Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (born February 3, 1947, in
AstoriaAstoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
,
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter.
Usually known professionally as
Melanie, she is best known for her hits "
Brand New Key"Brand New Key" is a pop song written by folk singer Melanie , which became a novelty hit in 1971-72. Taken from Melanie's album Gather Me, it was also known as "The Rollerskate Song". It was her biggest hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in December 1971 and January 1972. It...
", "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" and "What Have They Done To My Song Ma". Melanie has sold over 25 million records over the course of her career.
Early career
Melanie grew up in the
AstoriaAstoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
neighborhood of
QueensQueens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Five Boroughs which form New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a subdivision of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States.Located on...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
.
She made her first public appearance at the age of four on the radio show
Live Like A Millionaire performing the song "Gimme a Little Kiss". She was a student at New York's
American Academy of Dramatic ArtsThe American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with campuses located at 120 Madison Avenue in New York City and 1336 North La Brea Avenue in Hollywood .The oldest acting school in...
when she began singing in the folk clubs of
Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village , often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families. Greenwich Village, however, was known in the late 19th – earlier to mid 20th...
and signed her first recording contract.
Initially signed to
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of notable singers,...
in the United States, Melanie released two singles on the label. Subsequently she signed with
Buddah RecordsBuddah Records was founded in 1967 by promotor Neil Bogart in New York City...
and first found chart success in Europe when her 1969 song "Bobo's Party" reached Number 1 in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Her debut album received rave reviews from Billboard Magazine which heralded her voice as "... wise beyond her years. Her non-conformist approach to the selections on this LP make her a new talent to be reckoned with."
Later in 1969 Melanie had a hit in the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
with "Beautiful People" before performing at the
Woodstock FestivalWoodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music", held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
. The inspiration for her signature song "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" apparently arose from the Woodstock audience lighting candles during her set. A
gospelGospel music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
-boosted genuine one-off, that combined high drama with Melanie's trademark
hippieThe hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district...
sincerity, the recording became a hit in Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States in the spring and summer of 1970. The
B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the single featured Melanie's spoken-word track "Candles in the Rain". "Lay Down" became Melanie's first Top Ten hit in America, peaking at #6 on the Billboard singles chart, and a worldwide success. Later hits included "Peace Will Come (According To Plan)" and a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday".
In 1970 Melanie was the only artist to brave the court injunction banning the
Powder Ridge Rock FestivalThe Powder Ridge Rock Festival was scheduled to be held July 30, August 1 and August 2 1970 at Powder Ridge Ski Area in Middlefield, Connecticut. A legal injunction forced the event to be cancelled, keeping the musicians away; but a crowd of 30,000 attendees arrived anyway, to find no food, no...
, playing for the crowd on a homemade stage powered by
Mister SofteeMister Softee is a United States-based ice cream truck franchisor popular in the Northeast. It was founded by William and James Conway in 1956 in Philadelphia. It is one of the largest franchisor of soft ice cream in the United States. It has about 350 franchisees operating 600 trucks in 15...
trucks. Shortly following this performance, Melanie played at the
Strawberry Fields FestivalThe Strawberry Fields Festival was a rock music festival held at Mosport Park raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario Canada, about 100 kilometers east of Toronto, between August 7 and the early morning hours of August 10, 1970. Although accounts vary, the audience has been estimated at between 80,000...
, held on August 7-9, 1970 at
Mosport ParkMosport International Raceway is a multi-track facility located north of Bowmanville, Ontario. The facility features a , 10-turn road course; a half-mile paved oval; a 2.4 km advance driver and race driver training facility with a quarter-mile skid pad and a...
, Ontario, Canada. She also performed at the
Isle of Wight FestivalThe Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place annually on the Isle of Wight in the UK. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970, the venues being Ford Farm , Wootton and Afton Down respectively...
in 1970 where she was introduced by
Keith MoonKeith John Moon was an English drummer of the rock group The Who. He gained notoriety for exuberant drumming and his destructive lifestyle that earned him the nickname, "Moon the Loon." Moon joined The Who in 1964...
and received four standing ovations. Melanie was also the artist who sang to herald in the summer solstice at
Glastonbury FayreThe Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or Glasto, is the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world. The festival is best known for its contemporary music, but also features dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and...
(later the Glastonbury Festival) in England in June 1971.
