THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
452-Marianne Faithfull-As Tears Go By.
1964-Number 9 single.
Best Bit-At 0.16. This was the first acknowledged classic song jointly written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Up until they wrote this song The Rolling Stones (see also best songs 933-662-160 and 77) were a band who mainly covered American ‘Blues’ and ‘R&B’ songs, but their manager Andrew Loog Oldham could see far more potential in the two young men. It is said that Oldham locked Jagger and Richards in a kitchen, telling them that they couldn’t come out, not even to go to the toilet until they had come up with what he called, ‘A song with brick walls all around it, high windows and no sex.’ On the completion of the composition Jagger and Richards thought it was a terrible song, Richards has said, ‘We came out and played it to Andrew and he said ‘It’s a hit.’ We actually sold this stuff, and it actually made money. Mick and I were thinking, this is money for old rope.’
Initially Jagger and Richards thought the song did not fit in with the ‘Rock N’ Roll’ image that The Rolling Stones were attempting to portray, and therefore the song was offered to the then 17 year old Marianne Faithfull who was also under the management of Andrew Loog Oldham. The song became the breakthrough hit for Faithfull in 1964, with The Rolling Stones recording their own version in 1965 for their Album ‘December’s Children (And Everybody’s.’) The song was also released by the Stones in America where it reached Number 6 on Billboard, but in the UK it only appeared as the ‘B’ side of the 1966 single ’19th Nervous Breakdown.’
Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull was born on December 29th, 1946, in Hampstead, London, England, she is a singer, songwriter, and actress. Marianne Faithfull has been married three times, and was also involved in a romantic affair with Mick Jagger between 1966-1970. She has suffered from drug addiction during her adult life, which affected her voice after a severe case of laryngitis, permanently altering her singing leaving it raspy, and in a lower pitch, which some music critics have praised for sounding ‘whiskey soaked,’ and helping to capture the raw emotions expressed in her songs. Marianne Faithfull has had three miscarriages and four abortions. The first abortion was in 1964, when she had become pregnant by the American singer Gene Pitney, (1940-2006) the procedure was still illegal in the United Kingdom at the time and Faithfull has stated that she had a hard time dealing with the guilt. She has said that she began to feel better once her son was born the year after. Subsequent terminations were from her period of drug abuse, as she did not wish for the children to be born as addicts. In addition to her music career, she has had a career as an actress in theatre, television and film, with her first professional theatre appearance being in a 1967 stage adaptation of ‘Chekhov’s Three Sisters,’ at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in which she played ‘Irina,’ co-starring with Glenda Jackson, (1935-2023) and Avril Elgar (1932-2021.) Marianne Faithfull is also an author having had three autobiography’s published between 1994-2014. The discography of Marianne Faithfull includes 22 studio Albums released between 1965-2021, and 27 singles released between 1964-2018, there are also two extended plays, (EP’s) at least seven official compilation Albums, and four live Albums available. In the UK five of her singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Come Stay with Me’ peaking the highest at Number 4 in 1964, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, she has charted within the top 40 on four occasions, with ‘As Tears Go By’ peaking the highest at Number 22. Notable songs on which Marianne Faithfull has provided backing vocals for include, the ‘Beatles,’ ‘Yellow Submarine,’ (1966) the ‘Beatles,’ ‘All You Need Is Love,’ (1967) (see also best songs 141) and ‘The Rolling Stones,’ ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ (1968.)
‘As Tears Go By’ was written by Mick Jagger, who provided the lyrics, and Keith Richards, who wrote the melody, Andrew Loog Oldham is also credited as a co-writer, and was the songs producer. ‘As Tears Go By’ was the first of three singles released from Marianne Faithfull’s self titled debut studio Album from April 1965. When ‘As Tears Go By’ was first written it was called ‘As Time Goes By,’ but as to avoid any confusion with the song from the film ‘Casablanca,’ (see also best songs 651) it was Oldham who suggested ‘As Tears Go By.’ Music critics have commended Mick Jagger on his song lyrics saying that they are very worldly wise for a 21 year old to have written. The songs subject is one of regret with the narrator looking back on their life. He sees children playing, a thing he used to do, he knows that he has choices to make in front of him, but when he made those choices, he made the wrong ones.
‘It is the evening of the day, I sit and watch the children play. Smiling faces I can see, but not for me, I sit and watch as tears go by.’