Broken English (song)

"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. 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".

For other uses, see Broken English (disambiguation).

"Broken English"
Single by Marianne Faithfull
from the album Broken English
B-side"Why'd Ya Do It"
Released25 January 1980 (1980-01-25)
Recorded
  • May–July 1979
  • Matrix Studios, London
Genre
Length4:35
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
  • Marianne Faithfull
  • Barry Reynolds
  • Joe Mavety
  • Steve York
  • Terry Stannard
Producer(s)Mark Miller Mundy
Marianne Faithfull singles chronology
"The Ballad of Lucy Jordan"
(1979)		 "Broken English"
(1980)		 "Sweetheart"
(1981)

"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.

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