The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
Updated: 12/11/2025, 12:13:58 PM Wikipedia source
"The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" is a song by American poet and songwriter Shel Silverstein. It was originally recorded and released as a single, on the CBS label, in 1974 by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, with the name spelled "Jordon". The song also appears on their 1975 compilation album The Ballad Of Lucy Jordon. The song describes the disillusionment and mental deterioration of a suburban housewife, who climbs to a rooftop "when the laughter grew too loud".
Infobox
B-side
"Make it Easy"
Released
1974
Length
3:53
Label
CBS
Songwriter
Shel Silverstein
Producer
Ron Haffkine
Tables
· Marianne Faithfull version › Charts
Australia (Kent Music Report)
Australia (Kent Music Report)
Chart (1979–80)
Australia (Kent Music Report)
Peakposition
48
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)
Chart (1979–80)
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)
Peakposition
2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)
Chart (1979–80)
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)
Peakposition
7
France (SNEP)
France (SNEP)
Chart (1979–80)
France (SNEP)
Peakposition
17
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)
Chart (1979–80)
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)
Peakposition
19
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)
Chart (1979–80)
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)
Peakposition
20
South Africa (Springbok Radio SA Top 20)
South Africa (Springbok Radio SA Top 20)
Chart (1979–80)
South Africa (Springbok Radio SA Top 20)
Peakposition
4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)
Chart (1979–80)
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)
Peakposition
5
UK Singles (OCC)
UK Singles (OCC)
Chart (1979–80)
UK Singles (OCC)
Peakposition
48
West Germany (GfK)
West Germany (GfK)
Chart (1979–80)
West Germany (GfK)
Peakposition
5
| Chart (1979–80) | Peakposition |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 48 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | 2 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) | 7 |
| France (SNEP) | 17 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 19 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 20 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio SA Top 20) | 4 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 48 |
| West Germany (GfK) | 5 |
References
- Broken English
- Thelma & Louise live!https://books.google.com/books?id=E1zkUGXWZigC&pg=PA76
- New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/arts/television/american-horror-story-hotel-finale.html
- Podcast The South Bank Show Archived 14 August 2011 at the Wayback Machinehttp://download.itv.com/southbankshow/marianne.mp3
- https://www.facebook.com/mariannefaithfullofficial/videos/the-complete-broken-english-short-film-by-derek-jarman/1015026https://www.facebook.com/mariannefaithfullofficial/videos/the-complete-broken-english-short-film-by-derek-jarman/10150260693685802/
- Smash Hits
- AllMusichttps://www.allmusic.com/song/the-ballad-of-lucy-jordan-mt0053665888
- Pitchforkhttps://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17565-broken-english-deluxe-edition/
- The Arts Deskhttps://theartsdesk.com/new-music/reissue-cds-weekly-marianne-faithfull-fran%C3%A7oise-hardy-pia-fraus
- Billboardhttps://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/marianne-faithfull-best-songs-9352681/
- Mojohttps://www.mojo4music.com/time-machine/1970s/mojo-time-machine-marianne-faithfull-releases-broken-english/
- Australian Chart Book 1970–1992
- "Marianne Faithfull – The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 15 April 2016.https://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Marianne+Faithfull&titel=The+Ballad+of+Lucy+Jordan&cat=s
- "Marianne Faithfull – The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 15 April 2016.https://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Marianne+Faithfull&titel=The+Ballad+of+Lucy+Jordan&cat=s
- "Marianne Faithfull – The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved 15 April 2016.https://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Marianne+Faithfull&titel=The+Ballad+of+Lucy+Jordan&cat=s
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – Marianne Faithfull" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 15 April 2016.https://www.top40.nl/top40-artiesten/Marianne-Faithfull
- "Marianne Faithfull – The Ballad of Lucy Jordan". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 15 April 2016.https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Marianne+Faithfull&titel=The+Ballad+of+Lucy+Jordan&cat=s
- "Marianne Faithfull – The Ballad of Lucy Jordan". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 April 2016.http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Marianne+Faithfull&titel=The+Ballad+of+Lucy+Jordan&cat=s
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 April 2016.https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19791124/7501/
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Marianne Faithfull – The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrievedhttps://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-635
- "RPM Top 75 Country Singles - October 25, 1980"http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.0251a.pdf
- "RPM Top 60 AC - April 8, 1996"http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.2934.pdf