Marianne Faithfull ~ Strange Weather/Broken English Live 1989

“Every gay boy finds a diva to worship, preferably a woman singer who is brilliant, fabulous and has survived hardship with style. For me, it was Marianne Faithfull—the grand dame of rock n’ roll. She came on the scene as the queen of swinging 60’s London, the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen with a pure soprano to match.

But Marianne was not content as a pop dolly bird. She became Mick Jagger’s muse, was decried in the press as a wanton slut after an infamous drug bust, and waylaid by a heroin addiction that nearly killed her. When she returned in 1979 with the album Broken English, Marianne’s voice was scarred and cracked, an ancient rumble, an exhale of hot smoke. She made every punk on the scene look anemic in comparison. Everyone had counted her out, and she proved them wrong.

Marianne became the great torch singer of rock, and (unlike the Stones) her gifts only grew and deepened with time. Her last album of songs, Negative Capability, was perhaps her greatest. We were lucky to be graced by her voice for so many years. So long, Marianne. R.I.P.”

~ @LouisJordan8 on IG

Here is Marianne performing two songs, the first, her cover of the great Tom Waits/Kathleen Brennan song from her album of the same name, #StrangeWeather, and the second, the title track of (one of) her masterpiece(s), #BrokenEnglish.

Long live the mythic Queen of Bohemia! Rest In Peace.

1946 ~ 2025