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)
Merry Christmas
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New-Year.
I want some figgy pudding, I want some figgy pudding
I want some figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer.
I won't go until I get some, I won't go until I get some,
I won't go until I get some, so bring it right here.
Once in a year it's not thought amiss
To visit our neighbours and sing out like this:
Our friendship and love, good neighbours, abound
And peace and good will the whole year around.
Pace, salude, friedmere, shalome,
The words mean the same whatever your home.
Why can't we have Christmas the whole year around?
Why can't we have Christmas the whole year around?
Melanie's song "Merry Christmas" is a cheerful holiday tune that expresses well wishes, a desire for figgy pudding, and the hope that the Christmas spirit will last the whole year. The first verse is a simple and straightforward greeting, wishing the listener a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. The second verse mentions the desire for some figgy pudding, a traditional British dessert made from dried figs, and a cup of good cheer.
The third verse is perhaps the most well-known and catchy part of the song, with the lyrics "I won't go until I get some, so bring it right here." This line is often sung in a louder and more forceful manner, emphasizing the desire for figgy pudding. The fourth verse is a reminder of the importance of visiting neighbors during the holiday season, and how this can foster friendship, love, and peace throughout the year. The final two lines of the song ask the question, "Why can't we have Christmas the whole year around?" suggesting that the holiday season's goodwill should continue to spread long after December ends.
Overall, Melanie's "Merry Christmas" is a fun and joyful song that captures the spirit of the holiday season. It's a reminder that even though the holidays are often associated with gift-giving and treats like figgy pudding, the most valuable gifts are those of friendship, love, and peace. It's a song that encourages people to come together and enjoy the special moments that make the holiday season so unique.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish you a merry Christmas, I wish you a merry Christmas
I sincerely hope that you have a joyful and delightful Christmas celebration
I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New-Year.
Additionally, I extend my best wishes to you for a happy and prosperous New Year
I want some figgy pudding, I want some figgy pudding
I would like to enjoy some delicious figgy pudding as a part of our festive celebrations
I want some figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer.
I believe that sharing some delightful figgy pudding along with a cup of good cheer can bring us all closer together
I won't go until I get some, I won't go until I get some,
I will not leave until I have had the opportunity to partake in the delicious figgy pudding and celebrate in the festive spirit
I won't go until I get some, so bring it right here.
I kindly request that the figgy pudding be brought to me so that I may fully enjoy the festivities without having to leave
Once in a year it's not thought amiss
It is generally accepted that once a year, during Christmas, it is appropriate to engage in certain traditions and customs
To visit our neighbours and sing out like this:
For example, one such tradition may include visiting our neighbors and singing in celebration
Our friendship and love, good neighbours, abound
During this special time, we are reminded of the importance of our friendships and the love that surrounds us, especially within our communities
And peace and good will the whole year around.
It is my hope that this sentiment of peace and good will extends beyond just the Christmas season, but throughout the entire year
Pace, salude, friedmere, shalome,
I acknowledge the different cultures and beliefs represented during this festive season through these diverse greetings
The words mean the same whatever your home.
These expressions of peace and good will are universal and can be understood and appreciated regardless of one's place of origin or cultural background
Why can't we have Christmas the whole year around?
I wonder why we can't celebrate the spirit of Christmas, with its emphasis on peace, love, and goodwill, every day throughout the year
Why can't we have Christmas the whole year around?
Merry Christmas, one and all!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MELANIE SAFKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind