Marianne Faithfull

About

From Wikipedia:

Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single “As Tears Go By” and became one of the lead female artists during the British Invasion in the United States.

Born in Hampstead, London, Faithfull began her career in 1964 after attending a party for Rolling Stones, where she was discovered by Andrew Loog Oldham. Her debut album Marianne Faithfull (1965, released simultaneously with her album Come My Way), was a commercial success followed by a number of albums on Decca Records. From 1966 to 1970, she had a highly publicised romantic relationship with Mick Jagger. Her popularity was enhanced by her film roles, such as those in I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname (1967), The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) and Hamlet (1969). However, her popularity was overshadowed by personal problems in the 1970s. During this time, she was anorexic, homeless and addicted to heroin.

Noted for her distinctive voice, Faithfull’s previously melodic and higher-registered vocals (prevalent throughout her career in the 1960s) were affected by severe laryngitis, coupled with persistent drug abuse during the 1970s. This permanently altered her voice, leaving it raspy, cracked and lower in pitch. This new sound was praised as “whisky soaked” by some critics and seen as having helped to capture the raw emotions expressed in Faithfull’s music.

After a long commercial absence, Faithfull made a comeback with the 1979 release of her critically acclaimed album Broken English. The album was a commercial success and marked a resurgence of her musical career. Broken English earned Faithfull a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and is often regarded as her “definitive recording”. She followed this with a series of albums, including Dangerous Acquaintances (1981), A Child’s Adventure (1983) and Strange Weather (1987). Faithfull wrote three books about her life: Faithfull: An Autobiography (1994), Memories, Dreams & Reflections (2007) and Marianne Faithfull: A Life on Record (2014).

Faithfull received the World Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Women’s World Awards, and she was made a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France.

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The first time Marianne Faithful and Paul McCartney met was in March 1964 for the launch party of Adrienne Posta’s single “Shang A Doo Lang.”

In March 1964, Marianne Faithful and artist John Dunbar met with

In May 1965, Marianne Faithful married artist John Dunbar, with Peter Asher as the best man. Through those connections, she met with Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones and others and was part of the Swinging London scene.

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John [Dunbar] introduced me to all his friends. He seemed to know everybody you would ever want to meet in London. After all, he was great friends with Peter Asher (of the pop group Peter and Gordon). They had just had a hit with “A World Without Love.” Very shortly after I met John, Peter Asher put the money up for Indica, the art gallery and bookstore John ran together with Barry Miles. At the time, Paul McCartney was living with Peter’s parents — in Dr. and Mrs. Asher’s big house in Wimpole Street. A beautiful old Barretts of Wimpole Street house. Mrs. Asher had signs on all the doors reading “Jane’s Room,” “Peter’s Room,” “Paul’s Room.” I thought they were very odd; I’d never seen anything like it. Family life, you see.

Paul lived there for a long time. Paul was very young then, very friendly and open and very good-looking, very sure of himself, hip. The threads of a dozen little scenes were invisibly twining together.

All these people — gallery owners, photographers, pop stars, aristos and assorted talented layabouts — more or less invented the scene in London, so I guess I was present at the Creation.

Marianne Faithfull – From “Faithfull: An Autobiography“, 2000

Visits to Paul [McCartney] and Jane Asher weren’t quite as relaxed. They were a bit uptight, and there were constant little frictions, but that’s what happens when couples start to come apart. In any case, I was in a very different position from the one that Jane found herself in. I’d done what Paul wanted Jane to do, and given up my career. I wasn’t going on tour with the Old Vic; I wasn’t taking any more movie roles and very few parts in plays. Jane was a serious actress and wanted to continue her career, but Paul had other ideas. That’s why Linda was so perfect for Paul; she was just what he wanted, an old-fashioned Liverpool wife who was devoted to her husband. Whatever we thought of Linda – and she didn’t make that great an impression on me – I think it was a credit to Paul that he didn’t marry a model. Because that’s what all the others have ended up doing, they’ve married these models. And they have children who also become models.

Marianna Faithfull – From As years go by | Books | The Guardian, October 7, 2007

I love watching people living their domestic life and seeing how that goes. I always thought Jane and Paul were very tense. I do remember very clearly an evening at Cavendish Avenue where she wanted the window shut and he wanted the window open. That was really like Joe Orton play. It was f***ing great. I sat there all night watching Jane get up and open it, and Paul close it, and it was just like, nothing was said. And quite soon after that they split up, which of course I could have told anyone they would.

Marianne Faithfull – From Marianne Faithfull Said a Tense, Silent Fight Between Paul McCartney and His Girlfriend Felt Like a Play (cheatsheet.com)

Last updated on February 26, 2024