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)
We've got tonight
Melanie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know your plans don't include me
Still here we are, both of us lonely
Longing for shelter from all that we see
Why should we worry, no one will care
Look at the stars so far away
We've got tonight, who needs tomorrow?
We've got tonight
Deep in my soul, I've been so lonely
All of my hopes, fading away
I've longed for love, like everyone else does
I know I'll keep searching, even after today
So there it is, I've got it all now
And here we are, what do you say?
We've got tonight, who needs tomorrow?
We've got tonight
Why don't you stay?
I know it's late, I know you're weary
I know your plans don't include me
Still here we are, both of us lonely
Both of us lonely
We've got tonight, who needs tomorrow?
Let's make it last, let's find a way
Turn out the light, come take my hand now
We've got tonight
Why don't you stay?
Why don't you stay?
Why don't you stay?
Why don't you stay?
We've got tonight, who needs tomorrow?
We've got tonight
Why don't you stay?
The song "We've Got Tonight" by Melanie is a soulful ballad that speaks to the deep longing for companionship and love that people experience in their lives. The lyrics begin by acknowledging the lateness of the hour and the weariness of the person being addressed. It is clear that this person has plans that do not involve the singer, but both of them are still lonely and seeking shelter from the world. The singer points out that they need not worry about what others think and encourages them to look at the stars to see that they are not alone.
As the song continues, the lyrics reveal that the singer has also experienced a deep loneliness and longed for love. They acknowledge that they will continue to search for it, but in this moment, they have found a connection with this other person. The refrain of "We've got tonight, who needs tomorrow?" encapsulates the idea that they are living in the moment and not worrying about the future.
In the final verse, the singer implores the other person to stay and make the most of the time they have together. The repeated plea of "Why don't you stay?" speaks to the fear of being left alone once more. Overall, the lyrics of "We've Got Tonight" are poignant and relatable, expressing the deep longing for human connection and the joy that can be found in living in the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
I know it's late, I know you're weary
I understand that it's late and that you may be tired.
I know your plans don't include me
I am aware that you didn't make plans with me in mind.
Still here we are, both of us lonely
Despite not making plans together, we find ourselves alone.
Longing for shelter from all that we see
We are looking for a safe haven from all the chaos we witness.
Why should we worry, no one will care
We don't need to worry about what others think because no one cares.
Look at the stars so far away
Let's focus on the beauty of the stars that are unreachable but still still visible.
We've got tonight, who needs tomorrow?
Let's live in the present and enjoy what we have right now.
Why don't you stay?
Why not spend the night with me?
Deep in my soul, I've been so lonely
I have felt incredibly alone and lost in my life.
All of my hopes, fading away
The things I once hoped for are slipping away from me.
I've longed for love, like everyone else does
I have always wanted to experience love, just like any other person.
I know I'll keep searching, even after today
Even if tonight doesn't work out, I know that I will keep searching for love in the future.
So there it is, I've got it all now
I have everything I could want in this moment.
And here we are, what do you say?
Now that we're together, what do you think?
Let's make it last, let's find a way
We should make the most of this time together and find a way to make it last.
Turn out the light, come take my hand now
Let's turn off the lights and hold hands.
Why don't you stay?
Please stay with me tonight.
Contributed by Kaylee I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.