‘Voices Carry’ is a song by the American rock band 'Til Tuesday. It was produced by Mike Thorne for the band's debut studio album, Voices Carry (1985). The accompanying music video, directed by D.J. Webster, received wide exposure on MTV and positive reactions from critics. It was nominated for numerous awards and is thought to be the reason behind the song's success. It was released in North America in March 1985. ‘Voices Carry’ became the band's highest-charting single and their only top ten hit in the U.S., peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally it reached the top twenty in Canada and Australia.
There is some debate over the subject of the inspiration for the song. One claim says that an argument between Michael Hausman and bandmate/former girlfriend Aimee Mann inspired the song's lyrics, but producer Mike Thorne disputes this and states the lyrics originally had Mann singing to another woman and that the gender was changed due to pressure from Epic Records. Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen claims that the song was inspired by a brief relationship he had with Mann while living in Boston.
Live versions of the song recorded in 1984 exist and are gender swapped compared to the studio version. While the music is nearly identical, the lyrics in the 1984 versions differ significantly from the 1985 studio version. While the gender swapping of the original version might seem to support the assertion that the original had Mann singing to another woman, Mann later stated that she wrote the song about a female acquaintance, and wrote the song from a male's point of view. Mann also stated that the rewritten verse in the studio version that begins with "He wants me but only part of the time" was based "on something I was going through with a relationship at the time."
‘Voices Carry’ was released in the United States in March 1985. It first appeared on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number four, the next week it debuted at number eighty-one on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached a peak position of number eight in its fourteenth week, and stayed twenty-one weeks on the chart, becoming the band's first and only top ten single in the United States. The success of the single helped their debut album reach the top twenty on the Billboard 200 chart, and pushed it past the gold mark. In Canada, the single entered the RPM singles chart in June 1985 at number ninety-four, peaked at number fifteen for two weeks in August 1985, stayed twenty-two weeks in total, and was certified gold. In Australia, ‘Voices Carry’ entered the charts on June 17, 1985; it peaked at number fifteen, and spent fourteen weeks on the chart.
Label – Epic
Songwriters – Robert Holmes, Aimee Mann, Michael Hausman, Joey Pesce
Producer – Mike Thorne
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]I'm in the dark, I'd like to read his mind
But I'm frightened of the things I might find
There must be something he's thinking of to tear him away
When I tell him that I'm falling in love, why does he say
[Chorus]
Hush hush, keep it down now
Voices carry
Hush hush, keep it down now
Voices carry
[Verse 2]
I try so hard not to get upset
Because I know all the trouble I'll get
Oh, he tells me tears are something to hide and something to fear
And I try so hard to keep it inside so no one can hear
[Chorus]
Hush hush, keep it down now
Voices carry
Hush hush, keep it down now
Voices carry
Hush hush, keep it down now
Voices carry
[Bridge]
Oh, he wants me
But only part of the time
He wants me
If he can keep me in line
[Chorus]
Hush hush, keep it down now
Voices carry
Hush hush, keep it down now
Voices carry
[Outro]
Oh, hush hush, shut up now
Voices carry
Oh, hush hush, keep it down now
Voices carry
Oh, hush hush, darling, she might overhear
Voices carry
Oh no
Voices carry
Hush hush, he said shut up, he said shut up
Voices carry
Oh God can't you keep it down?
Voices carry
Hush hush
Voices carry
I wish he would let me talk