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)
Broken Wings
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why we can't just hold on
To each other's hands
This time might be the last
I fear unless I make it all too clear
I need you so
And learn to fly again
And learn to live so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in
Take these broken wings
Baby I think tonight
We can take what was wrong
Make it right
Baby it's all I know
That you're half of the flesh
And blood makes me whole
So take these broken wings
And learn to fly again
And learn to live so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in
Take these broken wings
You got to learn to fly
And learn to live so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in
Let us in
Baby it's all I know
That you're half of the flesh
And blood makes me whole
I need you so
So take these broken wings
And learn to fly again
Learn to live so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in
Take these broken wings
You got to learn to fly
Learn to love so free
When we hear the voices sing
The book of love will open up
And let us in
The song Broken Wings by Melanie speaks about a relationship that is falling apart, yet the singer is not ready to give up. The first two lines of the lyrics show how the singer's partner seems to be losing faith in their relationship even though they are still holding on to each other. The singer's fear is that this might be the last time they will be holding onto each other unless they make it clear that they want to be with each other. The lyrics speak of the singer's deep need for her partner and how her partner makes her feel whole, emphasizing the depth of love and commitment that she has towards her partner.
The chorus of the song asks the listener to take these broken wings, learn to fly again and learn to live so freely. It speaks about finding hope and inspiration even in moments of heartbreak and despair. The book of love will open up and let "us" in, suggesting that if both the partners work together and lift each other, they will be able to fly again and find their way back to each other.
Overall, the song Broken Wings by Melanie is a beautiful and emotional ballad about love and its ups and downs. It speaks of the importance of sticking together and fighting for love, and the power of hope and inspiration, even in moments of darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby don't understand
The singer's partner doesn't comprehend the situation.
Why we can't just hold on
The singer wishes they could maintain their relationship without issue.
To each other's hands
The singer seeks physical connection with their partner.
This time might be the last
The artist fears that their relationship may be over.
I fear unless I make it all too clear
The artist worries about the future of their relationship and feels the need to express their feelings clearly.
I need you so
The singer feels a strong emotional reliance on their partner.
Take these broken wings
The singer presents a metaphorical representation of their emotional state as damaged and fragile.
And learn to fly again
The artist desires to recover and regain strength after their emotional struggle.
And learn to live so free
The artist seeks to move on and live a life free from emotional burden.
When we hear the voices sing
The artist views music as a way to connect with their partner.
The book of love will open up
The singer imagines their relationship as a storybook romance.
And let us in
The artist wants to be a part of their idealized romance with their partner.
Baby I think tonight
The singer suggests that they can work on their relationship together that night.
We can take what was wrong
The singer believes that they can fix past issues in their relationship.
Make it right
The singer aims to improve their relationship to a satisfactory level.
Baby it's all I know
The artist emphasizes their dependence on their partner.
That you're half of the flesh
The artist characterizes their partner as an essential part of their identity.
And blood makes me whole
The singer sees their relationship as necessary for their well-being.
You got to learn to fly
The singer encourages their partner to grow emotionally and move on from their struggles.
Learn to love so free
The artist hopes that their partner can experience emotional freedom and love.
Let us in
The artist wants to be included in their partner's emotional journey.
Contributed by Addison P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.