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)
Monongahela River
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Others put themselves in one
Pittsburgh, you're the living proof
Some kill themselves living
Others get killed for trying, trying hard
They kill the ones who break the rule
Monongahela River
Water down the city's gloom
Oh the lamplight is frozen
On windows and Sundays
So we never see the darkest room
But the heartfire is burning
And I keep praying one day
We will see the light of truth
Row me down, row me down
Monongahela River
Water down the city's gloom
Row your boat to the shore
Monongahela River
Isn't water anymore
Some get put in prison
Other put themselves in one
Pittsburgh, you're the living proof
Melanie's song Monongahela River is a powerful commentary on society's inequalities and the perpetuation of cycles of violence and oppression. The opening lines "Some get put in prison, others put themselves in one" sets the tone for the song, highlighting how individuals can become trapped in situations that are both imposed upon them and self-inflicted. The city of Pittsburgh is then presented as proof of this reality, with its history of steel mills and labor disputes serving as a backdrop for the struggles of its inhabitants.
The song goes on to describe the different fates that befall those who try to escape these confines, whether through self-destruction or breaking the rules set by those in power. Yet, despite these struggles, there is a sense of hope in the chorus "Row me down, row me down, Monongahela River, water down the city's gloom". The river is a metaphor for cleansing and transformation, and there is a sense that the heartfire of those who strive for justice will eventually prevail.
The verses also paint a vivid picture of the city's landscape, with the frozen lamplight and the darkest room representing the hidden realities of poverty and oppression. Yet, despite this darkness, there is a belief in the power of the light of truth to change things for the better.
Overall, Melanie's Monongahela River is a powerful reflection on society's flaws and the need for change, but also a reminder that there is always the possibility of transformation and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Some get put in prison
Certain individuals find themselves confined in prison due to their actions in life
Others put themselves in one
Some individuals make choices and act in ways that ultimately lead to their own imprisonment
Pittsburgh, you're the living proof
The city of Pittsburgh serves as evidence of both types of imprisonment mentioned in the previous lines
Some kill themselves living
Certain individuals end up perishing due to their lifestyle choices or behaviors, one way or another
Others get killed for trying, trying hard
Some people end up dying for taking risks and pursuing their goals with great effort
They kill the ones who break the rule
There are harsh consequences for going against established norms or laws in certain circumstances
Row me down, row me down
Addressing the river, the singer asks for a ride along the Monongahela
Monongahela River
A symbol and a setting for the people and events the song discusses
Water down the city's gloom
The artist hopes that the river's flow can wash away some of the sadness or negativity that pervades the city
Oh the lamplight is frozen
The artist describes a specific visual aspect of the city, where a still, cold light is prevalent
On windows and Sundays
This light seems to shine particularly on windows, or perhaps only on certain days of the week
So we never see the darkest room
The artist suggests that there may be some aspects of Pittsburgh that are hidden or unknown to many of its residents
But the heartfire is burning
Despite or perhaps because of the difficulties the city faces, there is an inner spirit that keeps burning within it
And I keep praying one day
The singer feels a sense of hope and believes in the possibility of things getting better
We will see the light of truth
The singer imagines a time when people will come to understand and address the problems facing the city, and perhaps find solutions to them
Row your boat to the shore
The artist addresses an unnamed party, inviting them to come closer to the river and its surroundings
Isn't water anymore
The artist notes that some part of the river has changed or disappeared, adding a note of melancholy or regret to the song
Contributed by Evelyn R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
PasoBaby
I have loved Melanie since I was 14. I'm now 60. I can't say how many times her music has solaced me when I was down, felt what I feel, and carried me through. She is my absolute favorite. Thank you of this.
Darryl Buckett
All of Melanie's songs are my favourites, hard to single one out but this is up there
piperhill fan
We enjoy Melanie and her songs very much : thank you for sharing, Lynn.
lynn dorton
thank you.....☮♪♫♥♪♫♥☮
Janneke Yentle
Thank you!!! Beautiful song!i love Melanie :) !
lynn dorton
me too!! have loved her most all my life! i also love Jim, noticed you are in love with his poetic artistry!!!!
Jane Jones
thank you thank you, love this underrated artist, my fave greenie song ever.
Elisa Griffith
I was 11 when I first started listening to Melanie she was my inspiration
Sue Taylor
Thank you! One of my favourites also.
elraval15
thanx a lot for posting. i haven't listen to this beautifull song for a long time. I love Melanie too ;-))