Customer Reviews

Broken English

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although the boundaries have shifted in the decades since this album's release, Broken English has lost none of its trenchant appeal. And despite Courtney Love and many angry grrrl groups using explicit lyrics, Why d'Ya Do It? still sounds fresh, perhaps because it originally was written as a poem by Heathcote Williams. Her version of Lennon's Working Class Hero sounds as sharp as ever, while the brooding title track is still relevant today. On the melodic side, Lucy Jordan has become quite a standard and could easily be considered a country weepie, while Witches Song remains eerie and anthemic. The sound is typical 80's rock with tight musicianship supporting this classic monument to decadence and despair. This is probably her best selling album of all time for all the wrong reasons! The other two works from the same period, A Child's Adventure and Dangerous Acquaintances, are equally excellent and will richly reward the listener. Nevertheless, Broken English stands tall as a masterpiece of broken taboos, subversive poetics and timeless songs.

Even as she had hits in the '60s with "As Tears Go By" (written by her paramour Mick Jagger), Marianne Faithfull was primarily known as Jagger's girlfriend, and any sort of talent she may have possessed was not worth noting. But after she and Mick called it off, Faithfull began a slow recovery back into both her music and her life. Heroin addiction had sent Faithfull on a nightmarish journey that would be effectively captured on the Rolling Stones' classic "Sister Morphine". Marianne wouldn't get her chance to do good until 1979 with her highly-acclaimed comeback BROKEN ENGLISH. She had recorded a few albums before this, but they were tentative efforts before BROKEN ENGLISH effectively announced her return. Those who listened were in for a surprise, especially those who first heard her as the virginal voice of "As Tears Go By". Years of drug addiction had caused 33-year old Faithfull's voice to lower to a much more raspy, war-weary groan, but only that voice could have sung the material on BROKEN ENGLISH. "Guilt", Shel Silverstein's "The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan" and "Witches' Song" all find Marianne creating true-to-life personas that all hit home even more with her scarred, yet still resonant voice. I'm always on the verge of sadness every time I hear those songs. Others like the title track, "Brain Drain" and "What's The Hurry?" are somewhat lighter, but not too much. Maybe it's the state-of-the-art new-wave production that the album actually benefits from and not dates it all. If the bulk of BROKEN ENGLISH finds Faithfull as a vulnerable waif, the last two songs display her as a woman quite angry with her past. Her cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" has her dismissing her early musical career and her decadence as much as Lennon used it to break away from the Beatles. If that wasn't enough, "Why D'Ya Do It?" has Marianne not just angry, but livid. Maybe it's about Mick Jagger more than anything else, and it seems she still has an axe to grind years after their separation. The first listen to it is a tremendous shocker, and it still is many listens later. BROKEN ENGLISH was widely hailed by critics and audiences alike on its release, going platinum without the aid of a huge hit single. Even better, it sounds like a debut album from a totally different artist, which in many ways it is. "As Tears Go By", be damned. This is Marianne Faithfull at her most naked and emotional.

I had forgotten all about this album until recently when a leading US business magazine recommended Marianne Faithfull's newest CD, Before the Poison, as a worthwhile listen. When I ordered that, I ordered Broken English as well.
The first time I heard Broken English years ago I liked it, but had in the back of my mind the idea it might be the last gasp of a wallowed-out, washed-up one hit wonder who is but one musical footnote to the many musical footnotes to the sixties. But now that Faithfull is back with an acclaimed release, her back catalogue deserves another listen.
One run through this CD, and you will hear that Marianne Faithfull is indeed a woman with attitude, the PJ Harvey of her generation. While not every song on Broken English is anywhere near a masterpiece, it is a CD that is sure to grow on you. My favorites are the title cut, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, a sneering, mocking rendition of John Lennon's sardonic Working Class Hero, and the album's tour-de-force, Why D'Ya Do It? That last song is a woman's graphic expression of anger at being cheated on. Faithfull's snarling delivery makes me glad I'm not her target.
Forget about her version of the Stone's hit As Tears Go By. Listen to this, Faithfull will surprise you. And if you like your favorite female singers earthy and gritty, you are bound to like this. Check it out!

When Marianne Faithfull's "Broken English" hit these shores, it was a wonderful tonic for those of us weary of the pop banalities of the time (Journey, REO, Cheap Trick to name a few). Her raw, jagged voice is so evocative on this album that even tho it's short by today's standards, you'll feel like you've travelled a minefield.

Some of the stand-outs include her rendition of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" (Lennon reportedly thought her version made his sound wimpy) & the song of ultimate betrayed love "Why D'ya Do It?". "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" takes us into the head of a suburban housewife who dreams of other lives & Faithfull's voice cracks wonderfully on the chorus, bringing incredible feeling into what could be a trite cliche. "Broken English" is a great Euro-dance tune.

If you're looking for an album to brighten your day, "Broken English" is NOT for you! If you're looking for something to listen to at 1AM after a lovers quarrel, you can't go wrong here!

When I first bought this recording, in 79 or 80, it was seldom off my turntable, and lived in my car's tape deck on a continent-wide drive. Then I got it on CD, in the now-impossible-to-get combo with Strange Weather, which cracked one day. Now I have it again. And it's still one of the best recordings (of thousands) that I've ever listened to.

There are many highlights here, and I won't pick favorites, but am particularly amused by her cover of Shel Silverstein's (yes, the kids book author and Playboy cartoonist) Ballad of Lucy Jordan, as dark a reading of a really dark set of lyrics as you will ever find. I love the music (synthesizers and guitars and driving rhythm) and I love the arrangements.

Some years after Broken English I saw Marianne perform live at a club in Toronto. She came on stage in a twinset and a cultured English accent, the living personification of her first "beautiful songbird" incarnation (circa As Tears Go By), plus 20 years or so. Then she sang and it was back to the dark side of the world.

...

No one was prepared for the transformation of Marianne Faithfull's innocent flower child image. The "Broken English" Marianne was a snarling, black leather punk spewing vitriol at all that was sacred about the 60's. Her voice had dropped to a smoky and seductive alto, ravaged by the scars of age and excess. It may have served as a footnote to her career, but Marianne Faithfull's naked honesty was so compelling that it resembled the brooding poetry of Baudelaire's "Flowers of Evil." Producer Angelo Badalamenti captured just the right amount sylish Euro-pop electronics to compliment Marianne's husky rasps. ... In the song "Why D'Ya Do It", Marianne rages at an unfaithful boyfriend with just about every epithet unsuitable for use in "polite" society. "Lucy Jordan" is a despairing ballad of a 37 year old housewife who realizes that she will never fulfill her dream of "riding through Paris, in a sports car, with the warm wind in her hair." The heartfelt cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" resculpts the song into a cry of the doomed outsider, as effective as Pink Floyd's "The Wall." The high point of the album is "Guilt" where Marianne's simmering resentment of feeling guilt becomes a self-exorcism her own victimization by drugs, fame and fortune. "Broken English" is a turning point for both Marianne Faithfull and the context of popular music in 1979. "Broken English" was tremendously influential in laying the ground-work for a generation of young female musicians to strip away the transparent sheen from modern sexual relationships and speak frankly about bedroom politics.

People initially explore Marianne's music because of her connection to The Rolling Stones, which, though admittedly cool, ( I worship The Stones more than most),always seems to pale her own musical prowess. Marianne is one of those rare artists that can blend the cadence of pop music with darkness, durge, anger, poetry - and through it all shed some clarity and (dare I say) light into an otherwise dreary existence. She is balsy, pensive, outspoken, ardent and has the vision and talent that seems elusive in the artists of today. This record is undoubtedly her most raw and most powerful. It is the zenith of her career.

I was shocked to see negative reviews of Marianne's masterpiece. Any true Faithfull fan knows that this is Marianne's masterstroke. The "big fans" who hated this album and loved "20th Century Blues" aren't "big fans." The CD "20th Century Blues" was an effort by Marianne to pay tribute to the legendary Kurt Weill, and was impressive, but not "Broken English."

Okay, that aside, this record was a masterstroke. Marianne Faithfull is for people whose tastes are different from that of the mainstream. Her music paints a picture that is sometimes dark, occasionally bright, and always of intense and fabulous interest. "Lucy Jordan" is fabulous. Her version of "Working Class Hero" rivals Lennon's. "Broken English" is intense and arresting. "Witches' Song" is a lost treasure. And "Why D'Ya Do It?" is a vulgar, angry rant that was recorded before Liz Phair & Courtney Love were teething on their first copy of Patti Smith's "Horses." If you want a fascinating work of art, buy "Broken English." You will not be sorry, no matter what the negative critics say.

Though she had some middling success in the 1960s with hits such as "Summer Nights" and "As Tears Go By", Marianne Faithfull never really hit it big in North America.

In 1979, she released the landmark LP "Broken English", which was a major success despite the fact it was as non-commercial as you could get at the time. It was one of the first albums by a female vocalist to come with a Parental Advisory sticker, years before Alanis Morrissette and Pink. Thirty years later, Marianne's work here still blows the other ladies out of the water.

Hard living and an excessive lifestyle had taken its toll on Marianne's pipes, but this only served to make her voice more interesting and there's no way the Marianne of 1965 could have sold these songs. The raw, bourbon-and-nicotine quality of her voice cuts right through you, especially on the last two tracks.

The material chosen for this album is much of the reason for its' success. Kudos must be given to the musicians' sound and the production which remains very uniform throughout, yet in no way gets boring or monotonous.

The title track sets the tone for the entire album. "Broken English" is like a musical steamroller, with guitars slashing through it's mesmerizing bassline and "bubble" synth sounds as Marianne sings of terrorism in Europe.

"Witches' Song" belies its title, as the music is definitely not as dark as one would expect. It's actually one of the "happier" sounding songs of the album. Though the melody is different, the tone reminds me of Peter Gabriel's "Salisbury Hill".

Things slow down a touch on the bluesy "Brain Drain". The bridge of this song is the best part and the lyrics are clever.

"Guilt" starts off quietly, then gradually develops a quite funky mid-70s sound reminiscent of "Brother Louie" or "You're No Good". This one also has excellent, intriguing lyrics and by the time the saxophone and keyboards come together at the end, this is one smooth, fine work of art.

The arpeggiated intro of "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" was basically stolen 5 years later by Pat Benatar for "We Belong". This tale of a suburban housewife's broken dreams has become one of Marianne's signature tunes for good reason. Her weary vocals make this the definitive version despite being covered by various other artists.

The album begins to take a darker, more dangerous turn on the up-tempo "What's the Hurry?".

"Working Class Hero" finds Marianne sounding almost exhausted and beaten-down, and the music sounds like a grenade waiting to explode, except it never does.

Then all hell breaks loose on the climactic "Why'd Ya Do It?". A strange hybrid of punk and reggae, Marianne lets her cheating lover have it with both barrels on the album's most famous cut. A razor-sharp guitar slashes through Marianne's raspy, bitter vocals and the organ swells up after each chorus. Thirty years later, the language is still shocking and it's a no-brainer that this song was placed last, because after this, there's really nothing else left to say.

Thirty years after its release, this album is still as potent as ever and remains Marianne's masterpiece, and one of the best albums by a female vocalist ever.

Length:: 2:01 Mins