# R.I.P. Marianne Faithfull **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 30, 2025, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639 "2025-01-30T20:21:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/1 "2025-01-30T20:21:09Z")
The great [Marianne Faithfull](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8k931j423o) has passed away, peacefully, at the age of 78. I’m too young to have been familiar with her in her Swinging London heyday, but I felel in love with the _Blazing Away_ live album. And “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan” still gives me goosebumps. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/2 "2025-01-30T20:40:43Z")
For those of us who remember her, she’s best known in the USA for her version of “As Tears Go By.” In fact, hers is the first recording of that song I heard, and I’ve always liked it. She was a fine singer and interpreter of old-tymie English folk songs. A good example is her haunting version of “Scarborough Fair.” I don’t know how to post a link to it, but I’d encourage you to look it up on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/3 "2025-01-30T23:35:34Z")
I have to admit that my main association for Marianne Faithfull is her appearances on the 1990s UK comedy _Absolutely Fabulous_. (Where she demonstrated a ton of presence.) Condolences to her family and friends. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/4 "2025-01-30T23:40:51Z")
Her _Angel of the Morning_ has always been a favorite of mine since it first came out. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/5 "2025-01-30T23:45:39Z")
Both the track and album **Broken English** are bloody brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/6 "2025-01-30T23:49:10Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > and album **Broken English** Thanks, I’ll have a listen! ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/7 "2025-01-30T23:57:20Z")
I loved her voice, read her book, and saw her on SNL. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/8 "2025-01-31T02:22:45Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > _Her Angel of the Morning has always been a favorite of mine since it first came out._ Did she do that too? I’ve never heard a version by her. I’ll have to look it up. The two I remember were by Merrilee Rush in 1968 and Juice Newton in 1981. Both were big Pop hits but there were many other versions. It was a good song that transcended time periods and fit the style of many singers. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/9 "2025-01-31T02:54:51Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > The two I remember were by Merrilee Rush in 1968 Omg, you’re right, I mixed her up with Merilee Rush! I wonder how long I’ve had them merged in my brain! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/10 "2025-01-31T09:31:44Z")
She co-wrote the Stones’ “Sister Morphine” from “Sticky Fingers”, one of the most haunting songs ever recorded, but only got credits a few years ago (typical for Jagger/Richards, one reason Mick Taylor left the band was his complaint of not getting credits for his work). “Wild Horses” from the same album allegedly was written about her. I was 11 when “Broken English” came out and the title song and “The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan” got radio play. Not exactly typical music for a 11 year old, but I distinctly remember these songs because I liked them so much. Still do. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/11 "2025-01-31T14:33:38Z")
I’m not all that familiar with her work, though I know who she is. She did a duet with John Prine on one of the songs on his “Lost Dogs + Mixed Blessings” album, and she sounds like she’d been smoking two packs a day for the last fifty years. I assume her voice was a lot less raspy in her prime? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/12 "2025-01-31T14:46:27Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I assume her voice was a lot less raspy in her prime? Definitely, but she already had that raspy voice in 1979. Compare: (from 1964, when she was 17) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/-efIjZ_1yQg/maxresdefault.jpg "Marianne Faithfull - As Tears Go By (Official Lyric Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-efIjZ_1yQg) (from 1979) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gHrsv0NVa6k/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGBMgSCh_MA8=&rs=AOn4CLB7FJCiqiBJBhXoD6OhDD4lyxvIgA "Marianne Faithfull - Broken English") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHrsv0NVa6k) ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/13 "2025-01-31T15:38:24Z")
For those who are curious, the NYT had a obituary ready: > **[Marianne Faithfull, a Pop Star Turned Survivor, Is Dead at 78](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/arts/music/marianne-faithfull-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tU4.ah2a.rfWl2Ns5tzFB&smid=url-share)** > > A fresh-faced singer in the 1960s, she went on to experience more than her share of hard times before emerging triumphant in the ’70s. Two, even. She deserved them. > **[Marianne Faithfull Made an Art of Upending Expectations](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/arts/music/marianne-faithfull-singer-career.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tU4.zmvN.22dSgU2te94U&smid=url-share)** > > The singer, who died on Thursday at 78, spent decades in the spotlight exercising a very specific and subversive power. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/14 "2025-01-31T18:28:12Z")
_Why’d ya do it_ has always been a big hit on local alt dancefloors. Love all her stuff. But also her acting. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/15 "2025-01-31T19:54:01Z")
If I may be superficial for a moment, I’ve noticed when they were both young, Marianne Faithful and Helen Mirren looked similar. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/16 "2025-01-31T19:54:11Z")
Well, her trademark, deliberate or not, was pretty much always having a cig in hand. I could have sworn I saw her in an MTV or VH1 clip (like "Unplugged), and she was holding while singing, but no luck in finding it. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/17 "2025-01-31T20:04:16Z")
The same happened with Joni Mitchell; cigarettes ruined her singing. Sad. It also just occurred to me that there may be some subtle sexism going on; many don’t seem to mind when male singers become raspy. But that should be its own thread. RIP, Marianne. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/18 "2025-01-31T20:06:29Z")
Her song that I’ve always liked is “This Little Bird”. Was she thinking of the mythical Martlet (bird with no legs, so it’s always in the air flying) when she sang it? [marianne faithfull - this little bird](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyfPiKoypxQ) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/19 "2025-01-31T20:28:57Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I have to admit that my main association for Marianne Faithfull is her appearances on the 1990s UK comedy _Absolutely Fabulous_. (Where she demonstrated a ton of presence.) I (and many of my friends) know her mostly because of her contribution to Metallica’s “The Memory Remains.” RIP ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639/20 "2025-01-31T20:46:20Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > The same happened with Joni Mitchell; cigarettes ruined her singing. Sad. I don’t want to recommend smoking per se or even smoking to manipulate your singing voice, but I’ve always loved Faithfull’s latter raspy voice, it had so much expressiveness and personality. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-marianne-faithfull/1013639.md?page=2)