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)

I Will Get Over
Melanie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's a rock in the road
And a ditch on the side
And a steep hill that must be climbed
It's a big heavy load
And it measures too wide
And a destination
That's hard to find, but

I will get over
I'll make it there
There's just no getting ‘round it
This trouble I bear
I will get over
I'll make it there
'Til I climb up that mountain
And breathe heaven's air
I will get over

There's a stop sign ahead
And it's slippery when wet
And a detour at every turn
There's a narrowing bridge
A long threatening ridge
And a big, old landslide
That bars return, but

I will get over
I'll make it there
'Til I climb up that mountain
And breathe heaven's air
I will get over

'Til that sweet day I find it
And know that I'm there
I will get over

There's a wreck on the right
And it's getting on night
And the headlights, they won't turn on
All my brakes have been worn
Bumper's been torn
And my pride and patience
Are all but gone

I will get over
I'll make it there
'Til I climb up that mountain
And breathe heaven's air
I will get over
I'll make it there
'Til I climb up that mountain
And breathe heaven's air, ooh
I will get over
I'll make it there
I will get over
I will get over
I will get over

I will get over
I will get over

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Melanie's song "I Will Get Over" describe the journey of life, with all its obstacles and struggles, and the determination to overcome them. The song opens with a description of the difficulties on the path ahead, symbolized by a rock in the road, a steep hill, and a destination that is hard to find. These obstacles are not insurmountable, however, and the singer declares that she will make it through and achieve her goals, even if it is difficult and takes a long time. She repeats the line "I will get over" as a mantra of perseverance and resilience.

The second verse of the song continues in the same vein, with a description of more obstacles on the path, such as stop signs, slippery roads, and landslides. Despite these setbacks, the singer remains determined to make it to her destination, which she describes as heaven's air. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for a better life, a place of safety and contentment, or even a spiritual afterlife, depending on the listener's perspective.

In the final verse, the singer describes a final, desperate struggle against the odds. Her car is damaged, her patience is worn thin, and she is exhausted from the journey. Nevertheless, she remains resolute and refuses to give up. The repeating chorus serves as a reminder of her determination to keep going, no matter what obstacles lie ahead. In short, "I Will Get Over" is a song about perseverance, hope, and the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity and achieve one's goals.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a rock in the road
There are obstacles in my path

And a ditch on the side
There are dangers that could lead to failure

And a steep hill that must be climbed
The task ahead is difficult and arduous

It's a big heavy load
The weight of this challenge is significant

And it measures too wide
The scope of the challenge is broad

And a destination that's hard to find, but
The goal is unclear and uncertain

I will get over
I will overcome these obstacles

I'll make it there
I will reach my destination

There's just no getting ‘round it
There is no avoiding the challenge

This trouble I bear
I am burdened by this challenge

There's a stop sign ahead
There are more obstacles ahead