John Farnham’s ‘You’re The Voice’ Gains Attention in Kamala Harris Support Video
John Farnham‘s classic Australian anthem “You’re The Voice” has become the centerpiece of a viral video supporting Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.
The stirring track, which has been a staple of Australian culture since its release in 1986, is now resonating with American voters as Harris steps into the spotlight as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
While Harris’s official campaign released its first video on July 25 featuring Beyoncé’s 2016 song “Freedom,” it’s the unofficial clip set to Farnham’s inspirational anthem that has social media talking.
The video, created by the social media user @politicsusa46, has garnered over 140,000 views at the time of writing. It begins with a montage of Donald Trump’s most controversial moments before transitioning to uplifting footage of Harris, accompanied by Farnham’s powerful vocals.
Australians quickly took to the comments of the video. “As an Aussie, it’s brilliant to see John Farnham and ‘You’re the Voice’ being used in Kamala’s ads. Fits perfectly,” one person wrote on X, while another added, “Wow! This song is practically our second national anthem Down Under.”
This isn’t the first time “You’re the Voice” has been used in a political context.
The song was notably used to advocate for the “Yes” campaign in the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, with Farnham’s full support. However, it was also unofficially played at anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne, Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic, a use that Farnham’s manager publicly condemned.
Meanwhile, the singer has kept a low profile following his cancer diagnosis in 2022, during which he underwent an 11-and-a-half-hour surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his mouth. The procedure was followed by eight weeks of radiation therapy.
One year after the marathon surgery, Farnham received the all-clear from his doctors and described himself as “the luckiest man alive.” “I’m home now, and I’m a very grateful and happy man,” he shared. In March 2023, the singer was hospitalized again for treatment of a respiratory infection, from which he recovered two months later.
John Farnham’s “You’re The Voice” was an international hit upon its release in 1986.
It reached No. 1 in Australia and performed well across Europe, including No. 6 in the U.K., No. 3 in Ireland, No. 1 in Sweden, No. 6 in Switzerland, No. 4 in Austria, No. 9 in Denmark, and No. 10 in West Germany.
It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on Feb. 10, 1990, peaking at No. 82 on March 3, 1990, and spending eight weeks on the chart. The song also reached No. 13 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Heart’s 1991 cover version of the track reached No. 20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Jessica Lynch
Billboard
