Former broadcaster and now breakout singer-songwriter AC Scott (Alison Craig) releases her haunting, piano-led version of the classic “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan.” The track serves as a heartfelt tribute to Marianne Faithfull, who passed almost one year ago, and marks the first taste of Scott’s highly anticipated debut album, due February 2026.
The song has lived with Scott for decades. She first heard Marianne’s version while driving and was so moved she had to pull over in tears. “It was a solar plexus punch,” she recalls. “That voice, those 70s synths, the gut-wrenching sadness… I’ve carried Lucy Jordan with me ever since as something perfect.”
Respectful of the original’s power, Scott chose not to imitate but to reinterpret. Her version is intimate and stripped-back — just her voice and piano — capturing the same emotional weight while making the song feel deeply personal. After sending it to industry veteran Kate Hyman (who knew Marianne well), the response was immediate: “She loved it.” Mastered by Kevin Salem, the track now enters the world with the hope that new listeners will discover Faithfull’s iconic recording through Scott’s version.
From a high-profile broadcasting career (Sony Award winner, prime-time TV and radio across Scotland, interviews with Bryan Ferry, Victoria Beckham and more) to a life-changing diagnosis of LAM in 2012 that collapsed her lungs and ended her on-air work, music became Scott’s lifeline. After writing her first song in 2023, she has poured out hundreds more. Unable to fly, she sailed across the Atlantic and drove coast-to-coast to collaborate with Emmy-winning producer Andrew Rollins, echoing Bowie’s own transatlantic crossings.
“This song is part of my growing up and realising that everything in the world is not as it seems,” says Scott. “Music has given me my life back. I’m living every day as if it were my last.”
“The Ballad of Lucy Jordan” is available now on all major streaming platforms.
About AC Scott (Alison Craig)
AC Scott is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller from Aberdeen, Scotland. A former award-winning broadcaster, she turned to music full-time after a serious lung condition forced her off the air. Mentored by industry icons including Kate Hyman, she creates soulful, melodic songs influenced by blues, spoken word, and raw emotion. Her debut album arrives in February 2026.