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)
People In The Front Row
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was outta love,
And out of heart
I couldn't quite stop
Something that I didn't start
Yeah yeah, the critics said no,
I didn't know how
Oh oh how ....
I was read on the bill
Of a second rate show
The audience asked me why but
I didn't know, oh oh
My predicament grew,
But now I got friends
And I think that
My friends are you,
Yeah oh oh how ....
You know I looked around
At the faces I'd know
I fell in love with
The people in the front row
Oh oh how ....
My predicament grew,
Now I got friends
And I think that my friends
Are you, yeah....
Oh oh how ....
You can put me here
And I'm all yours,
Not for the money
And it's not for the applause,
No oh no no no
'cause after is nothing
It's doing the song
I don't have to hear a thing
To know I've been grooved on
These chords that I'm using
Are usually sad
I had to use them,
They're the best chords that I have,
Ha ha ....
Oh yeah, this progression is usually sad
But it felt my sorrow and I wanted
It to feel me glad,
Ha ha ....
The lyrics to "People In The Front Row" by Melanie Safka express the artist's journey through heartbreak, criticism, and eventually finding solace in her music and the people who appreciate it. She begins the song by lamenting her lack of love and heart, and her inability to stop something that she didn't start. Despite this, critics discouraged her and tried to silence her, but she was determined to keep creating. She was then booked for a second rate show, where she was questioned by the audience, and her predicament grew. However, Safka found comfort in the faces of the people in the front row, and fell in love with them. Now, she considers these people her friends and thanks them for their support.
Through these lyrics, Safka emphasizes the importance of finding support in other people, especially during tough times in arts and entertainment industries. While critics may try to silence and discourage artists, it is the support of true fans that can make all the difference in an artist's journey. These lyrics also show the power of music to bring people together, and the thrill of performing for an audience that truly appreciates an artist's work.
Line by Line Meaning
I was outta love,
I had lost all love from my heart and soul.
And out of heart
I was devoid of emotions and couldn't feel anything.
I couldn't quite stop
I was unable to prevent something from happening that I didn't initiate.
Something that I didn't start
The thing that was happening was beyond my control, and I couldn't understand it.
Yeah yeah, the critics said no,
The critics did not approve of me, and they made it clear loudly.
I didn't know how
I felt lost and confused and couldn't see a way out of the situation.
It came, so I couldn't go,
The situation occurred naturally, and I couldn't back out of it without causing more trouble.
Oh oh how ....
I was in awe of it all, and I couldn't express myself clearly.
I was read on the bill
I was advertised on the poster for the show, but not in the prime spot.
Of a second rate show
The show was not of high quality and not well regarded by many people.
The audience asked me why but
The audience questioned me about why I was there or performing at such a mediocre show.
I didn't know, oh oh
I couldn't answer the audience's queries clearly and didn't know quite what to say.
My predicament grew,
My situation got worse day by day and was extremely challenging.
But now I got friends
But now, I have people in my life who support and encourage me.
And I think that
I believe that
My friends are you,
The people in the front row are my friends who have supported me and enjoy my music.
You know I looked around
I glanced around the room.
At the faces I'd know
At people who I recognized from previous shows or events.
I fell in love with
I developed a great appreciation and admiration for
The people in the front row
The people who sit closest, and feel the energy of my music are the ones who support me the most.
You can put me here
The people who organize the shows can place me where they want me to be, and I can perform at any time.
And I'm all yours,
And I can be at your service
Not for the money
Not for the sake of earning money, but Because
And it's not for the applause,
It's not for the sake of getting praised by people or the audience
No oh no no no
No, never ever
'cause after is nothing
After the show ends, there is nothing but an empty feeling left.
It's doing the song
The fulfillment that you get from performing the song to perfection
I don't have to hear a thing
I don't have to hear the audience's approval to feel the satisfaction of performing.
To know I've been grooved on
To know that the audience enjoyed and was moved by my performance.
These chords that I'm using
The notes of music that I'm playing
Are usually sad
Are usually played on sad emotional songs.
I had to use them,
I was compelled to use them
They're the best chords that I have,
They are the chords that suit my artistic vision the most.
Ha ha ....
Used in a lighthearted manner to convey a playful tone.
Oh yeah, this progression is usually sad
Oh, I know this musical pattern is typically used for creating solemn music.
But it felt my sorrow and I wanted
But performing the song allowed me to channel my sadness into a positive creative light.
It to feel me glad,
Transform my troubles into a source of joy for the audience.
Ha ha ....
A way to lighten the mood and give a positive ending to this insightful song.
Contributed by Liliana J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.