1. Melanie Ann Safka-Schekeryk (b. 1947, d. 2024; known professionally as M… Read Full Bio ↴1. Melanie Ann Safka-Schekeryk (b. 1947, d. 2024; known professionally as Melanie) was a U.S. singer-songwriter.

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)

Elements
Melanie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Trouble me to tell your secret
Crouch down low and whisper why
Turn the lights down
Close the window
It's wild out there tonight
Come in from the storm and thunder
Wait it out 'til the coast is clear
Such a heavy cloud we're under

I thought I was alone in this

Alone in a room with your kiss
Alone in a room with your kiss

Further down the road I wander
Leaving what I know behind
Gather me to roam beyond where
Protected from the winds and mist
Alone in a room with your kiss

Twisted branch cold and splinter
Devastating possibility
Flotsam, jetsam, muck wash over
How I long for clear, clean water
Bone and feather on the altar

Elemental weave and wander
Expectations spark to fly
Several ways with no direction
Missed its mark, made the hit
Deafening sound of nothingness

Alone in a room with your kiss
Alone in a room with your kiss

Overall Meaning

The song "Elements" by Melanie Martinez is a complex and layered journey through emotions and experiences. The lyrics speak to the desire to reveal secrets and the comfort found in trusting someone enough to let go. The first stanza speaks to the need for solace and safety when the outside world is fraught with danger and uncertainty. The singer invites someone to tell them their secrets and to seek refuge in the safety of the room. The line "I thought I was alone in this" speaks to the isolation and loneliness that can come from experiencing difficult emotions or situations, but also to the relief that comes from knowing that someone else shares those feelings.

The second stanza takes the listener on a journey beyond the safety of the room and into the unknown. The singer is leaving behind what they know to explore new territory, protected by the safety of the kiss that they carry with them. The mention of "twisted branches" and "devastating possibility" speak to the danger and risk involved in this journey, but the desire for something new and the search for clarity and purity drives the singer forward.

The chorus repeats the line "Alone in a room with your kiss" which serves as a central theme of the song. The kiss represents safety, trust, and intimacy with another person. It offers protection and comfort in a world that can be unpredictable and dangerous.

Overall, "Elements" is a powerful and moving song that delves into complex emotions around trust, safety, and the desire for something more.

Line by Line Meaning

Trouble me to tell your secret
Request me to reveal your hidden thoughts and feelings

Crouch down low and whisper why
Get close to me and privately explain the reason for your actions

Turn the lights down
Reduce the intensity of the illumination

Close the window
Seal off the opening in the wall to exclude the outdoor environment

It's wild out there tonight
The weather is unpredictable and dangerous this evening

Come in from the storm and thunder
Take refuge from the harsh weather conditions

Wait it out 'til the coast is clear
Remain in safety until the danger has passed

Such a heavy cloud we're under
We're experiencing a significant burden or pressure

I thought I was alone in this
I believed that I was the only one experiencing this difficulty

Alone in a room with your kiss
Being in a state of solitude while recalling the memory of your affection

Further down the road I wander
I continue my journey without a fixed destination

Leaving what I know behind
Putting the things that I am familiar with in the past

Gather me to roam beyond where
Bring me to explore outside of the current circumstances

Protected from the winds and mist
Shielded from the adversities and uncertainties of life

Twisted branch cold and splinter
A deformed part of a plant that is freezing and sharp

Devastating possibility
An upsetting potential outcome

Flotsam, jetsam, muck wash over
Trash and undesirable substances flood the area

How I long for clear, clean water
I crave pure and untainted liquid

Bone and feather on the altar
Animal remains on a religious pedestal

Elemental weave and wander
The fundamental connection and movement of natural forces

Expectations spark to fly
Anticipations are ignited and escalate

Several ways with no direction
Numerous choices without a clear path forward

Missed its mark, made the hit
Failed to achieve the intended goal, but attained something else

Deafening sound of nothingness
A silent noise that is overpowering and unsettling

Alone in a room with your kiss
Being in a state of solitude while recalling the memory of your affection

Contributed by Abigail B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Groovy Guru

6y↑4

Thanks Sky Vibes another nice video this song and the song Extraordinary are my favorites from this album ,a great album by the way

Groovy Guru

6y↑4

It's actually one of my favorite lps of Melanie.. . ain't she Great!!!!

Sky Vibes

6y↑2

Thanks Groovy, I like just about them all, in particular 'Ballad Of Crazy Love' which I made one of my favourites for, but also including "Smile", "Extraordinary", "Nothing Is Real", "And We Fall" and "They Can Find You In Your Dreams"!