Friday 31st January 2025
Watching Marianne Faithfull on BBC 4 . A BBC in session concert in LSO St Luke's in London from 2009.
She's enjoying herself. There's 'Broken English', a Billie Holiday song - 'Solitude', there's a Jackson C Frank song 'Kimbie', 'Dear God Please Help Me' by Morrisey, 'The Crane Wife' from the Decemberists. Sister Morphine and 'As Tears Go By' come from her back pages.
Watching I'm thinking WHAT is it about her? She's unique.
Yeah, yeah she was Mick Jagger's girlfriend, the Stones gave her 'As Time Goes By' her first hit, she took drugs, was a heroin addict.
I think she was more than than though, so much more than that. From the Broken English album with it's electric European sound onwards she built a body of work that others would struggle to equal and many must envy.
Watching this concert there it seems clear she listened deeply to music and was attracted to the joy, the darkness and beauty of music. There was no equal to her in English music. She was one of a kind.
She was a captivating performer and she'll be missed. I'm so glad she was here.
