"I’m not a groupie! I’ve never been one. I’m a working artist, a musician, a singer. I fell in love with a rock star, but that doesn’t make me a groupie. Fuck the people who dare say that!" (x)
In 1964 convent student Marianne Faithfull was discovered at a party in London by Rolling Stones’ manager Andrew Oldham who was determined to make her a star. The story goes that Oldham then locked Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in a kitchen and told them they couldn’t come out until they had written a song for Marianne.
This song was “As Tears Go By” and it made her a star over night even though she initally thought her career as a pop singer would only last a “a few years”. Despite her first hit being penned by someone else she actually started writing some of her own songs the same year. She did not actually become involved with Mick until 1967. Their relationship lasted until about 1970 and it was very tumultuous.
Her most famous song from the 1960s is “Sister Morphine” which is a melody Mick came up with that she wrote the lyrics to. She recorded the original version in 1969, but the single got shelved after three days because it was deemed too scandalous. The Stones put their version on “Sticky Fingers” without giving her any credit. She had to go to finally receive a co-writing credit.
The 1970s were difficult for Marianne but she kept recording albums. It was only in 1979 with “Broken English” that she managed a comeback and with her voice permanently changed reinvented herself as a rock chick. She has recorded over 20 albums and celebrated 50 years as a recording artist in 2014. Her latest album “Give My Love To London” was praised by fans and critics alike.