Marianne Faithfull, R.I.P

 

She was a child of, and one who was wrecked by, the 1960s and early 1970s. I can’t but laugh, when I see twenty-first century snowflakes (Selena Gomez, I might be looking at you) trying to establish their transgressiveness, their relevance, and their victimhood as something new, something never seen before in the history of mankind.  They can’t imagine, and they cannot possibly compete.

Here is Marianne Faithfull, child of privilege, age 19, in 1965.  I was 11.  But I remember.  How pretty she was.  How gentle.  And–as I later learned–how wrecked:

Somehow, she made it through.

And she died today, age 78.  A survivor of an age that has yet to see a proper reckoning.

Rest in peace.

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  1. cdor Member
    cdor
    @cdor

    That was my transition time between teenager and adult. I knew of Marianne Faithfull, but knew nothing about her. I do not know what you are intimating with the term, “proper reckoning”. Would you explain, please?

    • #1
  2. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    I was surprised to learn that she had 18 albums.

    • #2
  3. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    I was surprised to learn that she had 18 albums.

    It was a different time.  Rita Coolidge has 25, not counting those where she was involved with other people.  Plus 12 compilation albums.  Back in the 60s and 70s, perhaps into the early 80s, artists might come out with more than one album even in a single year, in addition to not waiting years between releases.

    • #3
  4. She Member
    She
    @She

    cdor (View Comment):

    That was my transition time between teenager and adult. I knew of Marianne Faithfull, but knew nothing about her. I do not know what you are intimating with the term, “proper reckoning”. Would you explain, please?

    I don’t think I’m “intimating” anything.  What do you think I’m intimating?

    • #4
  5. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    cdor (View Comment):

    That was my transition time between teenager and adult. I knew of Marianne Faithfull, but knew nothing about her. I do not know what you are intimating with the term, “proper reckoning”. Would you explain, please?

    She was ill used by damn near everyone who came into her life. If you were to write a novel containing half of the stuff that happened to her, your agent would throw the manuscript at your head after reading it.

    • #5
  6. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    I was surprised to learn that she had 18 albums.

    It was a different time. Rita Coolidge has 25, not counting those where she was involved with other people. Plus 12 compilation albums. Back in the 60s and 70s, perhaps into the early 80s, artists might come out with more than one album even in a single year, in addition to not waiting years between releases.

    But am I correct that she is basically known for one song?

    I understand that she has her fans, and ironically received a writing credit on the Stones’ “Sister Morphine,” but I just don’t see her as that popular.  Coolidge had a real career.

    • #6
  7. She Member
    She
    @She

    Percival (View Comment):

    cdor (View Comment):

    That was my transition time between teenager and adult. I knew of Marianne Faithfull, but knew nothing about her. I do not know what you are intimating with the term, “proper reckoning”. Would you explain, please?

    She was ill used by damn near everyone who came into her life. If you were to write a novel containing half of the stuff that happened to her, your agent would throw the manuscript at your head after reading it.

    Boy howdy.

    • #7
  8. She Member
    She
    @She

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    I was surprised to learn that she had 18 albums.

    It was a different time. Rita Coolidge has 25, not counting those where she was involved with other people. Plus 12 compilation albums. Back in the 60s and 70s, perhaps into the early 80s, artists might come out with more than one album even in a single year, in addition to not waiting years between releases.

    But am I correct that she is basically known for one song?

    Not all that much in the UK.

    • #8
  9. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    I was surprised to learn that she had 18 albums.

    It was a different time. Rita Coolidge has 25, not counting those where she was involved with other people. Plus 12 compilation albums. Back in the 60s and 70s, perhaps into the early 80s, artists might come out with more than one album even in a single year, in addition to not waiting years between releases.

    But am I correct that she is basically known for one song?

    Could be.  I doubt many people could name more than one Rita Coolidge song either.

     

    • #9
  10. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    What I think of when I hear her name is seeing her as an older woman singing Broken English. That was decades ago. She seemed to have been through a lot. I don’t remember much about the song and at the time I had no idea what it was about. Later, someone said it was about the Red Brigade. The other thing is Mars bars, but that we can let slide. 

    • #10
  11. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Django (View Comment):
    What I think of when I hear her name is seeing her as an older woman singing Broken English. 

    Fourteen odd years and a lifetime older. She had to get through being the muse to the Rolling Stones, the drug raids, breakups, heroin addiction, alcoholism, homelessness, and then start dropping Grammy worthy albums. See? Simple. She was someone you read about in Rolling Stone back when it was still cool.

