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)
Candles In The Rain
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
We were so close, there was no room
We bled inside each others wounds
We all had caught the same disease
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
So raise the candles high
'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the night
Oh, raise them higher again
And if you do we could stay dry against the rain
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
We were so close there was no room
We bled inside each others wounds
We all had caught the same disease
And we all sang the songs of peace
Some came to sing, some came to pray
Some came to keep the dark away
So raise the candles high
'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the sky
Oh, oh, raise them higher again
And if you do we could stay dry against the rain
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
You gotta lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
You gotta lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
You gotta lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Uh uh uh uh
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Uh uh uh uh
Oh lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
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Uh uh uh uh
Let it all down, let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds oh oh oh
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Uh uh uh uh lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones
The song "Lay Down" by Melanie is a call for peace and unity. The lyrics encourage listeners to let go of their worries and struggles, and allow their "white birds" to soar above the negativity and judgment of others. The concept of "white birds" can be interpreted as a symbol of hope and forgiveness, suggesting that we should focus on positivity and let go of grudges and conflicts with others. The lyrics speak directly to the idea that we all share similar experiences of pain and struggle, and that by embracing each other and coming together, we can all find peace and happiness.
Throughout the song, the lyrics repeat the phrase "lay down, let it all down," emphasizing the idea of surrendering ourselves to the moment and letting go of our worries. The lyrics also contain a plea for unity, encouraging the listener to raise their candles high so that together, we can overcome the darkness and stay dry against the rain. Melanie's signature raspy and raw voice delivers the lyrics with power and emotion, reinforcing the urgency and importance of the message.
Overall, "Lay Down" is a beautiful and powerful song that encourages listeners to embrace peace and unity in their lives. The lyrics suggest that, by letting go of our worries and coming together with others, we can all find happiness and hope in the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Take a break and release all your worries
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Let your carefree attitude inspire those who are unhappy
We were so close, there was no room
We were emotionally intertwined
We bled inside each others wounds
We were affected by one another's pain
We all had caught the same disease
We all shared similar struggles
And we all sang the songs of peace
We found solace in shared harmonies
So raise the candles high
Bring light and positivity into the situation
'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the night
Without light, the darkness could consume us
Oh, raise them higher again
Continue to bring more light and positivity
And if you do we could stay dry against the rain
With light and positivity, we can weather any storm
Some came to sing, some came to pray
Everyone found their own way to cope
Some came to keep the dark away
Some people needed light and positivity to combat their darkness
Uh uh uh uh
N/A
Oh lay down, lay down, let it all down
Take a break and let go of your worries
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Your carefree attitude can inspire those who are unhappy
Let it all down, let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Let go of your worries and inspire happiness in others
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Take a break and release all your worries
Let your white birds oh oh oh
N/A
Uh uh uh uh
N/A
Lay down, lay down, let it all down
Take a break and release all your worries
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown
Let your carefree attitude inspire those who are unhappy
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MELANIE SAFKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joseph Collesano
All the soul and power of that time and a fierceness that was 25 years ahead of her time. Epic epic song.
Victor Lassiter
Epic is exactly the word to describe this song.
Robert Cannet
I was 9 , had no idea what the song was about. There was something in the song that grabbed me. Today I still get chills. What an incredible experience 🌞
MrSpankey1
I heard this song when I was 6 or 7 in the backseat of my moms car....I vaguely remembered how good it was and it would pop into my head on occaision, but I didnt know anything about it...I just figured out what it was thanks to Sirius radio...hows that for the test of time?
MCDNH
I was also 9, and it also touched me. I think I did understand it, at least the the main message. It was an experience. I was often in awe in those years of the music.
Martin Martin
I was 15 and let the music give me hormonal vibrations.
David Feather
I was 14 years old at the time and totally know what you mean Robert, it got to me too
MrPink
50 years later, and every time I play this, I get emotional and the goosebumps come. Melanie was a force of nature, and she just transcends EVERYTHING in this. Her energy, her presence just reaches out and grabs hold of you. YOU WILL LISTEN. Well, yeah.
Robert Chappell
I am so proud to be from this generation. Fly your freak flag high. There will never be music like this again reflecting love and peace. The hippy in me will never die. What a great time to be alive.
B'klyn Cowboy
Amen my brother