I've also been having this sudden urge to look and dress like the always lovely Marianne Faithfull. As a kid, I always found her voice in the 60's heavenly and her style stunning. Even in times when her life was troubling (drug addiction, suicide attempts, breakup with Mick Jagger) she always looked so upbeat and flawless in pictures. So, for April, my style inspiration shall be miss Marianne Faithfull.
Now this post doesn't really have a point, so just enjoy some Spring-inspired pictures of pastels, flowers, and everything beautiful, including lovely Marianne.
NOTE: Although it's on my playlist at the bottom, PLEASE listen to "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" by Marianne Faithfull. It is BEAUTIFUL. Tear-jerking stuff, people. That great.
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| Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion |
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| Mushroom stickers from the 1980's. |
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| Elsa Schiaparelli |
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| Still from David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, 1986 |
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| Marianne, c. 1967. |
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| “Polka Dot House,” Life magazine, April 14, 1952 |
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| The lovely Marianne Faithfull, c. 1966. |
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| From Retrospace. |
If you've never heard Marianne Faithfull's tragic story, I strongly suggest you take a listen to my simplified version:
Marianne started off as a simple folk musician in the early sixties, around 1964. She went to a Rolling Stones gig back in their early days (where one may consider them slightly more innocent than in the later sixties) and she was discovered by them. She got married and had a kid, but soon left her husband for Mick Jagger, whom she started dating in 1966. She met Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones' at the time girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, whom she befriended. She was introduced to marijuana, which eventually led her, with some help from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, to harder drugs like cocaine and heroin. She was found by police in a drug raid on Jagger and Richards wearing nothing but a fur rug. She later admitted that this incident had ruined her personal life. "It destroyed me. To be a male drug addict and to act like that is always enhancing and glamorising. A woman in that situation becomes a slut and a bad mother."
She miscarried a daughter from Jagger who she had named Corrina in 1968, another event which gradually tore at her personal heartstrings. When her relationship ended with Jagger in 1970, she was devastated. This was the same year she also lost custody to her son from the previous marriage. This led to her severe depression and eventual suicide attempt. She eventually lived on the streets for two years, addicted to heroin and suffering from anorexia. She was no longer famous, and rarely made public appearances.
In 1979, Marianne had the ultimate comeback. She released an album titled "Broken English," which to this day is considered her best album. From years of drug addiction her voice was no longer as light and airy as it was in the early sixties. She now had a deep, raucous voice from drinking and smoking. Her most famous song from this album is "Why D'ya Do It?", a nasty comeback at everyone who had treated her like shit over the years.
I just love Marianne Faithfull, no matter how many personal demons she had in her past. I love her voice as well; I think its like Nico's, you either love it or hate it. Either way, she's truly both a beauty and vocal icon.
- "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" by Marianne Faithfull
- "She's a Rainbow" by The Rolling Stones
- "Victoria" by The Kinks
- "Long, Long, Long" by The Beatles
- "North Country Maid" by Marianne Faithfull
- "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" by Cat Stevens
- "Picture Book" by The Kinks
- "Trouble" by Cat Stevens
- "Mama, You've Been on My Mind (Demo)" by George Harrison
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