Whispering Jack

Few albums have revitalised an artist’s career like <i>Whispering Jack</i>. Almost 20 years on from his 1967 novelty hit, “Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)”, and fresh off a commercially moderate stint fronting the Little River Band, so out of favour was <b>John Farnham</b> in the mid-’80s that he couldn’t get a record deal. Producer and artist manager Glenn Wheatley still believed in him, remortgaging his family home in Melbourne to finance the sessions that would produce <i>Whispering Jack</i>—the album that reinvented Farnham as a contemporary adult pop star. Much of the success stemmed from <b>“You’re the Voice”</b>, a song co-written by British musician Chris Thompson in the wake of a nuclear disarmament rally in the UK in 1985. Complete with anthemic chorus and stirring bagpipe solo, the song’s political roots have resonated throughout the years, with the “Yes” campaign adopting it as its anthem in 2023’s Australian Indigenous Voice referendum. The song’s success laid the groundwork for follow-up hits such as <b>“Pressure Down”</b> (initially intended as the first single before “You’re the Voice” came across Farnham’s desk at the 11th hour) and the ballad <b>“A Touch of Paradise”</b>, originally released by Mondo Rock in 1982. By the time <i>Whispering Jack</i> had spent 25 weeks at No. 1 in Australia, John Farnham’s rebirth was complete.