Melanie Janene was born in Charleston, … Read Full Bio ↴May 13, 1967---November 24, 2001
Melanie Janene was born in Charleston, South Carolina and began studying voice from the age of six, as well as learning to play the piano and the clarinet. Growing up her mother would listen to Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack. Melanie would mimic the female vocalists she saw on television or heard on radio.
Later on she financed her college studies with appearances in talent shows and smaller band concerts. She frequented a club called The Peacock Lounge, getting up and doing jam sessions when the live band invited people up to sing. She had long dreamed of a career in music and in February 1992 Melanie went to Germany. Her sister lived there with her U.S. Army husband and Thornton had dual citizenship in Germany and the United States. His uncle, Bob Chisolm, a singer and piano player, encouraged Melanie to give the German nightclub circuit a try. She had been singing in a Macon, Ga., band, Danger Zone, pulling down $50 on a good night. However Bob Chisolm told her that on a bad night in Germany she would make $150.
She tried it and soon found work in studios recording demos. It was her recording of the song "Sweet Dreams" that caught the attention of producer Frank Farian, the mastermind of the infamous '80s duo Milli Vanilli. Farian took Melanie under his wing, teaming her with rapper Lane McCray in the duo La Bouche, which is French for "The Mouth".
She left La Bouche in February 2000 to be replaced by Natascha Wright while Lane remained a part of the project. She signed a record deal with Sony/Epic Records. Her first solo single was released in November 2000, titled Love How You Love Me, a ballad (the CD-maxi includes a few dance remixes).
Melanie presented her new single on November 29, 2000 on the RTL Spendenmarathon, and on December 1 at the Dome in Berlin. The follow-up single was entitled "Heartbeat".
On May 7, 2001, Melanie released her first solo album entitled Ready To Fly under the label X-Cell (distributed by Sony/Epic Records). She continued to do club appearances in the United States under the billing "Melanie Thornton, formerly of La Bouche".
On the night of November 24, 2001, Melanie died in a plane crash of the Crossair Flight 3597 near Bassersdorf by Zurich in Switzerland. She gave her final performance in Leipzig and then drove to Berlin where she took the ill-fated plane to Zurich for radio and TV appearances (among others, the broadcast "Die Bar" on TV3, which was cancelled) to promote her new single "Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming)" and her album Ready To Fly (New Edition). "Wonderful Dream" was a Christmas ballad recorded for a German Coca-Cola TV commercial. Although Thornton's death occurred practically on the eve of that year's Christmas season, Coca Cola decided to stick with the commercial as planned. It has also been used in Christmas Coca-Cola TV commercials in the Germany, Ireland, UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.
On November 25, 2002 the single "In Your Life" was released to commemorate the first anniversary of her death. Included is an "in memory" dedication from Lane McCray and SonyBmg/X-Cell Records
Thornton is buried in Mount Pleasant Memorial Gardens, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
IT'S ALRIGHT
Melanie Thornton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lyrics by melanie thornton
Chorus:
It's alright, everything is gonna be alright
It's alright, everything is gonna be alright
When I think about life
Something creeps in my mind
Saying, "it's time for a change"
Pointin' fingers, no doubt
I'm just wasting my time
Looking for someone to blame
For all the hate and abuse
How can I face the truth
If I don't open my eyes
And let it get to me, and get to you
Let's come together and start a new
Bridge:
If we try, make a change
We'll survive and then we can say
It's gonna be alright
Chorus
Verse 2:
It's just a matter of time
Can't ignore all the signs
Gotta do what ever it takes
Teach the children at home
Before they're out on their own
And making the same mistakes
The time is tickin' away
We gotta start today
And try to make it right
So let it get to me and get to you
If we come together, how can we lose
Bridge:
If we fall on our knees
And pray, we've got to believe
It's gonna be alright
Chorus
Breakdown:
It's alright, it's alright, everything is gonna be alright
Chorus
Melanie Thornton's song "It's Alright" is an inspirational piece that encourages people to come together and make positive changes in life. In the chorus, the singer reassures the listeners that everything is going to be alright no matter what difficulties they encounter. Then in verse 1, she suggests that pointing fingers and blaming others are not effective ways of dealing with hate and abuse in the world. Instead, she urges the listeners to face the truth with open eyes and start a new journey together. In the bridge, the singer emphasizes the importance of trying to make a change in order to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
It's alright, everything is gonna be alright
No matter what happens, we can always trust and believe that everything will eventually be alright.
When I think about life
Whenever I reflect on my life and the world around me,
Something creeps in my mind
I start thinking about something that disturbs me,
Saying, "it's time for a change"
And that is a voice that tells me that it's high time to make some changes in my life and in the world.
Pointin' fingers, no doubt
I cannot help but blame someone or something for all the things that are wrong in life.
I'm just wasting my time
However, I soon realize that blaming others is futile and unproductive.
Looking for someone to blame
I am just trying to find a scapegoat to dump my frustrations on.
For all the hate and abuse
I am deeply disturbed by all the negativity, violence and mistreatment that exist in the world.
How can I face the truth
I find myself struggling to confront the harsh reality of the world.
If I don't open my eyes
Unless I choose to look at the world with open eyes and an open mind,
And let it get to me, and get to you
And allow the pain and struggles that surround us to touch our hearts and souls,
Let's come together and start a new
Then we can join hands with others and work towards a brighter future.
It's just a matter of time
All the current problems and challenges we face are not insurmountable, and they will pass with time.
Can't ignore all the signs
It would be foolish and irresponsible to turn a blind eye to the telltale signs of trouble in the world.
Gotta do what ever it takes
We must be willing to do whatever it takes, and make whatever sacrifices necessary, to make the world a better place.
Teach the children at home
It is important to instill positive values and principles in our children from a young age so that they may grow up to be responsible and compassionate individuals.
Before they're out on their own
Before they leave the safety and comfort of their homes and enter the harsh reality of the world outside.
And making the same mistakes
We don't want them to repeat the same mistakes we made or perpetuate negative cycles.
The time is tickin' away
Time is running out, and we cannot afford to delay any longer in our efforts to create a better world.
We gotta start today
There is no better time than now to start working towards a brighter future.
And try to make it right
We must make every effort to right the wrongs and create a world that is fair, just, and compassionate.
If we come together, how can we lose
If we unite our efforts and work together, there is no challenge that we cannot overcome.
If we fall on our knees
If we humble ourselves and seek divine help and guidance,
And pray, we've got to believe
And believe with all our hearts that we can make a better world,
It's gonna be alright
Then we can be assured that everything is going to be alright in the end.
Breakdown:
This is the part of the song where the beat and rhythm intensify, and the singer repeats the following line over and over again:
It's alright, it's alright, everything is gonna be alright
This is a reaffirmation of the main message of the song, that everything will eventually be alright, no matter what.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRYAN KYETH ABRAMS, KEVIN KRAIG THORNTON, MARK ELRA CALDERON, SAMUEL WATTERS, SAMUEL J WATTERS, TIMOTHY P PATTERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind