A Secret Life (album)

Technopedia Center

Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
S1 Informatics S1 Information Systems S1 Information Technology S1 Computer Engineering S1 Electrical Engineering S1 Civil Engineering

faculty of Economics and Business
S1 Management S1 Accountancy

Faculty of Letters and Educational Sciences
S1 English literature S1 English language education S1 Mathematics education S1 Sports Education

A Secret Life (album) - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Secret Life

Studio album by

Marianne Faithfull

Released

21 March 1995

Recorded

1994

Studio

Excalibur Sound
National/Edison Recording Studio
(New York City, New York)

Genre

Length

35:00

Marianne Faithfull chronology

Blazing Away
(1990)

A Secret Life
(1995)

20th Century Blues
(1997)

Singles from A Secret Life

"Bored by Dreams"
Released: 1995

A Secret Life is the twelfth studio album by English singer Marianne Faithfull. It was released on 21 March 1995 by Island Records. The album marked her first studio release composed mostly of original material in over a decade. Faithfull collaborated with American composer Angelo Badalamenti after his work on the television series Twin Peaks. Influenced by her interest in classical music, A Secret Life was a musical departure from her previous work and displayed a more tender side to her voice.

Faithfull also worked with Irish poet and her longtime friend Frank McGuinness and used some of his poems in the songs "Sleep" and "The Wedding". Musically, A Secret Life is an alternative rock album which was inspired by classical music and also incorporates elements of blues. The songs deal with themes such as broken relationship on "She" or secret love affair on "Love in the Afternoon".

A Secret Life received mixed reviews from music critics. Released only months after her successful autobiography Faithfull: An Autobiography and compilation album Faithfull: A Collection of Her Best Recordings (1994), the album was a commercial failure. "Bored by Dreams" was the only single released from the album and also failed to chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Billboard	(positive)^[2]
Robert Christgau	^[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B^[4]
NME	3/10^[5]
Spin	4/10^[6]

A Secret Life received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Richie Unterberger at AllMusic claimed that "Faithfull is still in rippingly fine voice, and her words still penetrate". However, he criticized Badalamenti's orchestral arrangements and noted that "while they can be effectively noirish, they can also create an inappropriately cold and detached ambience". He described the songs "Flaming September" and "She" as standout tracks.^[1]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Prologue"	Angelo Badalamenti Dante Alighieri	2:03
2.	"Sleep"	Marianne Faithfull Badalamenti Frank McGuinness	3:43
3.	"Love in the Afternoon"	Faithfull Badalamenti	3:30
4.	"Flaming September"	Faithfull Badalamenti	5:01
5.	"She"	Faithfull Badalamenti	3:24
6.	"Bored by Dreams"	Faithfull Badalamenti	3:08
7.	"Losing"	Badalamenti David Foreman Duke Levine	3:52
8.	"The Wedding"	Faithfull Badalamenti McGuinness	3:16
9.	"The Stars Line Up"	Faithfull Badalamenti	3:51
10.	"Epilogue"	Badalamenti William Shakespeare	3:12
Total length:			35:00

Notes

"Prologue" contains an interpolation of Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.
"Epilogue" contains an interpolation of The Tempest by William Shakespeare.

Personnel

Marianne Faithfull – vocals
Carmine D'Amico – guitar
Vinnie Bell – guitar, mandolin
Gene Orloff – violin
Alfred Brown, Julien Barber, Lamar Alsop, Ann Barak, Mitsue Takayama, Ken Fricker, Juliet Haffner, Harry Zaratzian – viola
Fred Zlotkin, Clay Ruede, Beverly Lauridsen, Julie Green – cello
Albert Regni, Pamela Sklar, Lawrence Feldman – flute, alto flute
Shelly Woodworth, Sherry Sylar – oboe, oboe d'amore
Andre Badalamenti – clarinet
Bob Carlisle – French horn
Kinny Landrum, Angelo Badalamenti – keyboards
Rufus Reid, Mark Egan, Rob Devito - bass
Sammy Merendino, Gordon Gottlieb – drums, percussion

Technical

Gary Chester - string and woodwind recording, mixing
Art Polhemus - vocal and rhythm track recording
Tony Wright - art direction
Aldo Sampieri - design
Michel Comte, Wayne Maser - photography

References

^ ^a ^b Unterberger, Richie. "A Secret Life - Marianne Faithfull". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
^ Verna, Paul; Gillen, Marilyn (1 April 1995). "Album Reviews: Marianne Faithfull - A Secret Life". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 13. Nielsen N.V. p. 56. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
^ Christgau, Robert (1995). "Robert Christgau: CG: Marianne Faithfull". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
^ Mirkin, Steven (24 March 1995). "A Secret Life". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
^ Harris, John (6 May 1995). "Long Play". NME. p. 44. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
^ Press, Joy (April 1995). "Spins: Marianne Faithfull - A Secret Life". Spin. 11 (1). SpinMedia: 200. Retrieved 11 April 2016.

External links

A Secret Life at Discogs (list of releases)

v t e Marianne Faithfull
Discography
Studio albums	Marianne Faithfull Come My Way Go Away from My World North Country Maid Faithfull Forever Loveinamist Dreamin' My Dreams Broken English Dangerous Acquaintances A Child's Adventure Rich Kid Blues Strange Weather A Secret Life The Seven Deadly Sins Vagabond Ways Kissin Time Before the Poison Easy Come, Easy Go Horses and High Heels Give My Love to London Negative Capability She Walks in Beauty
Live albums	Blazing Away 20th Century Blues No Exit
EPs	Go Away from My World
Singles	"As Tears Go By" "Blowin' in the Wind" "Come and Stay with Me" "Yesterday" "Is This What I Get for Loving You?" "Something Better" "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" "Broken English" "Sister Morphine"
Books	Faithfull: An Autobiography

Categories:

Hidden categories: