The Voice Within

"The Voice Within"
Song

"The Voice Within" is the fifth and final single from Christina Aguilera's second album, Stripped. Released in 2003, the single peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Aguilera's 11th Top 40 hit. The single also peaked at #9 in the UK and #8 in Australia. The single is most known for its simplistic, but critically acclaimed music video that was filmed only in black and white and only with one camera shot. The video was nominated for three 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, Best Female Video, Viewer's Choice, and Best Cinematography.

Song information

"The Voice Within" was written by both Aguilera and Glen Ballard, and was produced by the latter. The album version of song extends the song about 5 seconds and blends it with the next track, "I'm OK".

Aguilera did not want "The Voice Within" to be released as the 5th single. She was lobbying for "Impossible", a track from Stripped, which was produced by Alicia Keys, as she felt it would help her break into the urban market. RCA records wanted to release a big ballad during the holiday season like they did the year prior with "Beautiful" and felt that 'The Voice Within' was the perfect candidate. Eventually, Aguilera's label made the final decision and the idea of 'Impossible' being the final single was scrapped.

It was performed on the third season of Australian Idol during "Contestant's Choice" week (Top 9) by Roxane LeBrasse. Despite receiving good reviews from the judges, LeBrasse was eliminated the next night.

The song was performed later by American Idol 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee during 'Songs from the 21st Century' week (Top 10). During this performance, judge Simon Cowell compared McPhee's abilities to that of Aguilera's, saying the former's performance was almost as good as the original singer. He then said it was mediocre during the result show the night after, where McPhee landed in the bottom two.

Music video

File:Christina thevoicewithin.jpg

Aguilera sitting on a box in the black-and-white music video.

The song's music video was directed by David LaChapelle. It opens with a close-up 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, California. It is inspired by neorealist works.

"The Voice Within'" was the eleventh video for Aguilera to appear on TRL. The video hit number one twice and spent thirty-seven days on the countdown.

Track listing

CD Maxi-single

1. "The Voice Within" [Album Version] — 5:04
2. "The Voice Within" [Radio Edit] — 4:15
3. "Beautiful" [Fug Remix] — 5:47
4. "Can't Hold Us Down" [Da Yard Riddim Mix] — 4:16

Official remixes

• Almighty Remix — 8:01 [a.k.a. Almighty Definitive Mix & Almighty 12" Club Mix]
• Almighty PA — 8:01
• Almighty Dub — 7:57
• Almighty Radio [Edit 1] — 3:31
• Almighty Radio [Edit 2] — 4:01
• Almighty Mix Show

Chart performance

Charts (2003)	Peak position
United World Chart	7
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	8
Austrian Singles Chart	7
Belgium Singles Chart	14
Brazilian Singles Chart	25
Canadian Singles Chart	10
Dutch Singles Chart	6
Euro 200 Singles & Tracks	13
German Singles Chart	13
Hungarian Singles Chart	10
Irish Singles Chart	4
Italian Singles Chart	19
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart	16
Norway Singles Chart	13
Philippine Top Hits	2
Swedish Singles Chart	10
Swiss Singles Chart	3
UK Singles Chart	9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	33
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	11

External links

The Voice Within Video at YouTube The Voice Within Lyrics