes posted to social media saying he would vote Yes in the referendum, while singer-songwriter Paul Kelly released a new single called If Not Now to advocate for the Voice.

Singer-songwriter Paul Kelly wrote a new song for the Voice. Picture: Arsineh Houspian.

Jimmy Barnes has also backed the Voice to Parliament. Picture: SoCo Studios

Despite accusations Farnham released the song in a bid to make a profit, entertainment reporter Peter Ford says Farnham likely will not profit from releasing his song to the Yes campaign.

“John’s not getting any money out of this whatsoever, so put that to one side,” Ford told Channel 7’s Morning Show on Monday.

He said the priority of the Uluru Dialogue was to get permission from the songwriter, performer, and record label, Sony BMG, to use the recording of the song, which they did in a deal that was “organised a long time ago when it (the Voice) didn’t seem like it was going to be a very controversial decision”.

“For 50 years John has avoided doing anything controversial, expressing opinions that will upset anybody and now here we are,” Ford said.

“I understand … John was approached about this a long time ago, and at the time the issue (of the Voice) was not in any way divisive and certainly the pollings showed it was almost a shoe in to get up and over the course of time it’s now all changed.”

But seemingly as much negative sentiment as there was for the ad, there were many Australians who voiced strong feelings in favour of the video and Farnham for “gifting his Voice to the Voice” – as comedian Magda Szubanski wrote on social media.

“The feelings of pride that you have just felt when you watched the Voice promotion with John Farnham’s Voice are the reason you should vote yes for the Voice,” former independent MP Tony Windsor wrote on social media.

Media commentator Jane Caro wrote she hoped the Yes campaign still had some ammunition and was “marshalling their forces” and thanked Farnham for joining the campaign.

“I am feeling much more hopeful about the referendum being passed than I was,” she wrote.

“Thank you John Farnham. You are the Voice.”

The feelings of pride that you have just felt when you watched the VOICE promotion with John Farnham’s VOICE are the reason you should vote YES for the VOICE.

— Tony Windsor (@TonyHWindsor) September 3, 2023

I thought (hoped) the YES campaign were keeping their powder dry & marshalling their forces. It seems they were. I am feeling much more hopeful about the referendum being passed than I was. Thank you John Farnham. You are the Voice.

— Jane Caro (@JaneCaro) September 2, 2023

Voice advocate Megan Davis wrote she was “proud of this collaboration with Mr Farnham”.

“This time, we know we all can stand together,” she wrote.

“We issued the Uluṟu invitation to Aussies because Australian politics has never delivered for First Nations communities. This is not about politicians or ideology. It’s about Voice.”

Really proud of this collaboration with Mr Farnham: This time, we know we all can stand together. We issued the Uluṟu invitation to Aussies because Australian politics has never delivered for First Nations communities. This is not about politicians or ideology. It’s about Voice. pic.twitter.com/ALwtyIV3qe

— Professor Dr Megan Davis (@mdavisqlder) September 3, 2023

Tim Wheatley, a close friend of Farnham and the his former manager Glenn Wheatley, said the singer’s team had “fiercely protected this song’s use for decades, I think for this very moment”.

“You’re the Voice is not aligned with any political party. It is aligned with humanity. It’s a song for all Australians. Always has been, always will be,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

“Win or lose this referendum, this song will for ever remain on the right side of history.”