A collection of song lyrics, correspondence and set lists spanning nearly half a century of performing life of the singer and actor, Marianne Faithfull. This includes a song from 1964 that was intended to be Faithfull’s debut single - except that she found it ‘awful’ and refused to record it. Three of Faithfull’s albums are particularly well represented: No Prima Donna from 1994, Vagabond Ways from 1999 and Beyond the Poison. From the first of these comes Faithfull’s six page handwritten versioning of Van Morrison’s song Madame George; Vagabond Ways is present in the collection in no fewer than three revised set lists, reordering and revising the songs to be included as well as annotated lyrics seemingly used for recordings. Before the Poison is pleasingly complicated by the presence of extensive handwritten lyrics by Faithfull’s collaborator on the album, P J Harvey, submitted to Faithfull for revision. All of these papers were present in Marianne Faithfull’s home when she died.
Bringing together Faithfull’s own creative work with that of her writing collaborators and musicians the archive provides a fascinating insight into a richly lived life of music and performance, replete with coffee stains, IOUs and the occasional jotted reminder to self ‘lots of attitude’:
Divided into decades, the collection comprises:
**1960s**
1 Lionel Bart ‘I Don’t Know How (To Tell You)’, mimeographed bifolium and single leaf with marks where they were taped together as a single sheet. To the first page is hand written: ‘Marianne Faithful. Leslie Paul TEM 0022 164 Shaftesbury Ave. Opp Saville Theatre’. Music annotated with a pencil note about the key signature only. This was intended to be Marianne’s debut single in 1964 but she found it ‘awful’. Despite this it was still among her papers at her death.
**1980s**
1 ‘And so it seems very hard and cold and very windy out there. The wind is really screaming like my immature mind. I don't feel that lonely do I? Single sheet of 1980s printed song lyrics, coffee stains to edges. Annotated in MF’s hand: ‘M.#. Ireland. 12 March 1989
**1990s**
NO PRIMA DONNA, 1994
1 ‘Madame George’, 6 pages of handwritten lyrics of Van Morrison’s song, written in MF’s bold and distinctive hand, with crossings out and an unrecorded ending on A4 leaves from a pad, still partially attached to each other along top edge.
WITH ‘Madame George’ partial lyrics in a different hand but annotated by MF. Post it note to front reads ‘Darling M - Here’s the tape for Howie Epstein [American bassist] and his pal. It's got the tracks on it. Big wet kiss [J] x’.
2 ‘Frank’s Lyrics II’, ‘When I left him…’ 2 pages of printed lyrics, stapled, annotated in pencil by MF c1990s?
3 ‘The Wedding’, printed in capital letters for performance use; masking tape and annotated by Faithfull
(Released on A SECRET LIFE, 1995)
4 ‘Pirate Jenny’, single printed sheet, ragged, with coffee mug stain and corner torn away, with MF’s pencil corrections and annotations, 1990s.
(Recorded as part of MF’s 1996 album 20TH CENTURY BLUES.)
5 ‘The Gambler (Dirty Game)’, printed sheet with change to lyrics in MF’s hand. ‘Maybe not’ crossed out and replaced by ‘I fuckin hope so’ among others. Coffee stains c1990s
6 ‘He Said, She Said, Powell, Rose, Fig etc, single printed sheet
VAGABOND WAYS, 1999
1 Track list in MF’s hand for Vagabond Ways - single sheet, corrected and amended; second version on ‘Shell Cottage’ headed paper and a third photocopied variant version of the same with further speculative additions: ‘Lenny Kravitz?... Noel Gallager?
2 ‘For Wanting You’ (Elton John, Bernie Taupin) printed lyrics, 1 page, changed and annotated in MF’s hand. Post it note attached reads ‘Most of these edits have made it into the final song’ - Vagabond Ways. c1999
‘Electra’, ‘Tower of Song’, ‘Incarceration’, ‘Marathon Kiss’, 7 printed sheets of songs from Vagabond Ways, lightly annotated by MF
**2000s**
1 ‘I’m on Fire’, ‘Chorus Figure’ single printed page. c2002
2 2002 Tour Dates and Contact Details - single printed sheet with folds.
3 ‘Browns Hotel’ acrostic notes by MF on the verso of upmarket London hotel paper
4 ‘Here are the lyrics for Marianne’ - Nicole Guido to Francois Ravard: printed 2 page e-mail, Jun 05 2003, containing lyrics for Marianne’s performance alongside Daniel Tonite on the Henry Fonda Show. Annotated extensively by MF and including additional information regarding the performance.
BEFORE THE POISON, 2005
1 (P J HARVEY)‘ The Mystery of Love’, ‘No Child of Mine’, Lyrics, 2pp, in the hand of P J Harvey for two tracks co- written and performed by PJ Harvey and MF for their 2005 album Before the Poison. Annotated by MF - 'straight in vox’, instrumental by half’. MF has written a series of suggestions for production of the album on the verso of the second sheet: ‘Mike modeller can simulate any mike on the plant. Genelux Speakers.’
2 (P J HARVEY) ‘My Friends Have’ photocopied sheet of Harvey’s lyrics to this 2005 collaboration, 2 copies with MF’s photocopied annotations
3 ‘City of Light’, lyrics in another hand, perhaps co-creator Jon Brion, old tape marks where they have been attached for performance use.
(Released in Before the Poison, 2005)
**2010s**
1 Handwritten note in Marianne’s hand which reads ‘ This is to declare that I, Marianne Faithfull have received from Anne Halley three thousand euro with gratitude and will pay back in full in 2014. Signed Marianne Faithfull. Date 24/08/2013. Witnessed by Alice Boatwright’.
MARIANNE FAITHFULL (1946-2025) was a singer who found ‘pop fame and tabloid infamy in the 60s but returned to music in the 70s with Broken English, a statement of bloody-minded survival’ (Guardian) She forged a 50 year career as a songwriter and recording artist after escaping her early image as Mick Jagger’s angelic girlfriend as well as achieving some success as an actor, all of it against a backdrop of addiction and personal struggles which were made manifest in her music. She died last year in Paris.
PROVENANCE: From the estate of Marianne Faithfull.
