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)
Lay Lady Lay
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lay, lady, lay, lay across that big brass bed
Lay, lady, lay, lay across that big brass bed
'Till the break of day stay while you're still ahead
Lay, lady, lay, lay across that big brass bed
Why wait any longer for my world to begin
Why wait any longer for the one that I love
When the one I love is you?
Stay, lady, stay, stay with a man a while
Until the break of day let me see you make him smile
His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean
And I'm the best thing that he's ever seen
Stay, lady, stay, stay across the big brass bed
Stay, lady, stay, stay while you're still ahead
His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean
And I'm the best thing that he's ever seen
Lay, lady, lay, lay across that big brass bed
Lay, lady, lay, lay across that big brass bed
Lay, lady, lay, lay across that big brass bed
Melanie Safka's cover of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" is an intimate, romantic ballad that speaks of a man and a woman's physical and emotional connection. The song begins with the repeated line, "Lay, lady, lay, lay across that big brass bed," which is a clear invitation for the woman to stay with the man in his bed. The brass bed is an interesting choice of imagery because it is a symbol of luxury and grandeur, and perhaps represents the man's desire to impress and pamper his lover. It also suggests a certain level of permanence or commitment - a brass bed is not something you just throw away or replace.
The second verse speaks of the man's impatience to start his life with the woman he loves. He sings, "Why wait any longer for my world to begin, when I can have my cake and eat it too?" This line suggests that the man feels like he has been waiting for this woman for a long time, and now that she is here, he wants to make the most of their time together. He is not interested in delaying their happiness any longer, and wants to enjoy everything she has to offer.
In the third verse, the man tells the woman to stay with him a little longer, until the break of day. He wants to see her make him smile, and describes himself as a man with dirty clothes but clean hands. This line could be interpreted as a metaphor for someone who has made poor decisions in their life (the dirty clothes) but still has a pure heart (the clean hands). The man believes that he is the best thing that the woman has ever seen, despite his faults, and wants her to stay with him as long as she can.
Overall, "Lay Lady Lay" is an emotionally charged love song that celebrates physical and emotional connection. Melanie's haunting vocals and the simplicity of the lyrics create a hypnotic effect that draws the listener in and leaves them feeling as though they have just experienced something profound.
Line by Line Meaning
Lay, lady, lay, lay across that big brass bed
Come lie down on this big, beautiful brass bed with me
'Till the break of day stay while you're still ahead
Let's stay up all night together and enjoy the moment before the day begins
Why wait any longer for my world to begin
I don't want to waste any more time waiting for the perfect moment to start my life with you
When I can have my cake and eat it too?
Why should I settle for less, when I can have everything I want with you?
Why wait any longer for the one that I love, when the one I love is you?
I don't need to search any longer, I've found my perfect match in you
Stay, lady, stay, stay with a man a while
Stick around with me for some time and let's enjoy each other's company
Until the break of day let me see you make him smile
Let's have a night full of laughter and happiness, and cherish this moment
His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean
He may not have material possessions, but he is good at heart and treats me well
And I'm the best thing that he's ever seen
I know I make him happy, and I enjoy making him feel special
Stay, lady, stay, stay across the big brass bed
Keep lying with me on this beautiful bed
Stay, lady, stay, stay while you're still ahead
Let's enjoy this moment while we still can, without worrying about what's to come
Lay, lady, lay, lay across that big brass bed
Once again, come lie down on this big, beautiful brass bed with me
Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alan Fleming
Only now that I am in my 60s do I appreciate how lucky I was to grow up with such musical talent. At 60 this sounds even better than when I was 16. Thank you Melanie
Lauren R
100% agree with you. I think I was 12 or 13 and had the 45 of Melanie singing "Brand New Key", (I think that was the title. I played it over and over, never realizing that "Candles in the Rain" was so good because I wasn't listening to it! Melanie is incredible and I so appreciate her true talent and amazing personality. I think I've seen all of her interviews. She's unique and just incredible!
Joan Peaden
I hear ya!
Ron Ross
Stunning voice. I forgot those great relaxed parties in the 70s listening to Melanie. Life was so simple!
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Melanie was a huge talent. Her voice alone could have launched her into the stratosphere but for various reasons it didn't happen. She remains for me one of my favorites and a voice that defines my formative years. I saw her live at the Mainline in Philly. I was in tears when I met her and she was incredibly kind. Her music defines my soul. Thank you Melanie Safka...Now and always..
Ian Walker
Thanks for writing some of your Melanie story here, and I'm really glad you've met her in person. There is just no one else like Melanie, she's a unique and precious soul.
Mojo Manson
Popularity is fleeting, a flash in the pan. She still moves hundreds of thousands people with her God given voice! Trust me, she will never be overlooked!
K B
Totes Mcgoats!
Totally!🏁🎶🏁
Mojo Manson
Try, Melanie & The Edwin Hawkin Singers, "Lay Down" 1970 (Official Version), Swedish television. Absolutely fantastic!
RAIN STEIN
I have long been a major fan of Melanie Safka and was fortunate to see her perform and meet her and her son and daughter here in Florida back on her birthday in 2000!!! A fellow Aquarian and an enormous talent!!! So down to earth!!!