The passing of Grammy-winning composer Angelo Badalamenti last Monday shocked and saddened many, but it was an even greater shock for Marianne Faithfull, who had the privilege to work with the composer on one of her best albums. The singer recently shared with Rolling Stone that Badalamenti was not only highly talented but also a charmer and a good person to be around.
Badalamenti died this past Monday due to natural causes, and Faithfull recently cherished him and his talent while reflecting on their collaboration. “I really adored him; he was magic,” she said. Marianne revealed that the album she made with him, 1995’s moody and cinematic ‘A Secret Life,’ was “one of the best ones I’ve ever done.” Faithfull, still shocked by the news of the composer’s death, added, “He was charming and so, so talented.”
Looking back on the time they worked on her 1995 album ‘A Secret Life,’ Marianne Faithfull doesn’t seem to have the words to explain why she and Badalamenti worked so well together. She recalled, “It wasn’t obvious. You wouldn’t just meet Angelo one time and say, ‘Wow, that’s a very hip guy.’ But he was a very hip guy actually. And there are people like that who are sort of underneath, secretly very hip, knowledgeable, and clever. And emotional; I think he was very emotional.”
Faithfull originally became familiar with and was struck by the late composer’s work after watching David Lynch’s TV series, ‘Twin Peaks.’ After Faithfull tracked down Angelo Badalamenti, they decided to work together on the album, and the result speaks for itself. They composed an album with poetic passages and a sophisticated sound. If you give it a shot, you’ll understand the album’s uniqueness and why Faithfull considers it one of her best works.
