2. Melanie: Midwest Auckland emo four piece Melanie released their full length album 42 Losers in May 2020 and have been playing a fine selection of gigs and house parties since
1. Born on the 3rd February 1947 in Astoria, New York deceased 23rd January 2024, Melanie made her first recording, "Gimme a Little Kiss", when she was five.
She first found chart success in Europe. Her 1969 song "Bobo's Party" reached number one in France. Later that year she had a hit in the Netherlands with "Beautiful People" before performing at Woodstock. Apparently, she was inspired to write "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" by the audience lighting candles during her set; the song became a hit in both Europe and the USA. Her biggest hit in the USA was "Brand New Key", also known as "The Roller Skate Song". She has been awarded three gold albums.
Three of Melanie's compositions were hits for The New Seekers: "Look What They've Done to My Song Ma", "Beautiful People", and "The Nickel Song".
With one exception her albums have been produced by her husband, Peter Schekeryk. Her three children - Leilah, Jeordie and Beau-Jarred -are also musicians. Beau-Jarred is a guitarist and accompanies his mother on The 2003 Australian hip-hop track "The Nosebleed Section" by The Hilltop Hoods sampled Melanie's "People in the Front Row".
In 2004 Melanie released Paled by Dimmer Light, which is co-produced by Peter and Beau-Jarred Schekeryk.
In 2010 the last album co- produced by her now late husband Peter Schekeryj and their son Beau Jarred Schekeryk was released: Ever Since You Never Heard Of Me
Melanie, who became the voice of an era in one magical instant onstage at Woodstock, has been putting the pieces in order.
Pieces of a career, scattered by the winds of experience and assembled again by the force of love into the most personal and brilliant moments of her musical journey.
Melanie is poised to enlighten new generations about what it means to sing with both passion and eloquence, to write at once with intelligence and emotion, and to inspire through song… and nobody does this better than Melanie.
Others learned this that night at Woodstock, where as a New York kid barely known outside of the coffeehouse circuit in Greenwich Village, she sang her song "Beautiful People" and inspired the first panorama of candles and cigarette lighters ever raised at a concert event. That, in turn, moved the young singer to write "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain"), which sold more than one million copies in 1970 and
prompted Billboard, Cashbox, Melody Maker, Record World, and Bravo to anoint her
as female vocalist of the year. Her single "Brand New Key," an infectious romp about
freedom and roller skates, topped the charts in 1971.
And so her story began.
With guitar in hand and a talent that combined amazing vocal equipment, disarming
humor, and a vibrant engagement with life, she was booked as the first solo pop/rock
artist ever to appear from the Royal Albert Hall to Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan
Opera House, and later opened the New Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the
Sydney Opera House, and in the General Assembly of the United Nations, where she
was invited to perform on many occasions as delegates greeted her performances
with standing ovations.
The top television hosts of all time -- Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, and Dick Cavett --
battled to book her. (After her stunning performance on his show, Sullivan goggled
that he had not seen such a "dedicated and responsive audience since ElvisPresley.")
Accolades rolled in, from critics ("Melanie's cult has long been famous, but it's a cult
that's responding to something genuine and powerful -- which is maybe another way
of saying that this writer counts himself as part of the cult too," wrote John Rockwell
in The New York Times) as well as peers ("Melanie," insisted jazz piano virtuoso
Roger Kellaway, "is extraordinary to the point that she could be sitting in front of us in
this room and sing something like 'Momma Momma' right to us, and it would just go
right through your entire being.")
In the years that followed Melanie continued to record, continued to tour.
UNICEF made her its spokesperson; Jimi Hendrix's father introduced her to the
multitude assembled for the twentieth anniversary of Woodstock. Her records
continued to sell -- more than eighty million to date. She's had her songs covered by
singers as diverse as Cher, Dolly Parton, and Macy Gray. She's raised a family, won
an Emmy, opened a restaurant, written a musical about Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity
Jane…
She has, in short, lived a rare life. But all of it was just a prelude to what's about to
come.
"For the first time, I'm not afraid to voice exactly what I feel. I used to feel that I didn't
want to say too much, but now I can say anything. I feel like a person who's never
been heard. Maybe people think they've heard me, but they never really have. I'm a
new artist who is having so much fun with my voice -- a person shouldn't be allowed
to have so much fun. I'm the woman I wanted to be when I was sixteen and going for
Edith Piaf. It's me -- I'm back."
(Written by Robert L. Doerschuk)
A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where have you been, my darling young one?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard
And it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard
And it's a hard rain's gonna fall
Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin'
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin'
I saw a white ladder all covered with water
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin'
Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world
I Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin'
Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin'
Heard one person starve,
I heard ten people laughin'
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, hard
And it's a hard rain's gonna fall.
(Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
Who did you meet, my darling young one?
I met a young child beside a dead pony
I met a white man who walked a black dog
I met a young woman whose body was burning
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow
I met one man who was wounded in love
I met another man who was wounded with hatred
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
It's a hard rain's gonna fall)
Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what'll you do now, my darling young one?
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin'
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison
Where the executioner's face is always well hidden
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten
Where black is the color, where none is the number
And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it
Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin'
But I'll know my song well before I start singin'
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
It's a hard rain's gonna fall
The song “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” by Melanie Safka is a powerful and thought-provoking piece rife with poetic imagery that speaks about the human experience of suffering and struggle. The opening lines address the “blue-eyed son” and “darling young one” who have been absent and questions where they have been. The response to this query comprises the majority of the song and describes the person’s journey through various terrains and situations, each one more difficult than the last. The singer laments the hardships encountered, but the refrain is a reminder that a hard rain is going to fall, and the metaphor implies the inevitability of difficult times that will come.
The second stanza describes a series of surreal images, including a newborn baby surrounded by wild wolves, a highway of diamonds with nobody on it, and guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children. These images are at once unsettling and powerful, speaking to the danger and hostility that exist in the world. The third stanza uses sound as imagery, with thunder, drummers, and whispers, all of which present an ominous tone that foretells impending trouble. The final part of the song speaks of the person’s planned action, which is to go out before the rain begins, explore the world, and tell others what they have seen and experienced, constantly seeking to convey truth and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
Melanie asks where the person has been and inquires what they have experienced in their journey.
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
The person has been on a difficult path and has encountered obstacles and confusion.
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways
The person has struggled to stay on the path of righteousness and morality, and has been in situations that challenged their resolve.
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests
The person has been lost in some areas of their life and have felt alone and cut-off from others.
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans
The person has confronted several seemingly insurmountable challenges that are similar to the vastness of a dead ocean.
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard
The person has been in very difficult situations from which they were barely able to escape.
And it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard
And it's a hard rain's gonna fall
The difficulties the person has encountered have been immense and there is more hardship on the horizon.
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
The person witnessed a young and innocent life surrounded by forces that are beyond its control and could harm it.
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it
The person witnessed objects of great value that ultimately do not matter without people to appreciate them.
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin'
The person saw an object that reflects the pain and suffering of humanity.
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin'
The person saw people who are busy at work, but their work is destructive to themselves or to others.
I saw a white ladder all covered with water
The person witnessed an object that could bring you up to another level, but it is unusable due to unfavorable circumstances.
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken
The person witnessed many who speak often, but their words are meaningless or ineffective.
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children
The person saw weaponry in the hands of individuals who belong to a group of people who should be protected and uninvolved in conflict.
And it's a hard, and it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
The world is a difficult and dangerous place and it will only become worse.
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin'
The person heard nature acting in ways that suggest an impending, dangerous event.
Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world
The person heard something that is potentially catastrophic and could have global consequences.
Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin'
The person heard a group of instrumentalists that are playing with extreme passion and intensity.
Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin'
The person heard many speak softly, perhaps even in fear or suffering, but nobody is paying attention.
Heard one person starve,
I heard ten people laughin'
The person heard both great suffering and joy occurring at the same time, almost as if there is no justice or logic to life.
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter
The person heard a piece of art that describes beauty and truth, but whose creator did not receive the recognition that they deserved.
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley
The person heard someone whose job it is to make others laugh, but they are themselves going through hardship.
I met a young child beside a dead pony
The person interacted with a young and innocent life beside a painful, visceral reminder of mortality.
I met a white man who walked a black dog
The person met individuals that do not correspond to the societal or cultural expectations of what they should look like or behave.
I met a young woman whose body was burning
The person met an individual or individuals subject to unjust treatment or retribution.
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow
The person met someone who brought them hope and unexpected beauty in difficult times.
I met one man who was wounded in love
I met another man who was wounded with hatred
The person met people who are negatively affected by emotions involving love and hate.
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
It's a hard rain's gonna fall
The world is a difficult place that people must deal with even though it is difficult and can be harmful.
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin'
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest
The person must go back to face the challenges of life in advance of difficult times and go into unknown territory to do so.
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty
The person is entering an area where there are many people who are helpless and who may not have adequate resources to live their lives.
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters
The person is entering a location where the environment has been contaminated which may damage the people and their livelihoods.
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison
The person is going to a location where the boundary between the free world and prison is not easily distinguishable.
Where the executioner's face is always well hidden
The person is entering a region where authorities who cause harm or death to others are living in secrecy.
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten
The area has been affected by such extreme poverty that people's souls are dehumanized by the realities of their circumstances.
Where black is the color, where none is the number
There is a lack of diversity, whether it be in color, resources, or people in this location being visited.
And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it
The person will take what they have seen and felt and share it with others in the hopes of affecting positive change.
Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin'
But I'll know my song well before I start singin'
The person is ready to stand up to adversity for as long as they can and to stand true to themselves, always using their experiences to guide them.
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
It's a hard rain's gonna fall
The world is full of difficulties and the weather itself may reflect the coming of darker times.
Writer(s): Bob Dylan
Contributed by Nora H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
배희천
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
And where have you been, my darling young one?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains,
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways,
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests,
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans,
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it,
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it,
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin',
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin',
I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken,
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder that roared out a warnin',
I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,
I heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin',
I heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin',
I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin',
I heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,
I heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what did you meet, my blue-eyed son?
And who did you meet, my darling young one?
I met a young child beside a dead pony,
I met a white man who walked a black dog,
I met a young woman whose body was burning,
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow,
I met one man who was wounded in love,
I met another man who was wounded in hatred,
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
And what'll you do now, my darling young one?
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin',
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest dark forest,
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,
And the executioner's face is always well hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where the souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,
And I'll tell it and speak it and think it and breathe it,
And reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it,
And I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin',
But I'll know my song well before I start singin',
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
macmillan sandra
Tour all over Canada and the U.S., please.
Give us lots of warning to buy tickets. Why the hell are your people not organizing this for you?
I am the same age as you and bought your first album when it was first released.
I am still young; aren't you?
Do a few days in each city.
Come on, Melanie. Hey...let me know when it happens.
Outside of totally medical problems, there is no reason to not come to us and that means...getting out of there!
Mac Howard
+Daria Moreland
Thanks Daria - it didn't seem to me to fit in with her 60s material :)
As a dyed-in-the-wool Dylan fan I tend to be very critical of covers of Bob's songs but Melanie does a superb job here and makes it her own.
I'll look out for the album you mention I suspect there may be other gems hiding there.
macmillan sandra
Nothing is beyond her interpretation. What a genius. So few realize her talent. Love you, Melanie Safka.
Works
macmillan sandra You are (happily) incorrect about the last sentence. She has sold quite a massive quantity of records. And look at how many views and comments on the large amount of videos posted on YT.
Naomi McClarrinon
Wow she moved from slow paced to face paced and again her soulful voice cannot be duplicated. I want this version. Just saved it to my favorites. Melanie you're so underrated. I thought I was the only one interested in folk songs. This is absolutely great!
Groovy Guru
Fantastic version of this great song,nobody does Dylan better than Melanie!
Rob 1950
Dylan once said that the best "interpreters" of his songs was Manfred Mann.
wingman572
the grateful dead cover dylan wonderfully
Jumbofreddy
@wingman572 also Joan osborne, patti smith, judy collins! and Hugues auffray in france!
fred fep
Similar comments under Jimmy Cliff's version, under Leon Russell's version, under Bryan Ferry's version, under the Staples Singers version. It isn't a competition. See Dylan's 1975 version which is amazing
steven meyer
@Rob 1950 Dylan has said a lot of things over the years. Some of them are actually believable.
Sam Bradley
I totally love Melanie & the way she takes a classic, & makes it her own. ❤❤❤