After leaving Buddah Records because they insisted that she produce albums on demand, Melanie formed her own label,
Neighborhood RecordsNeighborhood Records was a record label founded by Melanie Safka and her husband Peter Schekeryk in 1971. The label's biggest hit was Melanie's #1 single "Brand New Key"....
, in 1971 with her producer/husband Peter Schekeryk.
It was on the Neighborhood label that Melanie had her biggest American hit with the novelty-sounding 1972 number one, "Brand New Key" (often referred to as "The Roller Skate Song"). "
Brand New Key"Brand New Key" is a pop song written by folk singer Melanie , which became a novelty hit in 1971-72. Taken from Melanie's album Gather Me, it was also known as "The Rollerskate Song". It was her biggest hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in December 1971 and January 1972. It...
" sold over three million copies worldwide and was featured in the 1997 movie
Boogie NightsThe original motion picture soundtrack to the 1997 film Boogie Nights is a two-disc set released between the end of that same year and the beginning of the next year....
.
When first released, Brand New Key was banned by some radio stations due to the lyrics being interpreted as being sexual innuendo:
"I got a brand new pair of roller skates /
You got a brand new key /
I think that we should get together and try them out you see /
I been looking around awhile /
You got something for me /
Oh! I got a brand new pair of roller skates /
You got a brand new key. /
I ride my bike, I roller skate, don't drive no car /
Don't go too fast, but I go pretty far /
For somebody who don't drive /
I been all around the world /
Some people say I've done alright for a girl..."
The follow-up single to "
Brand New Key"Brand New Key" is a pop song written by folk singer Melanie , which became a novelty hit in 1971-72. Taken from Melanie's album Gather Me, it was also known as "The Rollerskate Song". It was her biggest hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in December 1971 and January 1972. It...
" was "Ring the Living Bell". To compete with this release, Melanie's former record company released "The Nickel Song" (a song she had recorded while still signed to Buddah). Both songs were simultaneous Top 40 hits while "Brand New Key" was still on the charts — setting a record for the first female performer to have three Top 40 hits concurrently. Melanie was awarded Billboard's #1 Top Female Vocalist for 1972.
She had another Top 40 hit single in 1973 with "Bitter Bad", a song that marked a slight departure from the hippie sentiments of earlier hits (with lyrics such as "If you do me wrong I'll put your first and last name in my rock n' roll song"). Other chart hits during this period were the self-penned "Together Alone" and a cover of "
Will You Love Me Tomorrow"Will You Love Me Tomorrow" is the title of a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It has been recorded by many different artists and was ranked among Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #125.-The Shirelles' version:...
".
Melanie has been awarded two gold albums (and a gold single for "Brand New Key") and three of her compositions were hits for
The New SeekersThe New Seekers are a British-based pop group, formed in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music had rock as well as folk influences...
. She is also well-known for her musical adaptations of children's songs, including "Alexander Beetle" and "Christopher Robin".
In 1973 Melanie started to retreat from the spotlight to begin a family. Her daughter Leilah was born that same year. When she became an official UNICEF ambassador in 1972 she agreed to forgo a world tour in favour of raising money for the organization.
Later career
In 1976 Melanie released one album on
Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
,
Photograph, which was overseen by
Ahmet ErtegünAhmet Ertegun was the Turkish American co-founder and executive of Atlantic Records and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum, described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry"...
. The album was praised by the New York Times as one of the year's best, although it was largely ignored by the public. It was re-issued on CD in 2005 with an additional disc of unreleased material.
In the 1980s the
Quaker Oats CompanyThe Quaker Oats Company is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago.-Early history:Quaker Oats was founded in 1901 by the merger of four oat mills:...
used a version of "What Have They Done To My Song Ma" in their commercials for Instant Oatmeal with the revised lyrics "Look what they've done to my oatmeal". In 1989 she won an
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
for writing the lyrics to "The First Time I Loved Forever", the theme song for the TV series
Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast is an American television series which first aired on CBS in 1987. Creator Ron Koslow's updated version of the fairy tale has a double focus: the relationship between Vincent , a mythic, noble man-beast, and his Catherine , a savvy assistant District attorney in New York; and...
.
Melanie has, on average, released around one album a year since 1969. 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 tour.
Melanie's most recent album,
Paled By Dimmer Light, was released in 2004. It was co-produced by Peter and Beau-Jarred Schekeryk and includes the songs "To Be The One", "Extraordinary", "Make It Work" and "I Tried To Die Young". In early 2005 most of Melanie's back-catalogue was re-released on the internet-only music label ItsAboutMusic.com. After a series of disagreements the relationship between the artist and the label was severed.
