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.
Tower Of Song
Marianne Faithfull Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I'm just paying my rent every day
In the Tower of Song.
I said to Hank Williams, how lonely does it get?
Hank Williams hasn't answered yet
About a hundred floors above me
In the Tower of Song.
I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice
And twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond
They just tied me to this table right here
In the Tower of Song.
Well you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll
I'm very sorry, baby, doesn't look like me at all
I'm standing near the window where the light is strong
Oh they don't let a woman kill you
Not in the Tower of Song.
I see you standing on the other side
I don't know how the river got so wide
I loved you baby, way back when
And all the bridges are burning that we might have crossed
But I feel so close to everything that we lost
We'll never , we'll never have to lose it again.
Well I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'll be back
They're moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track
But you'll be hearing from me baby, long after I'm gone
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window
In the Tower of Song.
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window
In the Tower of Song.
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window
In the Tower of Song.
In Marianne Faithfull's "Tower of Song," the singer reflects on her life and loves from the Tower of Song. She reminisces about her youth and the physical toll that age has taken on her body. She laments her crazy longing for love but does not plan on pursuing it now. Instead, she is just trying to pay her rent each day from the Tower of Song. She remembers asking Hank Williams how lonely it gets, but he never answered her, and she can hear him coughing from a hundred floors above her. She feels that she was born with the gift of a golden voice and that twenty-seven angels are holding her in the Tower of Song.
As the singer stands by the window, she tells a former lover that she sees them on the other side of a wide river. She regrets that they did not cross the bridges that could have brought them together. She promises that even though she's leaving the Tower of Song tomorrow to go to another tower down the track, she'll still be speaking to her lover sweetly through the window of the Tower of Song.
The Tower of Song is perhaps a metaphor for the music industry, where artists are elevated to great heights but still feel isolated by their talent. The Tower of Song could also represent the singer's subconscious, a place where she can reflect on her life experiences and artistic ambitions.
Line by Line Meaning
Well my friends have gone and my hair is gray
My friends have died, and I'm getting old.
I ache in the places where I used to play
My body hurts where I used to have fun.
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I want love but I'm not actively seeking it.
I'm just paying my rent every day
I'm just trying to get by day by day.
In the Tower of Song.
I'm stuck here trying to write and perform music.
I said to Hank Williams, how lonely does it get?
I wonder how lonely it is up here for Hank Williams.
Hank Williams hasn't answered yet
I haven't heard from him yet.
But I can hear him coughing all night long
I can hear someone up there coughing all the time.
About a hundred floors above me
Whoever it is, they're way up there.
In the Tower of Song.
We're both stuck up here with nothing else but music.
I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born to write and sing, no other options.
I was born with the gift of a golden voice
I was blessed with a beautiful singing voice.
And twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond
I have some kind of spiritual guidance.
They just tied me to this table right here
Although I have this talent, I'm still stuck here.
In the Tower of Song.
I'm trapped here, writing and performing music.
Well you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll
You can try to curse me, but it won't work.
I'm very sorry, baby, doesn't look like me at all
I'm sorry, but that curse won't affect me.
I'm standing near the window where the light is strong
I'm near the window, trying to catch some light to write by.
Oh they don't let a woman kill you
Being a woman isn't easy, but it won't kill me here.
Not in the Tower of Song.
This is where I'm safe, even though it's lonesome.
I see you standing on the other side
I can see you on the other side of the river.
I don't know how the river got so wide
I don't know how we became so distant.
I loved you baby, way back when
I loved you in the past, but not anymore.
And all the bridges are burning that we might have crossed
All the potential ways to reconcile are gone.
But I feel so close to everything that we lost
I still feel attached to the past.
We'll never , we'll never have to lose it again.
We can't change what's already lost, but we can try to move on.
Well I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'll be back
I'm saying goodbye, but not sure if I'll return.
They're moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track
I'm being relocated to another tower to make music.
But you'll be hearing from me baby, long after I'm gone
I'll still be making music, even after I'm gone.
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window
My music will reach out to you.
In the Tower of Song.
This is where I'll be, making music until the end of time.
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window
My music will reach out to you.
In the Tower of Song.
This is where I'll be, making music until the end of time.
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window
My music will reach out to you.
In the Tower of Song.
This is where I'll be, making music until the end of time.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leonard Cohen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Gerrity
my favorite version of this song :)
Larz Gustafsson
Mine is the original version, but this is good too.
Alis VolatPropriis
We love you, Marianne. Keep on keeping on!
Barbara Berry
Fantastic, as always. Thank u Marianne and … yes, LeonardO. Genius composers/performers of our time. How lucky we are !
Jelena Pavlovic
Bravo, Marianne!!!!!
J.C. B
Love her back up vocals!
Yael Palombo
Stupenda cover 💖💖💖💖💖
Ulf Johansson
Just beutiful!
Joli Rose
Great song❤️💃💞💗💓
jodi durie
awesome song