Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 - 30 January 2025) was an English rock 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 the 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.
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Links to Peel[]
Marianne's 'Counting' single was in Peel's KMEN British Pop Top Ten in 1966, and he played some tracks by her in 1967 on his Perfumed Garden show on Radio London (her cover version of Donovan's "Saturday Night/Young Girl Blues") and in 1969 on Top Gear on BBC Radio One, when he gave a couple of outings to the unsuccessful single "Something Better" whose B-side, the Jagger/Richards/Faithfull composition, "Sister Morphine", is better remembered than the A-side (a version by the Rolling Stones appeared on their 1971 album Sticky Fingers).
In the 1960s, Marianne Faithfull was admired for her looks and personality as much as her singing. As girlfriend of Mick Jagger she was part of the social circle of "Swinging London" and was the inspiration for songs such as the Hollies' single "Carrie Anne" (played by JP on the Radio London daytime show of 01 July 1967), but her career went into a decline in the early '70s due to her drug addiction, and there were no more tracks by her in Peel's playlists until 1979.
That year, she released her 'Broken English' album, which was critically acclaimed, sold well, reflected changes in her personal life and in the music scene generally, and revived her career. Peel played some tracks from it on his programmes but, even though she remained a respected performer into the 2000s, he doesn't appear to have played anything from her subsequent recordings.
Shows Played[]
- 20 July 1967: Young Girl Blues (LP - Love In A Mist) Decca
- 1969
- 16 February 1969: 'Something Better (7")' (Decca)
- 16 March 1969: Something Better (7" - Something Better / Sister Morphine) Decca
- 1979
- 10 October 1979: Broken English (LP – Broken English) Island
- 11 October 1979: Witches’ Song (LP – Broken English) Island