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)
Baby Guitar
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our friend is gonna be a star
She's gonna get the chauffer
And she's gonna get the car
And she's gonna get the love
Of the people at the bar
And she's gonna give birth
To a baby guitar
Now rumor says our good friend
Has done some carryin' on
And rumor says in public
She makes love to all her songs
In front of the frustration
Of the people at the bar
She's got the nerve to mess around
With her guitar
Oh, it was sad
To see the breakdown
Of the princess' fallin' star
One day when she was doin'
All the people at the bar
She did a little don't, yeah
And the pulled her head apart
And neatly tuck'd away inside
Her eyelid was her heart
Then they look'd at one another
And said we knew it
There you are, oh
A nameless illegitimate baby guitar
Now a loving loyal friend
Took the off-spring as his own
And accordin' to it's birthright
He built it a throne
And now just like his mommy
He does the people at the bar
And they look at one another
And say he's gonna be a star
Rememb'rin' well the mother
Of the baby guitar
The song "Baby Guitar" by Melanie is a dreamy, slightly surrealistic piece about a friend who is destined to become a star. The song speaks of her getting a car, a chauffeur, and love from her fans. However, the song takes a darker turn when it is revealed that the friend has been engaging in publicly lewd behavior with her guitar. Despite this, her loyal friend takes her offspring under his wing and builds it a throne, hoping it will follow in the footsteps of its mother and become a star as well.
The lyrics convey a sense of both hope and despair, as the friend in question seems to be both on the brink of success and yet suffer from personal problems. The song suggests that there is a thin line between success and self-destruction, and that the music world is not always a place of happiness and contentment.
Melanie's singing style complements the lyrics well, with her soft, gentle voice perfectly capturing the melancholic themes of the song. The instrumentation is sparse but effective, using a simple acoustic guitar melody to underscore the lyrics.
Overall, "Baby Guitar" is a beautifully written and performed song that explores complex themes of fame, artistic expression, and the human condition.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you heard the word
Have you heard the news?
Our friend is gonna be a star
Our friend is going to become famous.
She's gonna get the chauffer
She will hire a personal driver.
And she's gonna get the car
She will also get a car.
And she's gonna get the love
She will gain the admiration and affection of others.
Of the people at the bar
Specifically, the people who frequent the bar.
And she's gonna give birth
She will create something new and innovative.
To a baby guitar
In this case, the 'baby guitar' is a metaphor for a new musical creation or performance.
Now rumor says our good friend
According to hearsay, our friend...
Has done some carryin' on
Has engaged in scandalous behavior.
And rumor says in public
According to rumors, in front of a live audience...
She makes love to all her songs
She performs her music in a passionate, sensual way.
In front of the frustration
Causing dissatisfaction and annoyance.
Of the people at the bar
Of the regulars at the bar who are witnessing her behavior.
She's got the nerve to mess around
She has the audacity to behave in this manner.
With her guitar
Expressing her music through sensual gestures with her instrument.
Oh, it was sad
The situation was unfortunate and mournful.
To see the breakdown
To witness our friend's failure and decline.
Of the princess' fallin' star
Of our now-fallen celebrity friend.
One day when she was doin'
One day, when performing in front of...
All the people at the bar
The regular patrons of the bar who were watching her.
She did a little don't, yeah
She performed a sensual act on her guitar.
And the pulled her head apart
And her head became disattached.
And neatly tuck'd away inside
It was carefully tucked away inside her eyelid.
Her eyelid was her heart
She put a piece of her soul and passion into everything she created.
Then they look'd at one another
All the people witnessed what happened.
And said we knew it
And they all realized what was going on with our friend.
There you are, oh
Oh, there it is.
A nameless illegitimate baby guitar
The new creation is unique and not yet defined.
Now a loving loyal friend
One of her close and caring friends.
Took the off-spring as his own
Adopted the creation as though it were his child.
And accordin' to it's birthright
In accordance with its natural talent and potential.
He built it a throne
He built a platform for the creation to shine.
And now just like his mommy
Just like our friend, who created the new work early described as a 'baby guitar.'
He does the people at the bar
He performs for the regulars at the bar.
And they look at one another
The people enjoying the performance observe and acknowledge one another.
And say he's gonna be a star
They are impressed with the creation's talent, and believe it will become famous.
Rememb'rin' well the mother
Recalling fondly the artist who inspired and created the 'baby guitar.'
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MELANIE SAFKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind