John Farnham cops abusive spray from long-time fans over use of iconic anthem in Voice to Parliament campaign

Some of John Farnham’s fiercely loyal fans have been left fuming after his hit song You’re The Voice was used in the Indigenous Voice’s Yes campaign ad.

Dozens of people messaged talkback radio host Ben Fordham to vent their frustration with the song choice, with many saying the song shouldn’t be used for political purposes.

2GB’s entertainment editor Peter Ford added there was “nasty blowback” over the song’s use on Twitter, which he said would be confronting for the generally apolitical Farnham.

Ford posted a screenshot of Farnham’s Facebook fan page to his Twitter account, which shows several users making vitriolic comments about the Australian singer’s use of the song.

“Very disappointed in John lending his name to the Yes side, have you looked up other people in the Yes camp like Thomas Mayo look at his website a self-confessed commie and race hater do you really want to align yourself with these types okay you have your opinion keep it to yourself John,” said one user.

Another user lamented that it was “ironic” the Australian rock icon didn’t want the track to be used by the “freedom movement opposing lockdowns”.

The song was used by anti-lockdown protesters during the COVID-19 pandemic and became a common theme at rallies, which Farnham’s manager said was “offensive” to the singer.

The abusive comments eventually led to the Facebook page’s admin having to shut the comments section down and removing all comments related to the Voice referendum.

“This page is for celebrating John and his music. It is not the appropriate forum for comments relating to The Voice Referendum, therefore all comments will be removed,” the post read.

Brand expert Lucy Cochran told the ABC the song choice might be “confronting” for Baby Boomers and Gen X who were planning on voting no.

“If they are in the no camp, and they love this song … it would create this cognitive dissonance within them,” she told ABC Radio on Monday morning.

“I think for the rusted on no people, it won’t work, and it might make them frustrated and feel quite negatively.”

Farnham gifted the iconic anthem to the campaign, according to a statement from his managers, and is receiving no money for its use.

Despite Farnham’s claims to the contrary, the song has been used in dozens of ads, including an Australian Electoral Commission ad in 2001 and a Ford ad in 2021.

Close friend Tim Wheatley – the son of Farnham’s long-time manager Glenn Wheatley – said the tune wasn’t “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.

“Win or lose this referendum, this song will forever remain on the right side of history. Both John and my father have fiercely protected this song’s use for decades, I think for this very moment.”

“This song changed my life. I can only hope that now it might help, in some small way, to change the lives of our First Nations Peoples for the better,” Farnham said in a statement, after announcing last week he was cancer-free.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton took a dig at the Yes campaign’s choice of tune while on Sky News Australia’s Sunday Agenda program.

“In a sense, it’s the appropriate theme song for the Yes campaign, because remember that the key line in the lyrics there is, you know, ‘you’re the voice, try to understand it’,” he told Sky News on Sunday.

“I honestly don’t think most Australians understand it. And they want to be informed.”