Raised in a musical home – her father was a music teacher – Doane mastered many instruments, including the piano, bass, mandolin and violin, at a young age. In 1993, she recorded an EP titled HARVEST TRAIN and released it independently. The songs made their way to executives at Sony Music Canada, and soon after Doane signed to Sony and began working on her debut album, SHAKESPEAREAN FISH. While the album received critical praise and garnered a loyal following, it wasn't until the release of Melanie's sophomore album that her music made a mainstream impact.
ADAM'S RIB (her second album with Sony), was released in Canada in 1998. The title track and first single, a rocking anthem about a rib wanting to have its own independence from a man, displayed Doane's vocal, violin, and songwriting talents. The song was a success at radio stations nationwide, and Doane earned a spot on the Lilith Fair concert tour. The following year, she walked away with the 1999 Juno Award for Best New Solo Artist. Subsequent singles "Waiting For The Tide", "Goliath" and "Happy Homemaker" each charted Top 40. In August of 1999, the album was released in the United States under the Columbia Records label.
Following promotion and touring for ADAM'S RIB, Doane took a break from recording to have a baby and work on other projects, including writing for other artists and acting in the independent film Black Swan. She also released a live album, MELVIN LIVE, featuring Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies in 2001.
In 2003, Doane announced that she had parted ways with Sony and signed with Actorboy Records, an independent label created by her husband, theatre director and actor, Ted Dykstra, and actor, Gary Sinise. Her latest album, YOU ARE WHAT YOU LOVE, was released that year by Warner Music Canada. The music video for lead single "Still Desire You" featured clips from her role in Black Swan. The video reached #1 on the MuchMoreMusic Top 10 countdown, and the song reached #5 on the national radio charts. During touring and promotion for YOU ARE WHAT YOU LOVE, Melanie became pregnant with her second child.
In 2008, Melanie returned with the critically acclaimed album A THOUSAND NIGHTS, inspired by Melanie’s experiences with motherhood. The album features a lush assortment of original songs and cover tunes, including beloved tracks by Fleetwood Mac, The Everly Brothers, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen. Tracks "Every Little Thing" and "Chopin Ballad" were later featured in hit TV shows "Being Erica" and "Flashpoint".
On June 16, 2009, Melanie released her new single "Back To L.A." on her independent label Prairie Ocean, distributed by Conveyor/Universal.
First love
Melanie Doane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
first sight
first star I've seen tonight
words fly
tears shed
get all messed up in my head
first love
best there ever was
gift from above
so pure
so true
so young
so new
hearts break
can't mend
think I'll never love again
first love
best there ever was
first love
gift from above
first love
first love
gift from above
The song "First Love" by Melanie Doane celebrates the experience of falling in love for the first time, highlighting the overwhelming emotions and purity of the earliest stages of a relationship. The first verse describes the wonder of seeing the first star at night, a moment that becomes imbued with meaning and memory because it is shared with the person you love. The singer then expresses the confusion and messiness that accompanies the intensity of first love, with words and tears blending together in her head.
The chorus repeats the refrain that first love is the "best there ever was" and a "gift from above," emphasizing the specialness of this experience in a person's life. The second verse reflects on the bittersweet aspect of first love, acknowledging that hearts can break and that it's hard to imagine ever loving someone else again. In these lines, Doane captures the fleeting and fragile nature of young love, even while celebrating its beauty.
Overall, "First Love" is a nostalgic and romantic ode to a transformative early experience that many people likely relate to. Through Doane's lyrics, listeners can remember the joy and pain of their first loves and appreciate the way those moments shaped them.
Line by Line Meaning
first love
The feeling of affection experienced for the first time by an individual towards another person.
first sight
When an individual falls in love with someone at first glance without knowing anything about them.
first star I've seen tonight
The first star the individual saw tonight that sets the mood for the feeling of falling in love.
words fly
The words spoken by the loved one have a great impact on the individual, causing them to feel overwhelmed and excited.
tears shed
The overwhelming emotion causes tears of joy to flow down the individual's cheeks.
get all messed up in my head
The individual's thoughts get jumbled, and they can't focus on anything except the loved one.
first love
The greatest love the individual has ever experienced in their life.
best there ever was
The love that is unmatched and unparalleled by any other love the individual has experienced.
gift from above
The love that feels like a blessing from a higher power.
so pure
The love that is innocent and uncorrupted by selfish motives.
so true
The love that is genuine and authentic.
so young
The love that is experienced during the youthful years of an individual's life.
so new
The love that is fresh and exciting as it has never been experienced before.
hearts break
The pain and hurt that comes from losing the person you love.
can't mend
The heartbreak the individual experiences can't be fixed or repaired by anyone or anything.
think I'll never love again
The individual feels like they will never be able to love someone as much as they loved their first love.
Contributed by Jasmine G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.