In 2007, Melanie was invited by
Jarvis CockerJarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and former frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s.-Biography:...
to perform at the
Meltdown FestivalMeltdown is an annual, English festival, held in London, featuring a mix of music, art, performance and film. Meltdown is held in June at Southbank Centre, the arts complex covering and including the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Hayward...
at the
Royal Festival HallThe Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900 seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
in London. Her sold-out performance received critical acclaim with
The IndependentThe Independent is a British newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly's Independent News & Media. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily newspapers. The daily edition was named National...
claiming "it was hard to disagree that Melanie has earned her place alongside Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell and Marianne Faithfull in the pantheon of iconic female singers. Meltdown was all the better for her presence". The concert was filmed for a DVD entitled
Melanie: For One Night Only which was released in October 2007.
She also recorded a song called "
PsychotherapyPsychotherapy or personal counseling with a psychotherapist, is an intentional interpersonal relationship used by trained psychotherapists to aid a client or patient in problems of living.It aims to increase the individual's sense of their own well-being...
", sung to the tune of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic", which parodies aspects of Freudian psychoanalysis. It has been played on the
Dr. DementoDr. Demento is the professional name of Barry Hansen , a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present.He created the persona in 1970 while working at Los Angeles...
show.
Personal
Melanie identifies herself politically as a Libertarian, stating: "I'm a total Libertarian, and I am not a Democrat, a Socialist, or a Republican." For a short while, in the beginning of her career, Melanie was a follower of
Meher BabaMeher Baba , , born Merwan Sheriar Irani, was an Indian mystic and spiritual master who declared publicly in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age....
and this influenced many of her songs (such as, "Love to Lose Again" and "Candles in the Rain"). Over time she became disenchanted with other followers and then disassociated herself from Meher Baba. In 2006 she had a life-altering experience with
Mata AmritanandamayiMātā Amritanandamayī Devi is a Hindu spiritual leader revered as a saint by her followers, who also know her as "Amma", "Ammachi" or "Mother"...
or
Amma (Mother) as she is also known, or as the "hugging saint" from India, which inspired Melanie to write "In Motherhood of love" one of her more recent songs. .
Melanie currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
Cover versions
Many notable artists have covered Melanie's compositions:
- In 1971, Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople are a 1970s English rock band with strong R&B roots and dominant in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The...
covered "Lay Down" on their Wildlife album.
- Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
released a cover of "Look What They've Done to My Song Ma" in 1972. The song has also been covered by Nina SimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon, better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist....
and Billie Jo SpearsBillie Jo Spears is an American country music singer. In the 1970s, she landed a few country hits. Her best known hit is the 1975 song "Blanket on the Ground"...
.
- The New Seekers
The New Seekers are a British-based pop group, formed in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music had rock as well as folk influences...
covered several songs; "Look What They've Done To My Song Ma", "Beautiful People" and "The Nickel Song".
- In 1976 Scrumpy and Western
Scrumpy and Western refers humorously to music from England's West Country that fuses comical folk-style songs, often full of double entendre, with affectionate parodies of more mainstream musical genres, all delivered in the local accent/dialect...
band The WurzelsThe Wurzels are a British Scrumpy and Western band....
covered "Brand New Key" with substantially rewritten lyrics as "The Combine Harvester". It reached number one on the UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
singles charts and stayed there for two weeks.
- In 1999, American artist Meredith Brooks
Meredith Ann Brooks is an American singer/songwriter and guitarist. She is best known for her 1997 hit song "Bitch", for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award.- Early life :...
covered "Lay Down" with backing vocals by Queen LatifahDana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, singer, model, and CoverGirl...
.
- Vicky Leandros
Vicky Leandros is a Greek singer with a long international career....
recorded a Greek version of Lay Down in 1972.
- Max Sharam
-Biography:Max Sharam, born Leanne Maree Sharam in Benalla, Australia in 1967. Sharam grew up in rural Victoria, in a place called Musical Gully . Sharam studied classical singing and the electronic organ...
covered "Lay Down" in 1995. The single release reached the Top Forty on the Australian charts.
- Emiliana Torrini
Emilíana Torrini is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song", during the ending credits of Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers....
covered "I Really Loved Harold" on her 1996 album Merman. She has also recorded a version of "Lay Down".
