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
JaneâŚ
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)
Friends & Co.
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do a song for friends and company
Too much is the matter with giving on spite
Here's one for the giving and the other for free
The straw that broke the camel's back
Is blown upon my window sill
I may look beaten but I don't look back
You feed my will
This should be an instrumental
But it seems I've made up words
Though they have a way of getting in the way
What a way to be absurd
It's a way of being heard
Too much is the matter with giving on spite
Here's one for the giving and the other for free
Too much time for resting easy
Not enough to sleep all night
In the shooting star I take the dreaming weighs me down
The doctor's right, is the doctor ever right
Oh god I need to swallow you whole again
I've gotta mend the old soul again all I need is some inner peace
Oh god I need to swallow you whole again
I've gotta mend the old soul again all I need is some inner peace
Oh god I need to swallow you whole again
I've gotta mend the old soul again all I need is some inner peace
Give the soul a way to fly...sooth the eyes of memory
Let's give it all for an answer why
If you reach the heaven the spirit's on me
Too much singing for my living tonight
Do a song for friends and company
Too much is the matter with giving on spite
Here's one for the giving and the other for free
The lyrics to Melanie's song Friends & Co. speak to the power of music and the healing nature of friendship. The opening lines suggest that the singer may have been performing too much and needs a break, but she decides to do a song for her friends and company. In the second verse, she references the saying "the straw that broke the camel's back" and implies that something has pushed her to her limit, but she remains steadfast and determined to keep going.
As the song progresses, the imagery of shooting stars and dreaming adds to the sense of longing and searching for inner peace. The repetition of the line "Oh god I need to swallow you whole again, I've gotta mend the old soul again all I need is some inner peace" underscores the depth of emotion and desperation felt by the singer.
The final verse speaks to the transformative power of music and the importance of finding meaning and purpose in life. The singer encourages us to "give it all for an answer why" and suggests that if we can reach heaven, the spirit will be there waiting for us. Overall, Friends & Co. is a raw and honest portrayal of the human experience and the power of friendship and music to heal and uplift.
Line by Line Meaning
Too much singing for my living tonight
I feel like I've been singing too much lately and need a break.
Do a song for friends and company
Instead, I want to sing a song just for fun, to share with friends and enjoy their company.
Too much is the matter with giving on spite
Giving something to someone out of spite isn't really giving at all - it's more like revenge.
Here's one for the giving and the other for free
Instead, I want to give something freely, without any strings attached.
The straw that broke the camel's back
I'm feeling overwhelmed by all the stress in my life.
Is blown upon my window sill
It feels like even small things can add up and cause me to break.
I may look beaten but I don't look back
Despite everything, I keep moving forward and don't dwell on what's already happened.
When you break my heart
Even when someone hurts me emotionally,
You feed my will
it only makes me more determined to succeed.
This should be an instrumental
I intended to create an instrumental song, but ended up adding lyrics anyway.
But it seems I've made up words
Even though the lyrics may seem nonsensical, they still have meaning to me.
Though they have a way of getting in the way
Sometimes words can complicate things, but they are still important to me.
What a way to be absurd
It may seem silly or ridiculous, but expressing myself through music is something that brings me joy.
It's a way of being heard
Music is a way for me to communicate my feelings and experiences to others.
Too much time for resting easy
I have plenty of time to relax and rest, but still feel restless and unable to sleep.
Not enough to sleep all night
Even with so much free time, I can't find a way to get a proper night's sleep.
In the shooting star I take the dreaming weighs me down
When I see shooting stars, I'm reminded of all the dreams I have that feel impossible to achieve, and it weighs heavily on me.
The doctor's right, is the doctor ever right
I'm not sure if following the advice of others, even professionals, is always the best course of action.
Oh god I need to swallow you whole again
I need to reconnect with my spiritual beliefs and feel whole once more.
I've gotta mend the old soul again all I need is some inner peace
My soul feels broken and I need to find a sense of inner peace to heal it.
Give the soul a way to fly...sooth the eyes of memory
I want to find a way to lift my spirits and ease painful memories.
Let's give it all for an answer why
I'm willing to put everything I have into finding the answers I seek.
If you reach the heaven the spirit's on me
If someone close to me achieves something great or reaches a personal milestone, I will be there to support them.
Contributed by Anthony N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tamara
Aren't we all looking for inner peace? Still. Always. This performance just makes me smile and want to sing along. I love the bells in this...very delicate and beautiful. I remember the Michael Douglas show growing up and I may have even watched this not realizing how good it really was (is). Thank you, Melanie
oscar cardenas
Memorable song, wonderful memories of good times; the spirit of change that prevailed and the hope of a better life .... thank you for rescuing this recording and sharing it... đđâ¤â¤â¤đđ
Bob Moslow
Melanie: Thank You for being there for us, "soothing the eyes of memory", helping us to attain vision, as we honor the memory of Yesterday while living to the fullest we can Today. Our lives are way richer for knowing your Song and Spirituality.
Dave Henderson
Another great song from what is probably her finest album...Photograph (1976). Played that entire album to death. Still love it.
Richard Smith
This is one of Melanie's great songs. And a fabulous video - her pause at 4:00 waiting to pick back up. And the dancing at the end with Mike Douglas.
Sam Bradley
God bless Melanie, she has such a sweet, but powerful, so mellow, definitely fit in with the vibe of the '70s.
ianman15 Perota
I always thought that "Photograph" was Melanie's greatest album. Every style of music is sung throughout...pop, folk, gospel, blues, rock,...It's a shame it went virtually unnoticed.
ianman15 Perota
@Miriam White "Tuning My Guitar" on that album is probably the most powerful Melanie has ever sung. "The hide behind my curtain and they hope I'll be a star."
Miriam White
@ianman15 Perota Yes !!! And, " Beautiful People " was so special.
"Tuning My Guitar " is testimony to the set of values by which Melanie lives...She doesn't and didn't sing to become famous, but to bring healing, comfort and of course, her joyful heart and giving attitude...
ianman15 Perota
@Miriam White I have that album. It was cute when Melanie forgot the words to "Animal Crackers" and the audience helped her out...or when she stopped singing "Psychotherapy" when the crowd was only clapping and not singing along. Great performance for Melanie fans!