Marianne Faithfull
Broken English

THE REVIEW

A cult album that hasn’t aged a bit: for our Marianne, this 1979 BROKEN ENGLISH was truly the chance to reclaim her life and relaunch her artistic identity, breaking free both from the doldrums of youthful folk-revival and from the stereotypes of a once-glamorous but now cracked swinging-London icon.

It’s only eight tracks, but every one is strong, and in my view the pinnacle of her work; I’d at least mention the title track for its aggressive chorus – “What are you fighting for?” – a biting rebuke against the political terrorism of those years (here the reference is the Baader-Meinhof gang, though it could easily apply to Italy’s own BR); then there’s the anti-religious tirade of «Guilt» (“Even though I did nothing wrong / I feel guilty”); the disillusionment and mental decline of a suburban housewife in the heartrending cover of «The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan» – which was later featured on the soundtrack of “Thelma & Louise” – and the spectral, almost apocalyptic rendition of Lennon’s «Working Class Hero». Truly ferocious is the closing with «Why’d Ya Do It»: a bold and sexually explicit song (well before Veronica Ciccone’s provocations) that virtually marks a final break from her glossy ‘60s image. Just as her voice was now absolutely new and different, an added and identifying value for this thirty-something artist (literally resurrected from the heroin black hole) who sang her own fears and rediscovered femininity with no filter.

An exciting album: musically a “new wave-post punk” venture far removed from the Talking Heads or Blondie school of pop; a dark sky, shot through with glowing flashes, crossed by sharp, dry, and seemingly almost icy music; enriched by the presence of luxury session-man Steve Winwood on keyboards and Barry Reynolds on guitar, also co-author and producer of some tracks, and a longtime collaborator for Marianne. Excellent cover art (by Dennis Morris): her gaze tucked behind an arm, an electric blue illuminating her profile, and grabbing our attention, the small red dot of a cigarette. Highly recommended.