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
Janeβ¦
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)
Baby Day
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why sleep when the day has been called out by the sun
From the night 'cause the light's gonna shine on everyone
Why sleep when the sleep only closes up our eyes
Why sleep when we can watch the sun a-rise
We were meant to see the beginning of the day
Take you an apple and take you a song
And watch a baby day be born
Take you an apple and take you a song
Watch a baby day be born
Quite quite, said I that's all very well to say
But I rose before the dawn to your singing yesterday
I couldn't see the rising 'cause the dark was in my sky
I couldn't see the sun 'cause the sun was in my eye
Take you an apple and take you a song
Watch a baby day be born
Take you an apple and take you a song
Watch a baby day be born
Why sleep, I heard and I followed it today
To the top of the hill where the wind songs play
And I sing it like I heard it
Why I heard it who knows why?
Why sleep when we can watch the sun a-rise
We were meant to see the beginning of the day
I believe it was planned to lift us this way
Take you an apple and take you a song
Watch a baby day be born
Take you an apple and take you a song
Watch a baby day be born
Take you an apple and take you a song
Watch a baby day be born
Take you an apple and take you a song
Watch a baby day be born
Take you an apple and take you a song
Take back an answer to something gone wrong
Take back some music and take me along
And watch a baby day be born
Watch a baby day be born
Melanie's song Baby Day is about appreciating the beauty of a new day and not wasting it by sleeping through it. The opening lines "Why sleep when the day has been called out by the sun" highlights that we should embrace the new day and all the opportunities it brings. Melanie suggests that people are meant to see the beginning of a new day and the sun rising is an extraordinary sight that is worth staying awake for. Sleeping closes up our eyes, and we miss out on the awakening of nature and the world around us.
The lyrics express the idea that each new day is like a newborn baby that we should nurture and cherish. Melanie asks us to take an apple and a song and welcome in the new day, "Take you an apple and take you a song, And watch a baby day be born." Each new day has its own unique energy and spirit, which we can tap into and experience by being present and actively witnessing its beginnings.
In the second verse, Melanie challenges herself and others to wake up early and not be deterred by the dark. This line, "But I rose before the dawn to your singing yesterday, I couldn't see the rising 'cause the dark was in my sky," suggests that the darkness of the night may hinder us, but it's worth it to experience the beauty of the sunrise.
Overall, the song is a beautiful reminder to appreciate the present moment and all the possibilities that come with a new day. It is an uplifting and inspiring song that encourages listeners to live every day fully.
Line by Line Meaning
Why sleep when the day has been called out by the sun
Melanie questions the need to sleep during daylight when the sun has already risen
From the night 'cause the light's gonna shine on everyone
Sunlight replaces darkness and illuminates the world, bringing new hope and happiness
Why sleep when the sleep only closes up our eyes
Sleeping causes us to miss out on the beauty of the day ahead
Why sleep when we can watch the sun a-rise
Melanie encourages us to wake up early and witness the sunrise instead of wasting time sleeping
We were meant to see the beginning of the day
Humans were designed to wake up early and see the dawn to start their day
I believe it was planned to lift us this way
Melanie believes that witnessing the sunrise helps us feel motivated and uplifted
Take you an apple and take you a song
Melanie suggests taking something simple like an apple and a song and enjoying the beauty of a new day
And watch a baby day be born
Wake up early to witness the birth of a new day and enjoy its beauty
Quite quite, said I that's all very well to say
Melanie acknowledges that waking up early can be a challenge and not everyone may agree with her suggestion
But I rose before the dawn to your singing yesterday
Melanie herself wakes up early to enjoy the sunrise and took pleasure in singing during that time
I couldn't see the rising 'cause the dark was in my sky
Melanie admits that there are times when it is difficult to see the beauty of the sunrise due to personal struggles
I couldn't see the sun 'cause the sun was in my eye
Melanie explains how sometimes the brightness of the sun can hinder us from seeing it properly
Why sleep, I heard and I followed it today
Melanie followed her own advice and woke up early to witness the beauty of the sunrise
To the top of the hill where the wind songs play
Melanie goes to a place with a beautiful view and a pleasing atmosphere to enjoy the sunrise
And I sing it like I heard it
Melanie sings joyfully as she enjoys the sunrise, reminiscing the melody from previous experiences
Why I heard it who knows why?
Melanie wonders why she finds joy in watching the sunrise and expresses her feelings through singing
Take back an answer to something gone wrong
Melanie suggests finding solutions to past problems by taking inspiration from the beauty of a new day
Take back some music and take me along
Melanie encourages taking some music and enjoying the sunrise together
Watch a baby day be born
Witness a new day in all its glory and enjoy the limitless possibilities it holds
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind