Beethoven once stated: “Music can change the world.”
Once in awhile you hear a song that hits so deeply, it can make you feel…it can make you re-evaluate…it can make you change. Nashville Hall of Fame songwriter, Jeffrey Steele, has made a career of penning songs that do just those things, songs like “My Wish” and “What Hurts the Most” for Rascal Flatts, “The Cowboy in Me” for Tim McGraw, and more recently the Democrat- slamming smash hit by Aaron Lewis “Am I the Only One?” which went to #1 on the Billboard charts without any mainstream radio play. His words have found their way to songs for artists like Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Eric Church, Miley Cyrus, Trace Adkins among so many others.
But now, with the release of A Voice Steele is using his own voice to deliver a powerful message for those who feel unheard and underrepresented in the face of the powers that be. From farmers, to front line nurses, soldiers and cops, and perhaps most importantly, children, Steele explores the concept of what does having a voice look like these days, and in so many cases, what does it look like to not have a voice?
The chorus is one of those melodies that singers and songwriters hear and shake their heads, wishing they had come up with it. It draws you in, lifts you up, and doesn’t let you forget it. It takes you to a place where, when you hear it, you know that there are people that need help and that’s exactly the takeaway Steele wants for the song. He told Breitbart News, “I hope every time someone hears it, they’ll be inclined to help someone, be the microphone and help someone find a voice…say what others might be afraid to say.”
Which brings us to one of the most powerfully delivered lines in the song: “The Charlie Kirk choir all lightin’ our lighters.” Steele wrote A Voice with fellow Nashville hitmakers Chris Wallin and Colin Raye and in the original version that line was “We’re the teenage wasteland lighting our lighter,” but then Steele ventured into the town square in Franklin, Tennessee to attend one of many nationwide vigils for Charlie. Steele described the scene, “thousands of people gathered and the crowd kept growing. They were praying and singing. Nobody could hear the speakers. As a songwriter, I write what I see and what I saw was a Charlie Kirk choir and it wasn’t about politics, it was about God and Prayer and love….and togetherness and that feeling needed to be represented in the song.” So, Steele called up Wallin and after discussing the Franklin vigil, they decided to change the lyric. “Charlie gave the microphone to everyone including those who hated and disagreed with him, and ultimately this song is about free speech,” Steele said.
The music video for A Voice juxtaposes a powerhouse performance from Steele with stirring portraits of Americans from all walks of life, including a young man who was told he’d never walk again after a car accident but is now walking, an older woman with Parkinson’s disease, a Gold Star mom, and a soldier tragically disfigured in battle….profiles in courage in a world that is overwhelmed with politics and often overlooks the heroes we see every day.
Courtesy of 3 Ring Circus
Courtesy of 3 Ring Circus
As Steele puts it, “we’ve been split into left and right, we need to remember that the only two sides are up and down.”
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A VOICE – Lyrics
I’m the Soldier, I fought and died for you
Gave up my Life
To give you the Right,
to live the life you choose
I’m the Farmer, out here dying on the Vine
Trying to feed your Family,
barely feeding mine
I swear to God sometimes
I wish I had a Voice
I would raise it now
For all the silent ones,
no one seems to care about
Speak for all of us,
Crank the volume up,
and let the simple truth cut through the noise
I wish I had a voice
I’m the Hero Front Line Nurse,
I give it all I got
They praised me till the day I spoke my mind
and lost my job
Third generation Cop,
proud to wear this Badge
But it’s hard to put bad guys away, with my Hands behind my Back
Wonder what my Dad would think of that
I wish I had a Voice
I would raise it now
For all the silent ones,
no one seems to care about
Speak for all of us,
Crank the volume up,
and let the simple truth cut through the noise
I wish I had a voice
I’m the Trucker, they’re phasing out
She’s a housewife, but you can’t say that now
I’m a laid off Factory Worker who’s Factory’s China bound
We’re the Coal Miners, Firefighters,
The Charlie Kirk choir all lightin’ our lighters,
Finally waking up, we had enough, of the Liars setting the World on fire
We’re the Children, crying out for help,
a million miles away from home who can’t speak for ourselves.
Will you be our Voice
Will you raise it now
For all the silent Ones,
no one seems to care about
Speak for all of us, crank the volume up, and let the simple truth cut through the noise
Will you be
Yes I’ll be
I will be your voice
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