- The 2003 Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n hip-hopHip hop music is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on concepts of loop, rapping, freestyle, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues...
track "The Nosebleed Section"The Nosebleed Section" is a song by the Australian hip hop music group Hilltop Hoods. It was the third song lifted from their 2003 album The Calling...
" by The Hilltop HoodsThe Hilltop Hoods are an ARIA Award winning Australian hip hop group, originating from Adelaide, South Australia. Their members are MCs Suffa , Pressure , DJ Debris and formerly DJ Next...
sampledIn music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song. This is typically done with a sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also...
"People In The Front Row".
- Will Oldham
Will Oldham, a.k.a. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy , is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. From 1993 to 1997 he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music.-Music:Will Oldham is known for his "do-it-yourself punk aesthetic...
(also known as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) covered "(Some Say) I Got Devil" on his 2006 album The Brave and the BoldThe Brave and the Bold by Tortoise and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy was released in 2006 on Overcoat Recordings. It is an album of cover songs. The album's name is the same as the DC Comics series in which different superheroes were teamed up for each issue....
.
- An 11 year old Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir is a critically acclaimed Icelandic avant-garde singer-songwriter, composer, actress and music producer, whose work includes seven solo albums and two film soundtracks....
covered "Christopher Robin" in Icelandic on her debut album, BjörkBjörk is the first official release from the Icelandic singer Björk. In 1976, Björk appeared on Icelandic radio singing "I Love to Love" through the music school she attended, which led her to a record deal...
.
- Cissy Houston
Emily Cissy Drinkard Houston , better known as Cissy Houston, is a Grammy Award winning American soul and gospel singer. She led a very successful career as a backup singer for such artists as Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, and Aretha Franklin, and is now primarily a solo artist...
has covered "Any Guy".
- Macy Gray
Macy Gray , also credited as Natalie Hinds in her music, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.To date, Gray has released four studio albums, one...
, Dolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best-known for her work in country music....
and CherCher is an American pop singer-songwriter, actor, director and record producer. She has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards and a People's Choice Award for her work in film, music and television.Cher began her career at the age of seventeen and came to...
have all performed "Brand New Key" in concert (the latter on The Sonny And Cher Show).
- Dutch singer Mathilde Santing
Mathilde Santing is the stage name of Dutch singer Mathilde Eleveld. She started receiving national attention in 1981 after she appeared with Sonja Barend in a Dutch television programme called Sonja Op Maandag.Over the last 25 years she has released a steady stream of albums, making her a fixture...
had a gold record and the first Top 10 hit version of "Beautiful People" in 1997.
- Country singer Deana Carter
Deana Kay Carter is an American country music artist who broke through in 1996 with the release of debut album Did I Shave My Legs for This?, which was certified 5× Multi-Platinum in the United States for sales of over five million...
covered "Brand New Key" on her 1999 Top 10 album Everything's Gonna Be AlrightEverything's Gonna Be Alright is the second studio album by American country music artist Deana Carter. Released in 1998 as her second and final studio album for Capitol Records Nashville, it features the single "Absence of the Heart", a #16 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts...
.
- Yugoslav rock band Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori are a highly popular rock band from Serbia. The group was founded in Belgrade in 1984 by composer, lyricist and guitarist Momčilo Bajagić Bajaga, and continue to record music today...
released a cover of "Look What They've Done To My Song Ma", with lyrics in SerbianSerbian is a South Slavic language, spoken chiefly in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and in the Serbian diaspora...
, called "Vidi šta sam ti uradio od pesme, mama" in 1985.
- The cellist band Rasputina
Rasputina is a cello-driven band. It started in Brooklyn, New York in 1992, when Melora Creager put out an advertisement requesting members to form an all-cello band...
covered "Brand New Key" on their album Thanks for the EtherThanks for the Ether is the debut album of Rasputina, released in 1996 with Columbia Records.-Track listing:#"My Little Shirtwaist Fire" – 2:30#"Stumpside" – 4:01#"Nozzle" – 1:55#"Transylvanian Concubine" – 2:47...
.
- Female-fronted punk trio The Dollyrots
The Dollyrots are a pop punk band composed of Kelly Ogden, Luis Cabezas, and Chris Black. Their debut album, Eat My Heart Out, was released by Lookout Records on September 14, 2004....
covered "Brand New Key" on their album Because I'm AwesomeBecause I'm Awesome is the second studio album by pop band The Dollyrots. It was released on March 13, 2007 on Blackheart Records.Tracks featured in TV shows include "Because I'm Awesome", featured on Ugly Betty and "Watch Me Go "", featured on The Simple Life...
