Marianne Faithfull’s Classic Will Never Go Out of Style
Her music and story will not be forgotten.
“As Tears Go By” was one of the biggest hits of 1964. With sentimental lyrics backed by smooth oboe, this song was a chart-topper around the world. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who wrote the lyrics and melody respectively. Jagger has gone on record as calling the song “naive”, but also has talked about how sad the tune is. The song was first given to Marianne Faithfull to record and it became her signature hit, her soft voice relaying the melancholy words perfectly. This was the song that launched her career and was part of the British Invasion that would come to dominate the airwaves in the 1960s.
The Rolling Stones’ manager, Andrew Oldham, first “discovered” the teenaged Faithfull at a party for the band and subsequently began to represent her as well. The story goes that one night Oldham locked the Jagger and Richards in a room together and told them to write a hit and “As Tears Go By” was the result. However, in some interviews over the years Faithfull recalled that they wrote the song for her (as she and Jagger dated during the late 1960s).
In any case Oldham gave her the song to record as a B-side but it quickly charted as a hit single, and was later included on her first album, Marianne Faithfull. The Rolling Stones decided to record it for their 1965 album December’s Children (And Everybody’s). Jagger has said that Faithfull proved the song was a hit and so they went for it.
At the time that Faithfull dated Jagger, the rock & roll life led her down some very dangerous paths. Faithfull struggled with addiction and over the years shared with the media about her experiences in the hopes of giving some comfort or solidarity to others experiencing the same things. She also said that during a period of homelessness she discovered that people were often kind at the core. It wasn’t until the 1980s that she would hold onto sobriety, but she continued to release music.
Over 6 decades she would go on to star in films like 1968’s The Girl on the Motorcycle and released more than 20 albums as well as collaborating in countless projects with other musicians, composers, and artists. Her transformation into a rebellious and mature woman was often in contrast to the sweet dolly girl image of the late 1960s that many associated with her, but she was producing new work well into her 70s. She also re-recorded “As Tears Go By” later in life, and she liked the later versions better as it seemed more accurate somehow to be sung by someone older, “…it’s not too bouncy and it’s not too sad. Getting older is not so awful. There are some good things about it.”
Sadly Faithfull died in January of 2025 at 78-years-old after a series of health struggles over the years including breast cancer and emphysema. Jagger and other rock musicians expressed their sadness at her passing online, noting that her talent and vision will be very much missed.
Listen to her breakout hit song “As Tears Go By” in the video below.
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