    • #11
  12. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Almost forgot.  The great English “rock” photographer Gered Mankowitz took a number of early and wonderful pics of Marianne.  See here.

    • #12
  13. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Never heard of her before today. 

    • #13
  14. E. Kent Golding Moderator
    E. Kent Golding
    @EKentGolding

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Almost forgot. The great English “rock” photographer Gered Mankowitz took a number of early and wonderful pics of Marianne. See here.

    thank you.

    • #14
  15. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    Percival (View Comment):

    Django (View Comment):
    What I think of when I hear her name is seeing her as an older woman singing Broken English.

    Fourteen odd years and a lifetime older. She had to get through being the muse to the Rolling Stones, the drug raids, breakups, heroin addiction, alcoholism, homelessness, and then start dropping Grammy worthy albums. See? Simple. She was someone you read about in Rolling Stone back when it was still cool.

    Just read the wikipedia entry for her. It’s almost like reading about Art Pepper. One can’t help but wonder how they made it through their addictions. 

    • #15
  16. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Never heard of her before today.

    And?

    • #16
  17. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Never heard of her before today.

    And?

    And nothing.  Maybe I’ll look her up and see if anything rings a bell.  

     

    • #17
  18. David Foster Member
    David Foster
    @DavidFoster

    On my playlist:  Love is Teasin’

    Link

     

    • #18
  19. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Marianne & David back in the day.

    • #19
  20. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    Rolling Stones, more pay tribute to Faithfull | Watch

    • #20
  21. J Ro Member
    J Ro
    @JRo

    cdor (View Comment):

    That was my transition time between teenager and adult. I knew of Marianne Faithfull, but knew nothing about her. I do not know what you are intimating with the term, “proper reckoning”. Would you explain, please?

    It was an age whose numbers have yet to be crunched. 

    • #21
  22. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    J Ro (View Comment):

    cdor (View Comment):

    That was my transition time between teenager and adult. I knew of Marianne Faithfull, but knew nothing about her. I do not know what you are intimating with the term, “proper reckoning”. Would you explain, please?

    It was an age whose numbers have yet to be crunched.

    Well said, but we’re getting close.

    • #22
  23. cdor Member
    cdor
    @cdor

    She (View Comment):

    cdor (View Comment):

    That was my transition time between teenager and adult. I knew of Marianne Faithfull, but knew nothing about her. I do not know what you are intimating with the term, “proper reckoning”. Would you explain, please?

    I don’t think I’m “intimating” anything. What do you think I’m intimating?

    The reason I asked, She, is because I didn’t know what you meant.

    P.S.

    And I still don’t.

     

    • #23
  24. randallg Member
    randallg
    @randallg

    She sang the song “Love Got Lost” on Joe Jackson’s album “Night & Day” in 2000.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSUgt5RjEzo

    And as usual the youtube video did not embed!

    • #24
  25. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    randallg (View Comment):

    She sang the song “Love Got Lost” on Joe Jackson’s album “Night & Day” in 2000.

    And as usual the youtube video did not embed!

     

    There you go.

    • #25
  26. randallg Member
    randallg
    @randallg

    kedavis (View Comment):

    randallg (View Comment):

    She sang the song “Love Got Lost” on Joe Jackson’s album “Night & Day” in 2000.

    And as usual the youtube video did not embed!

    There you go.

    So how do you do that? I paste the raw URL into the comment box, then highlight it and click the “Insert/edit link” button. What am I doing wrong?

    • #26
  27. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    randallg (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    randallg (View Comment):

    She sang the song “Love Got Lost” on Joe Jackson’s album “Night & Day” in 2000.

    And as usual the youtube video did not embed!

    There you go.

    So how do you do that? I paste the raw URL into the comment box, then highlight it and click the “Insert/edit link” button. What am I doing wrong?

    Just paste the URL into the reply box.  All you need.

    • #27
  28. cdor Member
    cdor
    @cdor

    I copied the video URL by right-clicking on the video and pasted  it in the body of my reply.

    • #28
  29. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    randallg (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    randallg (View Comment):

    She sang the song “Love Got Lost” on Joe Jackson’s album “Night & Day” in 2000.

    And as usual the youtube video did not embed!

    There you go.

    So how do you do that? I paste the raw URL into the comment box, then highlight it and click the “Insert/edit link” button. What am I doing wrong?

    Just paste the URL into the reply box. All you need.

    Yep.  Don’t make it a “clickable link.”  The site then embeds it, if appropriate.

    • #29
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