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)
I Don't Know What Love Is
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it roses and kisses or moonlight and song
Or just a lot of people talking
I thought that I knew but I guess I was wrong
You told me love was everything
The reason for living to listen to you
Please don't ever leave me
Years just go by
My heart keeps beating though it doesn't show
Tears in my eyes
And words like forever are all that I know
I don't know what love is
Temporary dream go away with the dawn
But I believed in always
And I kept on believing until you were gone
Years just go by
My heart keeps beating though it doesn't show
Tears in my eyes
And words like forever are all that I know
Tell me what you're thinkin' of
Fallin' in and out of love
Tell me what it's like to be you
You said you would love me only
This confusion leaves me lonely
Tell me what it means to you
To be true
I don't know what love is
One woman's fantasy another man's game
But it kept you close inside me
In the heat of the night I still call out your name
I don't know what love is
But my heart keeps on beating though it doesn't show
But I believe in always
'Cause words like forever are all that I know
And words like forever are all that I know
In "I Don't Know What Love Is," Melanie expresses her confusion and uncertainty about what love truly is. She questions whether it's about material things, like flowers and kisses, or intangible elements like moonlight and music. She ponders on the many definitions of love she's heard from others but still wonders if she knows what love is. She thought she knew what it was, but her beliefs were shattered. Then, she met someone who became her everything, who helped her understand love, but now that person is gone. Despite the confusion and heartbreak, time goes by, but her heart never stops beating. She believes in "forever" and hopes to find someone who can help her discover what true love really means.
The song explores the complexities of love, the ambiguity of its meaning, and how people come to understand it differently. Melanie's lyrics express a deep yearning to comprehend the true essence of love and to form an emotional connection with another person. The song portrays love as something that can be fleeting yet long-lasting, a fluid concept that changes depending on the person experiencing it.
In summary, "I Don't Know What Love Is" is a heartfelt and existential ode to love, its many facets and complexities, and the challenges of trying to understand it.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know what love is
The singer is unsure of what love truly entails
Is it roses and kisses or moonlight and song
The singer questions whether love is represented by romantic stereotypes
Or just a lot of people talking
The singer wonders if love is simply a societal construct
I thought that I knew but I guess I was wrong
The artist believed they understood love, but realized they were mistaken
You told me love was everything
The artist heard that love is the most important aspect of life from someone they trusted
The reason for living to listen to you
The singer considered the person's opinion to be of great value and believed in their words
Please don't ever leave me
The singer is scared of being abandoned by their loved one
Just shadows of words disappeared in the blue
The artist is left with nothing after their loved one's words fade away
Years just go by
Time is passing, but the artist is still grappling with the concept of love
My heart keeps beating though it doesn't show
Despite their emotional turmoil, the artist still has a physical reaction to the idea of love
Tears in my eyes
The singer is sad and emotional
And words like forever are all that I know
The artist clings to the concept of forever as a pillar in their confusion about love
Temporary dream go away with the dawn
The singer believes that the idea of love is fleeting like a dream
But I believed in always
Despite doubts, the singer clung to the hope of a love that lasts forever
And I kept on believing until you were gone
The singer continued to believe in love until their loved one left them
Tell me what you're thinkin' of
The artist wants to understand their loved one's perspective on love
Fallin' in and out of love
The artist questions if falling in and out of love is normal
You said you would love me only
The singer remembers a promise of exclusivity from their loved one
This confusion leaves me lonely
The singer is experiencing loneliness as a result of their doubts about love
Tell me what it means to you
The artist wants to understand their loved one's personal definition of love
One woman's fantasy another man's game
The artist recognizes that love can be interpreted in different ways by different people
But it kept you close inside me
Despite not understanding love, the artist still feels emotionally attached to their loved one
In the heat of the night I still call out your name
The singer is still thinking about and wishing for their loved one, especially at night
But my heart keeps on beating though it doesn't show
The artist's heart is still beating even though they may feel emotionally numb or confused
'Cause words like forever are all that I know
The singer clings to the idea of forever as a constant in their ever-changing understanding of love
Contributed by Grace C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
NordicDartfrog
Damn, she totally owned this song. Did not see that coming. Seen many do this song quite well, but not like this. Great work
A Faith •
IKR! I legit love Mel c so much
Roy Zelkin
I totally agree with you 5*
Anne Yap
A very unique voice. Very specially , l love her singing.
Beachygirl
This is lovely.
Anne Yap
Full of expression , yet so natural !
XTIN0
Her voice is AMAZING 💙 and so is her rendition of this song. I could never hold the tears while listening to her performance.
Elston Gunn
I didn't know she could sing like this. Fantastic performance.
Stefano de Blasio
My God the King at the piano and the magic singer...Masterpiece!
Loraine Crook
Stunning!