Melanie, singer and Woodstock performer, dies age 76

[ifindedout]

Melanie, singer with chart-topping hit Brand New Key, is dead at 76

The singer Melanie, who was best known for her massively popular singles Lay Down (Candles In The Rain), Brand New Key and the Rolling Stones cover Ruby Tuesday, has died.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The songwriter's children Leilah, Jeordie and Beau Jarred announced that she died on January 23 at the age of 76.

'Dear ones,' they began, using a greeting that their mother often favored when writing to fans, 'This is the hardest post for us to write, and there are so many things we want to say, first, and there’s no easy way except to say it… Mom passed, peacefully, out of this world and into the next on January 23rd, 2024.'

[...]

Melanie's children urged her fans to light a candle in honor of their mother on Wednesday, January 24, at 10 p.m. Central Time.

Singer Melanie, Who Performed at Woodstock and Had Hits Such as “Brand New Key,” Dies at 76

Her other singles included "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)." She was recently working on her 32nd album, featuring covers.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Melanie, whose full name was Melanie Safka, was recently working on a new record featuring cover songs. The album, titled Second Hand Smoke, would have been her 32nd album, said her label, Cleopatra.

Melanie was 22 when she performed at Woodstock. She told the AP in 2019 that she was nervous about performing before hundreds of thousands of people at the music festival, which also featured the likes of Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead. She said she waited hours to perform as her anxiety kept growing.

“The terror kept building in me,” she said. “The thought of me performing in front of all of those people and that huge stage — I was all by myself. Then it started to rain and I truly believed that everyone was going to get up and go home. It’s raining, I’m free, I’ll go back to life as it was. Maybe I will be an archaeologist; maybe I will join the Peace Corps. That’s when they said, ‘You’re next.’”

 

[wizardbizzoom]

It's with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Melanie, a voice that resonated with so many across generations. Her performance at Woodstock, particularly under such immense pressure and anxiety as she described, stands as a testament to her courage and commitment to her art. Melanie's music, especially timeless pieces like 'Brand New Key,' has been a soundtrack for many life moments. Her influence in the music industry and her contribution to the folk and pop genres will continue to inspire future artists. Lighting a candle in her honor feels like a small but poignant way to pay homage to her incredible legacy. Rest in peace, Melanie, your melodies will forever echo in our hearts.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I can honestly say that I loved her voice so much.
With many singers, I might like some songs and not others.

With Melanie I could have listened to her singing her shopping list and would have been enthralled.

 

[Betty P]

She was so talented, such a beautiful, whimsical voice. There were so many talented young women folk singers during the 60's whose influence lasted so long. They inspired so many other young women. Janis Ian, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Joan Collins, Linda Ronstadt, Carol King, Laura Nyro, Roberta Flack and many others.

I saw so many concerts from the time I was old enough to go. I think I saw Melanie, maybe on the same bill with Richie Havens. RIP and thank you for such beautiful music.

 

[elframo]

Sadly, a lot of the UK will only know this version of Brand New Key..

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think you'll find that Melanie was better known in England than maybe some people think.
Many of her songs made the charts there.

Melanie Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts

Melanie Top Songs • #1: "Brand New Key" • #2: "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" • #3: "Ruby Tuesday" • #4: "Ring the Living Bell" • #5: "Bitter Bad" • #6: "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" • #7: "The Nickel Song" • #8: "Peace Will Come (According to Plan)" • #9: "What Have They Done to My Song Ma" •...

www.musicvf.com

 

[WiseOwl]

I was only very young when Melanie had her first hits, but i liked her songs and Ruby Tuesday has always stayed with me.

The last time i saw Melanie perform was in 2019 on the BBC's Jools Holland Hootenanny New Year's Eve show.

Fly straight Melanie!

 

[bmacmillan1]

That's so sad. And relatively quite young compared to other artists. .
Loved all her songs but 'Look what they've done to my song, Ma will always stand out for me.
Thank you Melanie for your music... RIP

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I also love a lot of her lesser known songs.

I'm Back in Town.

 

[dotr]

Melanie, singer-songwriter of 'Brand New Key' and other '70s hits, dies at 76

Melanie, the singer-songwriter who rose through the New York folk scene, performed at Woodstock and had a series of 1970s hits including the enduring cultural phenomenon “Brand New Key,” has died.

www.cp24.com

“Our world is much dimmer, the colors of a dreary, rainy Tennessee pale with her absence today,” her children Leilah, Jeordie and Beau Jarred, said in a post on her Facebook page announcing her death.

With a voice that could shift from high-pitched and coy to a deep soulful rasp, Melanie wrote and sang hits including “Look What They’ve Done to My Song Ma" and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)."

“Well, I’ve got a brand-new pair of roller skates, you’ve got a brand-new key, I think that we should get together, and try them on to see.”

''She would say in later interviews that she didn't necessarily intend sexual innuendo in the song, but those who heard it weren't necessarily wrong.''

 

[scandinavian girl]

My favorite song was Look what they done to my song ma, listen to it all the time in the 70´s and I am kind of shocked that she only was 12 years olden than me.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

 

[TootsieFootsie]