During a television interview while she was involved with Timothy Dalton, Whoopi Goldberg said something that resonated with me about her attraction to him. She leaned forward and canted her head as she is wont to do and lifted her finger to her ear explaining that Dalton had the kind of voice that a woman wants to wake up to, “right here.”

Oh yeah, I nodded with complete understanding. Dalton definitely has THAT VOICE.

There is something about THAT VOICE. It isn’t a particular accent that curls my toes. It’s a tone, a deep-chested timbre to the low, male voice that is foreplay for my ears. I know I’m not the only one who feels that way about certain tones of voice. My husband has a thing for throaty female torch singers. He’ll say of his favorites that they “make my eardrums hard.” He says my voice is never sexier than when I’m so sick that my voice sounds like I have a three pack a day habit.

Oh, I’ve heard scientific reports on human attraction and sexuality talking about tone of voice and why it appeals. Yeah, yeah. The bottom line for me is that certain men just have a voice with depth and resonance that for lack of a better term “makes my eardrums hard.”

Matt LeBlanc turned it into high camp on the TV show Friends when his character Joey would affect a smoldering look, a rakish smile and intone, “How you doin’?” My husband is possessed of THAT VOICE which he rolls out for his own amusement and quotes the Joey line. Having THAT VOICE is like having a super power. One must never use it indiscriminately. With great power comes great responsibility.

I can think of a handful of actors and singers with THAT VOICE. Dalton, of course is one, as are Sam Elliott, Sean Bean, and Russell Crowe. In my mother’s day, it was Sir Richard Burton, Lee Marvin, and Telly Savalas. I will admit that I adore hearing their voices. As far as singers go, I’m partial to crooners. Dean Martin still makes me swoon. Simon LeBon’s performance of New Moon on Monday has been quite accurately referred to as “panty dropping.”  Jim Morrison had it, too. For a real treat, I love to listen to Duran Duran cover of The Doors’ Crystal Ship. I can’t decide who did it better, Morrison or LeBon. They both make my eardrums hard.

Whose voice does it for you? I’d love to know.