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)
Chords Of Fame
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I found him by the stage last night,
He was breathing his last breath,
A bottle of gin and a cigarette
Was all he had left.
Well, I know that you make music
'Cause you carry your guitar,
Who tries to be a star.
Come on and play
The chords of love my friend,
Play the chords of fame
But if you wanna keep your song, no no no,
Don't play the chords of fame, oh no no.
You know I've seen my share of hustlers
As they try to take the world,
And when they find their melody
They're surrounded by the girls.
But it all fades so quickly
Like a sunny summer day;
Reporters ask you questions
And may write down what you say.
So come on and play
The chords of love my friend,
Play the chords of fame
But if you wanna keep your song, no no no,
Don't play the chords of fame, oh no no.
They'll rob you of your innocence,
They'll put you up for sale,
The more that you will find succes,
The more that you will fail.
I'd been around, I had my share
And I really can't complain
But I wonder who I left behind
On the other side of fame
Oh come on and play
The chords of love my friend,
Play the chords of fame
But if you wanna keep your song, no no no,
Don't play the chords of fame, oh no.
No, oh don't play the chords of fame,
Oh don't, no don't, don't play the chords of fame.
The song "Chords of Fame" by Melanie is a tribute to Phil Ochs, a singer-songwriter who tragically died by suicide. The lyrics reflect on the fleeting nature of fame and the toll it takes on musicians who strive for success. The opening verse describes Ochs in his final moments, surrounded only by a bottle of gin and a cigarette. This paints a picture of a once-promising artist whose pursuit of fame led to a downward spiral. The chorus urges the listener to play the "chords of love," emphasizing the importance of creating music for the sake of artistry and not for fame. The risks of fame are highlighted in the lines "They'll rob you of your innocence, they'll put you up for sale," a warning against the dangers of the entertainment industry.
The second verse discusses the common trope of musicians being surrounded by fans and groupies when they achieve stardom. Melanie reflects on the fleeting nature of this attention, which can disappear as quickly as it arrives. She sees the industry as a place where success is measured by fame and media attention, where creators are reduced to soundbites and headlines. The final verse brings the listener closer to Melanie's perspective, as she admits that she has experienced some success but wonders about those she left behind. The song concludes with a plea to avoid the chords of fame and stay true to one's creative passions.
Line by Line Meaning
I found him by the stage last night,
I came across him lying on the ground near the stage, breathing his last breath.
He was breathing his last breath,
He was dying, taking his final breaths.
A bottle of gin and a cigarette Was all he had left.
All that remained of his life was a bottle of gin and a cigarette.
But God help the troubadour Who tries to be a star.
Trying to become famous as a musician is not an easy path to follow.
Come on and play The chords of love my friend,
Play songs with themes of love and kindness rather than trying to attain fame.
Play the chords of fame But if you wanna keep your song, no no no, Don't play the chords of fame, oh no no.
While fame may seem alluring, it often comes at a cost and can lead to losing the essence of one's music; therefore, it's better to stay true to one's music rather than trying to be famous.
But it all fades so quickly Like a sunny summer day;
Fame and success can be ephemeral like a beautiful summer day that soon fades away.
Reporters ask you questions And may write down what you say.
Once a musician attains fame, the media and press start intruding into their personal lives for publicity, often misinterpreting words they say or fabricating stories around them.
They'll rob you of your innocence, They'll put you up for sale,
Fame can change people, making them lose their innocence and transform them into products that can be bought and sold in the industry.
The more that you will find succes, The more that you will fail.
The more successful a musician becomes, the more they become susceptible to failure and criticism from the same world they once admired.
I wonder who I left behind On the other side of fame
The price of fame is often leaving one's roots and loved ones behind, questioning the cost of being famous.
Oh come on and play The chords of love my friend, Play the chords of fame But if you wanna keep your song, no no no, Don't play the chords of fame, oh no.
In an effort to stay true and authentic to one’s music, it’s better to stick to composing songs that express love and harmony, instead of trying to be famous.
No, oh don't play the chords of fame, Oh don't, no don't, don't play the chords of fame.
The song urges the muse to ignore the short-lived mirage of fame and instead focus on composing love songs that inspire and touch people’s hearts.
Contributed by Luke G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.