Secretly (Faithfully) Hungarian: Marianne Faithfull
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By Photographer: A. Vente - Beeld & Geluid Wikipedia Commons
It is well known that many Hungarians past and present built the film industry in Hollywood and continue to contribute to its health, whether they are first generation Hungarians or descendants of Hungarian immigrants. But Hungary also has its representatives in other fields of entertainment, like rock and pop music (for example, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Gene Simmons of KISS). But less known is that folk-rock songstress and muse to artists like The Hollies, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones, — Marianne Faithfull — also has Hungarian blood.
While she herself is British, having grown up mostly in Reading, Faithfull's mother was named Eva, and was born in Budapest, moving to the Vienna in 1918. Eva's last name, von Sacher-Masoch, while not traditionally Hungarian, does merit mention, as it will invoke her kinky relative, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the author of erotic novels like Venus in Furs, and after whom the word 'masochism' was coined.
Marianne Faithful was also an outlier. She began her career in 1964 in the coffee-houses of London, when there were few female solo artists. She soon caught the eye of management connected to The Rolling Stones, resulting in her first hit single "As Tears Go By," which was composed and written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It was an auspicious beginning, and also the beginning of a love affair with Jagger, for whom Faithfull would leave her husband.
While she held her own as a singer and writer, she is equally well known as a muse for those who fell in love with her. The Rolling Stones' songs "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Wild Horses," and "I Got the Blues" were all reputedly written about Marianne Faithfull. Less known is that The Hollies’ hit single “Carrie Anne” is also about Marianne Faithful.
Faithfull suffered through much in her life, including addiction and homelessness. She lost custody of her children, and her career stalled. The 80s, however, signaled a comeback and move to New York City, where she reinvented herself as a jazz, blues, and torch-song singer. She would later return to the eclectic side of rock collaborating with such artists as PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, and doing vocal work with Metallica, all proving her timelessness and versatility. In 2007 Faithfull was listed by VH1 as the 25th all time greatest female of rock.
In 2014 Faithful came to Budapest (for the first time?) to sing at the exquisite concert hall MUPA. It was widely regarded as a triumphant performance. Let's hope she returns soon, to Hungary, where her roots are.
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