Song Lyric Sunday – The Voice Within

Our friend Di from Pensitivity101 has provided the prompts this week for Song Lyric Sunday. They are Sounds, Talk, Voice and Words. I came across a beautiful song called ‘The Voice Within’ by Christina Aguilera. I hope you enjoy it.

The Song

“The Voice Within” is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for her fourth studio album, Stripped (2002). The song was written by Christina Aguilera and Glen Ballard, with production handled by Ballard. It is a piano-driven ballad talks about trusting oneself and one’s instincts. “The Voice Within” was released as the fifth and final single from Stripped on 5 June 2003. by RCA Records.

Upon its release, “The Voice Within” received mainly positive reviews from music critics, who called it an inspirational ballad and praised Aguilera’s strong vocals on the track. Some likened the song to works by Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. Commercially, “The Voice Within” achieved moderate success on charts worldwide, peaking within the top ten of charts in several countries including Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and it reached number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The song’s music video was directed by David LaChapelle, who previously directed the music videos for “Dirrty” (2002) and “Can’t Hold Us Down” (2003). It was filmed in black and white as a one shot. He explained to MTV News that the video’s concept, “There’s all kinds of connotations to the word ‘stripped.’ I wanted to strip it down to one take. Just her and this incredible voice. And really not have anything that is going to overshadow that. She’s trying to grow as an artist and along the way she’s taking all kinds of risks and a lot of times people let those things overshadow her ability and her talent. I wanted to bring it all back as a sort of bookend to this album”. The video begins with a close-up scene of Aguilera and zooms out to her wearing a slip and sitting in an abandoned prop room. In one continuous black and white shot, Aguilera walks through several rooms, exits the building, and finally lays on a light box. The video was filmed at a deserted theater in downtown Los Angeles. It was inspired by neorealist works. The video was nominated for three 2004 MTV Video Music Awards: Best Female Video, Viewer’s Choice, and Best Cinematography.

Courtesy of Fandom

The Lyrics

Young girl, don’t cry
I’ll be right here when your world starts to fall
Young girl, it’s alright
Your tears will dry, you’ll soon be free to fly

When you’re safe inside your room you tend to dream
Of a place where nothing’s harder than it seems
No one ever wants or bothers to explain
Of the heartache life can bring and what it means

When there’s no one else
Look inside yourself
Like your oldest friend
Just trust the voice within
Then you’ll find the strength
That will guide your way
You’ll learn to begin
To trust the voice within

Young girl, don’t hide
You’ll never change if you just run away
Young girl, just hold tight
And soon you’re gonna see your brighter day

Now in a world where innocence is quickly claimed
It’s so hard to stand your ground when you’re so afraid
No one reaches out a hand for you to hold
When you’re lost outside look inside to your soul

When there’s no one else
Look inside yourself
Like your oldest friend
Just trust the voice within
Then you’ll find the strength
That will guide your way
You will learn to begin
To trust the voice within

Yeah…
Life is a journey
It can take you anywhere you choose to go
As long as you’re learning
You’ll find all you’ll ever need to know (be strong)
You’ll break it (hold on)
You’ll make it (be strong)
Just don’t forsake it because
(No one can tell you what you can’t do)
No one can stop you, you know that I’m talking to you

When there’s no one else
Look inside yourself
And like your oldest friend
Just trust the voice within
Then you’ll find the strength
That will guide your way
You will learn to begin
To trust the voice within

Young girl don’t cry
I’ll be right here when your world starts to fall

Written by Christina Aguilera and Glen Ballard