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When reminded that she recently told a journalist on the CBS Sunday Morning program that she finally, “gets it,” singer Marianne Faithfull confesses that she’s not sure what she meant by that statement.
“Oh man, what the hell was I talking about?” she says with a laugh by phone from her home in Paris.
“I suppose it must have been about life in general,” she continues. “I understand the rules now. They’re pretty simple really. Behave well, and don’t drink and take drugs!”
Faithfull’s dramatic tale has been well documented.
At 17, she became a pop star with her version of “As Tears Go By,” written by The Rolling Stones. As the girlfriend of Mick Jagger, Faithfull was the crown princess of swinging London, until a notorious drug bust at the home of Keith Richards set off a long downward spiral into addiction and homelessness.
“It destroyed me,” the musician now recalls.
By the end of the seventies, Marianne Faithfull had all but disappeared from public consciousness until her triumphant comeback album, 1979’s “Broken English.” Even though years of abuse had rendered her once angelic voice into something cracked and weathered, it had somehow become even more stunning in its imperfection.
“It’s a good instrument,” Faithfull proclaims. “It’s got something it can do that no one else can.”
Indeed, hers is a voice that’s lived, and if any more evidence is needed it is found on the musician’s new CD, “Easy Come, Easy Go.”
“It’s really long term this career I’ve had,” Faithfull says of her 22nd release. “I hope I’m not sounding too smug, but I am rather pleased about that.”
On Monday, local fans can catch up with the iconic songstress when she performs at Ram’s Head on Stage in Annapolis. Although she could easily fill up bigger concert halls, Faithfull is purposely opting to play small venues on this current tour.
“I want to see people,” she says. “I think my audience is very much like me; they’re people I can talk to. We are very much connected.”
“Easy Come Easy Go” reunites Faithfull with Hal Willner, the producer of her critically acclaimed 1987 release, “Strange Weather.” That album first revealed Faithfull’s talent as a masterful interpreter with a unique ability to make any song her own. The CD’s highlight was an updated version of “As Tears Go By” which was now filled with all the disillusionment and regret befitting Faithfull at 40 years old.
“When I did “Strange Weather” I had just come out of treatment and I was in early recovery,” the singer recalls. “It was a hard time.”
With its jazzy cabaret sound, “Easy Come, Easy Go” is perfectly suited to Faithfull’s distinctive and dramatic voice. Also notable is the CD’s stylistic sprawl. From Dolly Parton to The Decemberists, Billie Holiday to Brian Eno, “Easy Come Easy Go” is an effortless mix of classic and contemporary.
“The only real concept for this record was to work with great songs,” Faithfull says.
The disc features guest appearances by a few of her famous friends including Keith Richards, who appears on the Merle Haggard cover, “Sing Me Back Home.”
“I first heard that song in the sixties when Keith and Gram Parsons used to sing it” says Faithfull. “I wanted it to be as good as their version. With ours, Keith is singing a low harmony which is very beautiful.”
When she was recording the new CD, Faithfull was in the midst of ending a twelve year relationship. The sense of loss is palpable on her version of “Solitude,” first made famous by Billie Holiday.
“It’s very personal for me, and I knew I could put that across,” she says. “I think it’s beautiful. It makes me want to cry.”
“Easy Come, Easy Go” was recorded in just nine days, and Faithfull says that gives the album, “a real freshness and a certain sort of edge.” With typical candor, the musician also admits that the project had to move quickly due to budget concerns.
“This was terribly expensive,” she explains. “I always have to have the best, from the artwork to the band. I’m happy to do it, but it costs me.”
The musician says she’s eager to perform these new songs, and while it may seem that life on the road would prove too rigorous for the now 62 year old singer, Faithfull says that she finds her greatest joy in performing.
“Literally all your depression and anything that’s keeping you earthbound are gone by the end of a concert. All your aches and pains just disappear.”
“Oh man, what the hell was I talking about?” she says with a laugh by phone from her home in Paris.
“I suppose it must have been about life in general,” she continues. “I understand the rules now. They’re pretty simple really. Behave well, and don’t drink and take drugs!”
Faithfull’s dramatic tale has been well documented.
At 17, she became a pop star with her version of “As Tears Go By,” written by The Rolling Stones. As the girlfriend of Mick Jagger, Faithfull was the crown princess of swinging London, until a notorious drug bust at the home of Keith Richards set off a long downward spiral into addiction and homelessness.
“It destroyed me,” the musician now recalls.
By the end of the seventies, Marianne Faithfull had all but disappeared from public consciousness until her triumphant comeback album, 1979’s “Broken English.” Even though years of abuse had rendered her once angelic voice into something cracked and weathered, it had somehow become even more stunning in its imperfection.
“It’s a good instrument,” Faithfull proclaims. “It’s got something it can do that no one else can.”
Indeed, hers is a voice that’s lived, and if any more evidence is needed it is found on the musician’s new CD, “Easy Come, Easy Go.”
“It’s really long term this career I’ve had,” Faithfull says of her 22nd release. “I hope I’m not sounding too smug, but I am rather pleased about that.”
On Monday, local fans can catch up with the iconic songstress when she performs at Ram’s Head on Stage in Annapolis. Although she could easily fill up bigger concert halls, Faithfull is purposely opting to play small venues on this current tour.
“I want to see people,” she says. “I think my audience is very much like me; they’re people I can talk to. We are very much connected.”
“Easy Come Easy Go” reunites Faithfull with Hal Willner, the producer of her critically acclaimed 1987 release, “Strange Weather.” That album first revealed Faithfull’s talent as a masterful interpreter with a unique ability to make any song her own. The CD’s highlight was an updated version of “As Tears Go By” which was now filled with all the disillusionment and regret befitting Faithfull at 40 years old.
“When I did “Strange Weather” I had just come out of treatment and I was in early recovery,” the singer recalls. “It was a hard time.”
With its jazzy cabaret sound, “Easy Come, Easy Go” is perfectly suited to Faithfull’s distinctive and dramatic voice. Also notable is the CD’s stylistic sprawl. From Dolly Parton to The Decemberists, Billie Holiday to Brian Eno, “Easy Come Easy Go” is an effortless mix of classic and contemporary.
“The only real concept for this record was to work with great songs,” Faithfull says.
The disc features guest appearances by a few of her famous friends including Keith Richards, who appears on the Merle Haggard cover, “Sing Me Back Home.”
“I first heard that song in the sixties when Keith and Gram Parsons used to sing it” says Faithfull. “I wanted it to be as good as their version. With ours, Keith is singing a low harmony which is very beautiful.”
When she was recording the new CD, Faithfull was in the midst of ending a twelve year relationship. The sense of loss is palpable on her version of “Solitude,” first made famous by Billie Holiday.
“It’s very personal for me, and I knew I could put that across,” she says. “I think it’s beautiful. It makes me want to cry.”
“Easy Come, Easy Go” was recorded in just nine days, and Faithfull says that gives the album, “a real freshness and a certain sort of edge.” With typical candor, the musician also admits that the project had to move quickly due to budget concerns.
“This was terribly expensive,” she explains. “I always have to have the best, from the artwork to the band. I’m happy to do it, but it costs me.”
The musician says she’s eager to perform these new songs, and while it may seem that life on the road would prove too rigorous for the now 62 year old singer, Faithfull says that she finds her greatest joy in performing.
“Literally all your depression and anything that’s keeping you earthbound are gone by the end of a concert. All your aches and pains just disappear.”
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