Born in Hampstead, London, Faithfull began her career in 1964 after attending a Rolling Stones party, where she was discovered by Andrew Loog Oldham. Her debut album Marianne Faithfull (released simultaneously with her album Come My Way on April 15, 1965) was a commercial success followed by a number of albums on Decca Records. From 1966 to 1970, she had a highly publicised romantic relationship with Mick Jagger. Her popularity was further enhanced by her film roles, such as those in I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967), The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968), and Hamlet (1969). However, her popularity was overshadowed by personal problems in the 1970s. During that time she was anorexic, homeless and a heroin addict.
Noted for her distinctive voice, Faithfull's previously melodic and higher-registered vocals (which were prevalent throughout her career in the 1960s) were affected by severe laryngitis, coupled with persistent drug abuse during the 1970s, permanently altering her voice, leaving it raspy, cracked and lower in pitch. This new sound was praised as "whisky soaked" by some critics and seen as having helped to capture the raw emotions expressed in Faithfull's music.
After a long commercial absence, Faithfull made a comeback with the 1979 release of her critically acclaimed album Broken English. The album was a commercial success and marked a resurgence of her musical career. Broken English earned Faithfull a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and is often regarded as her "definitive recording". She followed this with a series of albums, including Dangerous Acquaintances (1981), A Child's Adventure (1983) and Strange Weather (1987). Faithfull also wrote three books about her life: Faithfull: An Autobiography (1994), Memories, Dreams & Reflections (2007) and Marianne Faithfull: A Life on Record (2014).
Faithfull is listed on VH1's "100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll" list. She received the World Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Women's World Awards and was made a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France.
Time Takes Time
Marianne Faithfull Lyrics
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And I don't care anymore.
I can only hear the sound of my head,
And the soft sea roar.
For the wind laughs and the world cries
And I shall laugh with the wind.
Today will end when the sun will rise
When I shall laugh to your blind eyes.The world can break
And time takes time to realise.
For the wind laughs, the world cries
And I shall laugh with the wind.
I shall laugh like a child in the wind and change
As love for me has always been strange.
The wind laughs and the world cries,
But I don't care anymore.
I can only hear the sound of my head,
And the soft sea roar.
For the wind laughs and the world cries
And I shall laugh with the wind.
The opening lines of Marianne Faithfull's "Time Takes Time" set a bleak tone, as she sings about the laughter of the wind and the tears of the world. The bitterness in her voice is palpable as she declares that she doesn't care anymore, and can only hear the sound of her own head and the roaring of the nearby sea. The repetition of the wind's laughter and the world's tears suggests a cyclical, never-ending pattern of despair, and Faithfull seems to be resigned to this reality.
However, there is a glimmer of defiance in her voice as she declares that she will laugh with the wind. This laughter is not a happy, carefree laughter, but rather a bitter, sarcastic one. Faithfull seems to be saying that she will not let the wind and the world break her – instead, she will laugh in their faces. As the song continues, Faithfull's voice grows more agitated, until she reaches the climax of the song: "I shall laugh like a child in the wind and change, as love for me has always been strange." Here, she seems to be embracing the idea of change, of letting go of the past and moving forward with a more childlike, innocent perspective.
Overall, "Time Takes Time" is a song about despair, bitterness, and resilience. Faithfull acknowledges the darkness in the world around her, but refuses to let it consume her. Instead, she finds a way to laugh in the face of her struggles and move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
The wind laughs and the world cries,
The world can be a cruel place, full of laughter and tears at the same time.
And I don't care anymore.
I have moved past caring about the pain of the world and only focus on what's inside my own head.
I can only hear the sound of my head,
I am so caught up in my own thoughts and emotions that I can barely hear anything else.
And the soft sea roar.
The only external sound that matters to me now is the soothing sound of waves crashing on the shore.
And I shall laugh with the wind.
Despite the chaos around me, I will join the wind in laughing at the absurdity of it all.
Today will end when the sun will rise
This moment in time is fleeting, and the cycle of darkness and light will continue to turn.
When I shall laugh to your blind eyes.
I will keep my sense of humor even in the face of those who cannot see the true nature of things.
The world can break
The world is a fragile place, and it can be shattered by the horrors that occur within it.
And time takes time to realise.
It takes time to fully understand the scope of the damage that can be wrought upon the world.
I shall laugh like a child in the wind and change
I will embrace my inner child and allow myself to change and grow with the world.
As love for me has always been strange.
Love is an enigma to me, and I have struggled to fully understand its power.
But I don't care anymore.
Despite my confusion about love and the world, I am at peace with my detachment from it all.
And I shall laugh with the wind.
In the end, I will always find joy and laughter in the world, no matter what happens around me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Barry Fantoni, Marianne Faithfull
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind