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Marianne Faithfull Draws on ‘As Tears Go By’ on Posthumous ‘Burning Moonlight’

A posthumous Marianne Faithfull EP, 'Burning Moonlight,' will be released in June, with the title-track out now.

The title track is a moving acoustic ballad inspired by the opening line of “As Tears Go By,” Faithfull’s debut single, which was written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Drawing on that song’s opening image (“It is the evening of the day”), Faithfull hits upon a sense of awe and resilience as she sings, “Burning moonlight to survive/Walking in fire is my life.” “When she asked me to produce these songs, we were all aware that her health had made things difficult but, in true Marianne fashion, she persevered, and I think we were able to go in a new direction again — something she always tried to push herself to do throughout her long career.”

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