After anti-lockdown protesters belted out an impromptu rendition of John Farnham‘s “You’re The Voice” in Melbourne on Sunday, Johnnyboy’s manager has come out and said: please don’t.
Protesters started singing the boomer anthem after midday outside Chadstone Coles. It’s a song with the kind of vaguely inspirational, authority-resisting vibes that can be easily coopted to almost any movement, no matter how ridiculous.
Now Farnham’s manager wants them all to stop, and for the song to be saved only for weirdly emotional displays of Aussie patriotism instead.
Coles Chadstone has become the target of today’s anti-lockdown protest. A few dozen here singing John Farnham @Joe_Hildebrand pic.twitter.com/iWpVVx92dZ
— Aneeka Simonis (@AneekaSimonis) September 20, 2020
“I’m personally concerned people will hear the song and think John Farnham is personally endorsing these protests, and in this case it’s not right,” Glenn Wheatley told The Age.
“It’s something that John and I do not condone, the use of that song, particularly in a time in Melbourne where we are in stage four lockdown.
“Really, the last thing we should be doing is protesting, no one should be hitting the streets en masse, endangering people’s lives and livelihoods.”
You heard the man: John Farnham is NOT on board the anti-lockdown boat, and thank god for that.
Lockdown protest at Chadstone, few dozen people gather to sing Farnham and the disperse @theage All took less than 5 mins pic.twitter.com/4qYjXkhmUe
— Chris Vedelago (@ChrisVedelago) September 20, 2020
While the song’s chorus does include lines like “we’re not gonna sit in silence, we’re not gonna live with fear,” it’s also a patriotic boomer banger that’s targeted more at bootlickers than conspiracy theorists.
“It was not meant to be a protest song, it was meant to be used as an inspirational song for nations and for people, not in a situation of what was an illegal protest,” Wheatley went on.
“I want to reiterate, we support people’s right to protest, but there’s circumstances where the protest can be done, and taking to the streets of Melbourne today is not it.”
So yeah, the song sucks and so to the anti-lockdown protesters who think it slaps, but actually, Farnham’s manager seems pretty cool and level-headed.
Maybe he’s worth listening to. Stay home.
