The first song Laura Marling ever wrote
Cast your mind back to your 14-year-old self; what do you see? A flurry of teenage angst, awkwardness and a struggle to grapple with an onslaught of hormonal changes? It is a common story, relatable to most people during their coming-of-age period. Of course, people dealt with their teenage years in different ways; some made questionable fashion choices, some spent their evenings drinking cider in local parks, and some turned to the world of music. Laura Marling was in the latter camp, devoting herself to songwriting at a very young age.
At the risk of generalising, most teenage poetry is godawful rubbish. The lack of emotional maturity that comes part and parcel of your teenage years means that most youthful attempts at writing come off as derivative and overly angsty, usually providing an abundance of embarrassment upon rediscovery in adulthood. However, there are exceptions, and Laura Marling has never been one to adhere to normality.
Over the years, the Hampshire songwriter has repeatedly affirmed herself as being among the most gifted and prolific artists of her generation. Through seminal works like Once I Was an Eagle, Short Movie and the criminally underrated masterpiece of Semper Femina, Marling has established herself among the great songwriters of British music. So it should come as no surprise that this songwriting talent stretches all the way back to her teenage years.
At the age of only 14, Marling constructed her first song, entitled ‘Failure’. Rather than being imbued with an immature sense of teenage angst, the song is a stunningly beautiful effort, dealing with complex themes like religion and the illusion of idolisation. Convincing somebody this song was written by a 14-year-old would be as easy as convincing somebody it was written by a unicorn, it is virtually unthinkable.
Thankfully, Marling herself claims that not all her early work was as intellectual and inventive as ‘Failure’, saying, “There were some pretty terrible ones following that… they’re full of teenage rage and they’re quite funny, I suppose.” The idea that Marling was physically capable of bad songs is a somewhat comforting thought, though ‘Failure’ still dwarfs the accomplishments of most 14-year-olds.
According to the songwriter, she cannot remember the specificity of what caused her to write her first song, though she does recall, “I remember writing ‘Failure’ at the piano on the guitar at my parents’ house and my dad hearing me do it and going, ‘That’s good.’ I remember thinking, ‘I’m doing good.'”
It is interesting to listen to ‘Failure’ in hindsight, it is certainly not Marling’s greatest work, but it did set her up for the journey into songwriting that would result in such a vast array of incredible works. As her voice has developed over the years, so has her innate ability to craft moving songs and beautiful melodies, and it all started at the age of 14, with ‘Failure’.
