“The most honest album” Marianne Faithfull ever made
Before she died, Marianne Faithfull lived one of the fullest lives that people could ever brag about. Working in music and film, while generally just being an icon from the ‘60s onwards, few people have had journeys that come close to hers. With the winding roads she travelled, there were a number of ups and downs, many of which inspired the art that she went on to make.
There have been a number of instances in Faithful’s life that have inspired both what she made and what those around her did. For instance, the Rolling Stones song was supposedly inspired by Faithfull, as she stated that the first thing she said when coming out of a drug-induced coma and speaking to Jagger was, “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”
Faithfull also wrote about political and societal issues that she found troubling. For instance, the titular track from her album Broken English was about terrorism. The track was allegedly inspired by Ulrike Meinhof, the co-founder of the terrorist organisation Baader-Meinhof Gang, and she got the title from the subtitle of a documentary that read, “Broken English… spoken English.”
However, one of the things that she wrote best about was her emotions. Faithfull was able to tap into parts of herself that other people struggle to articulate. The result was that she wrote incredibly beautiful and emotive songs. Whether she was feeling happy or sad, she was able to write about these feelings in a way which was personal but also open enough that other listeners could connect with them. It’s a true gift and something a select few songwriters are capable of.
This is seen most clearly in her record of Negative Capability. A lot of the songs she wrote about were written because of the passing of her friend Anita Pallenberg, who had sadly passed away shortly before. The two had been friends for decades, and music came to Faithfull during a period of mourning when she didn’t know where else to turn.
“It’s the most honest album I’ve ever made,” she admitted, “I’ve always tried not to reveal myself. But there’s nothing like real hardship to give you some depth.”
As is always the case when we lose loved ones, these moments of sadness are also responsible for bringing up some happiness as well. This was the case with Faithfull, as while she was devastated by the news that her friend had passed away, she also recounted all of the happy memories that she had with her. Her funeral was a real trigger for this, as a number of faces from her past attended, and while there were good times and bad times, it was the good times that came flooding back.
“It was just magical, with Marlon and Lucy, Angela and all their children,” she said. “Then Keith turned up! It was very moving because we were in mourning for Anita really. It was a great loss to all of us. I was so moved by how kind the Richards family were to me after Anita died. I felt like I was part of the family.”