.
- Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet , is an English pop singer-songwriter noted for her bluesy voice.-Early life:...
performs "Momma, Momma" on her live DVD One Blue Voice and as the b-side to her 2007 single "One More Time".
- Kiki & Herb opened their Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
concert with Melanie's "Close To It All" (available on CD as Kiki & Herb Will Die For You).
- Roger Kellaway
Roger Kellaway is an American composer, arranger, and pianist. Born in Waban, Massachusetts, he is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory. Kellaway has composed commissioned works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, and jazz big band, as well as for film, TV, ballet and stage productions...
covered 'Centre of the Circle' on the 1972 album of the same name.
- Minneapolis based trio J.U.L.P covered "Brand New Key" on their 1997 compilation "Master Pieces" on the Earmark Record Label.
Album discography
- Born to Be
Born to Be is singer Melanie's debut album, released on Buddah Records in 1968.Following Melanie's success at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 Buddah repackaged and reissued the album as My First Album.-Song listing:# "In The Hour"...
(aka My First Album), November 1968
- Melanie (aka Affectionately Melanie
Affectionately Melanie is the second album by Melanie Safka. It contains "Beautiful People", a song that Melanie performed at the Woodstock Festival in 1969.- Song listing :# "I'm Back In Town"# "Tuning My Guitar"...
), December 1969 (US # 196)
- Candles in the Rain
Candles in the Rain is singer Melanie's third album, released in 1970. The album produced Melanie's first Top Ten single in North America, "Lay Down ", which was inspired by the crowd's reaction to her performance at Woodstock...
, September 1970 (US #17 - Gold record, U.K #5, Australia #2, Canada #5, Norway #20, Germany #16)
- Leftover Wine
Leftover Wine is a live album released by Melanie in 1970. The album was recorded at Carnegie Hall ....
, November 1970 (US #33, U.K #22, Australia #8, Canada #22, Germany #31)
- R.P.M. (Revolutions Per Minute) (film soundtrack), 1970 (US #148)
- The Good Book
The Good Book is a 1971 album released by Melanie and featuring the Top 40 hit 'Nickel Song'. The album also features 'Birthday of the Sun' - a track Melanie originally performed at Woodstock in 1969....
, May 1971 (US #80, U.K #9, Australia #29, Canada #26, Norway #20, Germany #29)
- All the Right Noises (film soundtrack), August 1971
- Gather Me
Gather Me is a 1971 album released by Melanie and featuring the #1 song 'Brand New Key'. The album also features the singles 'Some Day I'll Be A Farmer' and the Top 40 hit 'Ring The Living Bell'. The album was certified Gold in the U.S...
, December 1971 (US #15 - Gold record), U.K #14, Australia #9, Canada #14, Norway #25)
- Garden In The City
Garden In The City is a Melanie album released by Buddha Records in 1972. Although marketed as an album of new recordings it was actually a compilation of 'leftover' songs from Melanie's time at that label and released after she left to form her own label...
, 1972 (US #115, U.K #19, Australia #38)
- The Four Sides of Melanie*, 1972 (US #103, U.K #23)
- Stoneground Words
Stoneground Words is an album released by Melanie in 1972. It contains the singles 'Together Alone' and 'Do You Believe'.-Reviews:Allmusic.com praises the album as "mature, intelligent and ambitious" and an "under-heard classic"....
, November 1972 (US #70, Australia #69, Canada #34)
- Melanie at Carnegie Hall
Melanie at Carnegie Hall is a 1973 double album released by Melanie and the second concert record after the release of Leftover Wine in 1970...
, 1973 (US #109)
- Please Love Me*, 1973 (US)
- Madrugada
Madrugada is a 1974 album released by Melanie featuring the singles 'Lover's Cross' and 'Love To Lose Again.' In November 1973, Will You Love Me Tomorrow became a Top 40 hit in the United Kingdom and was subsequently added to the British release of the album.As with Gather Me the album featured...
