"Melanie Safka, known the world over simply as Melanie, tapped into a deep well of emotion with the powerful anthem "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" and skated into listeners' hearts with "Brand New Key." Though the singer-songwriter's U.S. hits dried up by the early 1980s, she continued to write and record in her disarming and often happily quirky style. A voice of the Vietnam generation, Melanie was content to transport audiences back to the Woodstock era while always authentically speaking to our hearts today. We're deeply saddened to learn of her passing at the age of 76. The Second Disc remembers Melanie's pop artistry with this look at four of her classic albums originally published in 2015 in conjunction with their reissue on Cherry Red's Morello Records imprint. Hopefully these albums will once again return to print in a physical format; all are available on digital/streaming services...' from the article: In Memoriam: Melanie Safka (1947-2024)
Melanie, singer-songwriter who topped charts with Brand New Key, dies aged 76
Children pay tribute to musician, who went from folk clubs to Woodstock festival and mainstream success, as ‘one of the most talented, strong and passionate women of the era’
"Melanie Safka, the American singer-songwriter known as Melanie who had a global hit with Brand New Key, has died aged 76.
Her children Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred announced her death on social media, describing her as “one of the most talented, strong and passionate women of the era and every word she wrote, every note she sang reflected that”. No cause of death has been given.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Melanie broke through in the late 1960s after a grounding in the folk clubs of New York’s Greenwich Village. Chiming with the boom in singer-songwriters, her bright but husky voice appealed to pop fans and the counterculture alike, and she was signed to the Buddah label which released her debut album Born to Be in 1968. She first found success in Europe, with the album going Top 10 in France and the Netherlands.
Along with Janis Joplin and Joan Baez, she was one of only three solo women appearing at the Woodstock festival in 1969 – “an unbelievably frightening day”, she later said. “I never even felt like I was a hippy, I didn’t like the term. If anything, I was the beat generation – people in the Village expressing themselves in so many ways, not being pigeonholed.”
She showed off her vocal range with the gospel-tinged single Lay Down (Candles in the Rain), a US Top 10 hit – it was inspired by the sight of the Woodstock crowd lighting candles – and the accompanying 1970 album Candles in the Rain brought her to wider attention, reaching No 5 in the UK. Her version of the Rolling Stones’ Ruby Tuesday was also a UK hit that year, and a concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall was recorded for a successful live album..." from the article: Melanie, singer-songwriter who topped charts with Brand New Key, dies aged 76
Video from Robsure Music
"Melanie Safka-Schekeryk (February 3, 1947 – January 23, 2024) was one of my favorite female singer-songwriters. Her popularity soared after the August 1969 Woostock Festival and she's best know from her biggest hits Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) and Brand New Key. She had six Top 40 hits in the U.S." from video introduction
Check out her website: melaniesafka.com