| "Broken English" | ||||
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| Single by Marianne Faithfull | ||||
| from the album Broken English | ||||
| B-side | "Why'd Ya Do It" | |||
| Released | 25 January 1980 | |||
| Recorded |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:35 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Mark Miller Mundy | |||
| Marianne Faithfull singles chronology | ||||
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"Broken English" is a song recorded by English singer Marianne Faithfull for her seventh studio album Broken English (1979). It was released as the second single from the album on 25 January 1980 by Island Records. Written by Faithfull, Barry Reynolds, Joe Mavety, Steve York and Terry Stannard, the song's lyrical theme revolves around terrorism.[further explanation needed] The inspiration behind the song was Ulrike Meinhof, a co-founder of the terrorist group Baader-Meinhof Gang. Faithfull allegedly got the idea for the song after watching a documentary about the group and was intrigued by its subtitle "broken English... spoken English".
"Broken English" received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Faithfull's new musical direction and the political theme of the song. Despite the positive reception, it failed to chart in either the United Kingdom or the United States. It managed to peak in the top forty in other countries, such as Germany, New Zealand and Sweden.
- ^ Pitchfork Staff (22 August 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
The chilling title track is a prophetic merging of punk and dance...
- ^ MacDonald, Bruno (2016). "Marianne Faithfull - Broken English". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 437.