The Gypsy Faerie Queen

Album: Negative Capability (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Marianne Faithfull wrote this song with Nick Cave. The pair previously joined forces on the haunting ballad "Late Victorian Holocaust," a track from her 2014 album Give My Love to London.
  • Faithfull told Mojo the collaboration with Cave took some wrangling. "It's a little miracle," she said. "I asked him if he would put music to it and he wrote back saying 'I'm so busy.' I said, 'I understand sorry to bother you.' Then he just wrote back, 'Thank you so much for understanding; here's the song.' It's just gorgeous."
  • The song is sung by Puck from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Faithfull explained it's about "the Gypsy Faerie Queen who walks the land with her blackthorn staff, wears moleskins and a crown of rowanberries, and is followed by Puck everywhere. She doesn't speak anymore, she sings."
  • The song was released as the lead single from Negative Capability. The album's title is a reference to the phrase "negative capability" that was used by Romantic poet John Keats in 1817 in a letter to his brothers. Faithfull explained: "It's a phrase from a Keats letter that I'd known about for a long time, and I think it's a wonderful, strong thing to call something."
  • Marianne Faithfull originally wrote "The Gypsy Faerie Queen" for Cave. "I know that are certain things he won't be interested in, so when I wrote for Nick I had to focus on what might please him" she told Uncut magazine. "He likes things to be quite positive, not too gloomy and he likes things to be a little bit detached."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.

Peter Lord

Peter LordSongwriter Interviews

You may not recognize his name, but you will certainly recognize Peter Lord's songs. He wrote the bevy of hits from Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound.

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.