June 15, 1964 - On sale today is “As Tears Go By,” a single written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard of the Rolling Stones and recorded by 17-year-old British singer Marianne Faithfull (pictured).
“As Tears Go By” was one of the first songs written by Jagger and Richards. The Stones are known mostly for performing American blues and R&B tunes.
By one account, Rolling Stones manager Andrew Oldham locked Jagger and Richards in a kitchen in order to force them to write a song together, even suggesting what type of song he wanted: “I want a song with brick walls all around it, high windows and no sex.”
The result initially was named “As Time Goes By,” the title of the song Dooley Wilson sings in the film “Casablanca.” It was Oldham who replaced “Time” with “Tears.”
Faithfull began her singing career only this year, landing her first gigs as a folk music performer in London coffeehouses. A few months ago, she attended a Rolling Stones launch party with artist John Dunbar and met Mr. Oldham, who “discovered” her.
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