The song that changed Marianne Faithfull’s life for the worst

In early 1964, she attended the Rolling Stones magazine launch party with her boyfriend and fellow musician John Dunbar. There they met the band’s colorful manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, and the moment he says was her discovery. She may not have realized it at the time, but 17-year-old Faithfull had what it took to become a star, and she was quickly arranged for her debut single “As Tears Go By” by Jagger original, bandmate Keith Richards and Oldham himself.

The song was a huge success upon its release in June 1964, and Faithfull’s newfound status was further enhanced with its self-titled debut and follow-up, Come my wayarrived simultaneously in 1965. This was the beginning of a turbulent period for Faithfull. Although she released a number of successful albums and films for the rest of the decade, her life descended into chaos.

Shortly after the birth of Dunbar and Nicholas’s son in November 1965, Faithfull left her husband for Jagger. She was with the frontman until 1970 and it was a highly publicized and messy affair that certainly played a part in her increased drug use, which unfortunately soon led to heroin addiction, homelessness and anorexia. Bursting with “As Tears Go By” and the hits that followed, Faithfull rose to fame with her harmonious, high-pitched vocals, but a bout with severe laryngitis and drug abuse also caused her voice to become even more expressive. gravelly.

Although this eventually became her signature sound, things looked extremely bleak for her career for a while, especially in the early 1970s when her world fell apart. But in one of music’s great turning points, after a stint on the moor, Faithfull finally returned with a huge Broken English in 1979. Coming to terms with her new voice, more musically and thematically significant than her previous efforts, was the beginning of a rebirth. Finally, Faithfull has cemented her place among the greats. It even earned her a Grammy nomination.

While discussing her album Negative ability in 2018 with UncutFaithfull explained that it was co-producer Warren Ellis’s idea to re-record “As Tears Go By” for this film. At first she didn’t think it was a good idea, but Ellis insisted and she eventually became convinced that the Australian musician was right. Unsurprisingly, although this song is the one she is most familiar with, it brings back uncomfortable memories for Faithfull, as it was the song that changed the trajectory of her life, leading to many years of drug abuse and pain.

She explained: “For a long time I actually didn’t like it – I thought it was the beginning of all the trouble, but actually it’s a really lovely song. Troubles? Well, I became famous, I became a little pop star and blah blah blah.” The singer added: “It took me in the wrong direction, also known as drugs.”

It’s a strange paradox. Marianne Faithfull wouldn’t exist as we know and love her if it weren’t for As Tears Go By, but as we’ve seen countless times throughout history, fame is a double-edged sword. What starts out as something good can often mean something completely different and much darker. Kurt Cobain’s thoughts on “Smells Like Teen Spirit” reflect this.

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