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)
Loving My Children
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Living anyway that I chose is all that I can do
Adding some kindness to the truth that I've lived to know
And Loving My Children, till love in the World is born
Till love in the World is born
Till love in the World is born
Loving My Children, till love in the World is born
Down by the wayside I've wandered and stumbled some
Riding the backroads of youth I can't run away from
Earn my own living and living all I can
And teaching my children till Love is born in man
Till Love is born in man
Till Love is born again
Loving My Children
Loving My Children, till love is born in man.
Melanie's song "Loving My Children" talks about the endless love and care a mother has for her children, and her desire to see a harmonious and loving world. The lyrics suggest that although life may not always be easy, we have the right to choose our path and make the most of what we have been given. The phrase "Drinking the Water I'm given the right to" could be interpreted as taking what life has to offer, and making the best out of it.
The lyrics also suggest that we should be kind, but truthful, and this would lead to a better world. The phrase "Adding some kindness to the truth that I've lived to know" implies that we should not compromise on honesty, but we should also not forget that kindness goes a long way. The chorus of the song reinforces the idea that love is the answer, and we should teach our children to love till love is born in the world.
Overall, Melanie's song "Loving My Children" is a beautiful ode to motherhood and love. It reminds us that although life may be tough at times, we have the power to create a better future for ourselves and our loved ones, and that love is the key to unlocking a harmonious and peaceful world.
Line by Line Meaning
Drinking the Water I'm given the right to
I'm taking the opportunities I'm given in life, and I'm grateful for them.
Living anyway that I chose is all that I can do
I have the freedom to live my life the way I want to, and I'm taking advantage of that.
Adding some kindness to the truth that I've lived to know
I've learned some hard truths in life, but I'm choosing to respond with kindness and grace.
And Loving My Children, till love in the World is born
I'm committed to loving my children with all my heart, and I hope that their love will help make the world a better place.
Down by the wayside I've wandered and stumbled some
I've had some difficult times in life where I've felt lost and unsure of myself.
Riding the backroads of youth I can't run away from
Even though I've made mistakes in the past, I can't go back and change them - I have to keep moving forward.
Earn my own living and living all I can
I work hard to provide for my family, and I try to live my life to the fullest.
And teaching my children till Love is born in man
I'm doing my best to teach my children to be kind, compassionate, and loving, so that someday, they will help create a more loving world.
Till Love is born in man
I believe that humans have the capacity for great love, and I won't stop working towards that goal until we have achieved it.
Till Love is born again
Love is a constant process of renewal and growth, and we must always strive to foster it.
Loving My Children
Above all, I am dedicated to loving and nurturing my children, no matter what life may bring.
Loving My Children, till love is born in man.
I believe that by loving my children and teaching them to love, I am helping to bring more love into the world, one person at a time.
Contributed by Landon M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.