, May 1974 (US #192)
- As I See It Now, February 1975
- Sunset and Other Beginnings, October 1975
- Photograph, 1976 (Australia #84) (re-issued on CD as Photograph (Double Exposure) in 2005)
- Phonogenic - Not Just Another Pretty Face, September 1978
- Ballroom Streets
Ballroom Streets is a 1978 double album released by Melanie. The album is essentially a live album but recorded in the studio with a small audience. It mixed new recordings of old songs with some new songs. When first issued on CD in 1989, it did not contain 'Holding Out', 'Any Guy', 'Groundhog...
, August 1979
- Arabesque, August 1982
- Seventh Wave, September 1983
- Am I Real or What, 1985
- Cowabonga - Never Turn Your Back on a Wave, April 1988
- Precious Cargo, 1991
- Silence Is King, February 1993
- Freedom Knows My Name, 1993 (US)
- Old Bitch Warrior, February 1996
- Recorded Live @ Borders, 1996
- These Nights, 2001
- Victim of the Moon 2002
- Crazy Love, 2002
- Moments from My Life, 2003
- Paled By Dimmer Light, 2004
(Albums marked with an asterisk are compilation albums)
Hit singles
| Year |
Title |
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
BillboardBillboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
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U.S.
CashboxCash Box magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries in the USA which was published from July 1942 to November 16, 1996....
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U.S.
ACThe Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
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UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
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AUSAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
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CANCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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DNKDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
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IRLIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
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ZAFThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
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FRAFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
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NLDThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
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NORNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
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DEUGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
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| 1969 |
"Beautiful People" |
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- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
9 |
- |
- |
| 1970 |
"Bobo's Party" |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
| 1970 |
"Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" |
6 |
3 |
- |
- |
2 |
1 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
| 1970 |
"Peace Will Come (According To Plan)" |
32 |
20 |
- |
- |
43 |
15 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
6 |
- |
47 |
| 1970 |
"Stop! I Don't Wanna Hear It Anymore" |
112 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
10 |
- |
43 |
| 1970 |
"Ruby Tuesday" |
52 |
34 |
- |
9 |
70 |
25 |
6 |
12 |
16 |
- |
- |
- |
6 |
| 1971 |
"Look What They've Done To My Song Ma" |
- |
- |
- |
39 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
6 |
- |
| 1971 |
"The Good Book" |
- |
78 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1971 |
"Brand New Key "Brand New Key" is a pop song written by folk singer Melanie , which became a novelty hit in 1971-72. Taken from Melanie's album Gather Me, it was also known as "The Rollerskate Song". It was her biggest hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in December 1971 and January 1972. It...
" |
1 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
23 |
8 |
1 |
- |
9 |
- |
23 |
| 1972 |
"Ring the Living Bell" |
31 |
21 |
18 |
- |
74 |
24 |
41 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
41 |
| 1972 |
"The Nickel Song" |
35 |
25 |
30 |
- |
74 |
27 |
43 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
23 |
| 1972 |
"Someday I'll Be A Farmer" |
106 |
79 |
- |
- |
95 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1972 |
"Together Alone" |
86 |
57 |
- |
- |
- |
37 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1973 |
"Do You Believe" |
115 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1973 |
"Bitter Bad" |
36 |
30 |
12 |
- |
49 |
84 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1974 |
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" is the title of a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It has been recorded by many different artists and was ranked among Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #125.-The Shirelles' version:...
" |
82 |
54 |
42 |
37 |
93 |
90 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1974 |
"Lover's Cross" |
109 |
70 |
- |
- |
- |
64 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1981 |
"One More Try" |
110 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1983 |
"Every Breath of the Way" |
- |
- |
- |
70 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
The New SeekersThe New Seekers are a British-based pop group, formed in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music had rock as well as folk influences...
also charted in the United States with their covers of Melanie's songs; "Beautiful People" hit #67, "Look What They've Done To My Song Ma" hit #14 and "Nickel Song" #81.
Ray CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
' cover of "Look What They've Done To My Song Ma" hit #65 in 1972 (and #25 on the R&B Charts).
Other credits
- Lyrics for the theme song of the Beauty and the Beast television series.
- Recorded "I've Got New York" on The 6ths
The 6ths is a band created by Stephin Merritt, also the prime mover behind The Magnetic Fields, The Gothic Archies and Future Bible Heroes.One story has it that the band was conceived when Merritt, observing that there was no tribute album dedicated to him, decided to make one himself...
' Hyacinths and Thistles-Track listing:All tracks written by Stephin Merritt....
, 2000
External links