Melanie | |
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 Melanie in 1975 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Melanie Anne Safka (1947-02-03)February 3, 1947 Queens, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 2024(2024-01-23) (aged 76) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1960s–2024 |
| Labels | |
| Website | melaniesafkamusic |
Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (February 3, 1947 – January 23, 2024), professionally known asMelanie orMelanie Safka, was an American singer-songwriter.[1][2]
Melanie is widely known for the 1971–72 global hit "Brand New Key", her 1970 version ofthe Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday", her composition "What Have They Done to My Song Ma", and her 1970 international breakthrough hit, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)", which was inspired by her experience of performing at the 1969Woodstock music festival.[3][4]
Melanie was born and raised in theAstoria neighborhood ofQueens, New York City. Her father, Frederick M. Safka, was of Russian–Ukrainian ancestry,[5][6] and her mother, Pauline "Polly" Altomare, was a jazz singer of Italian heritage.[7][6][8] Melanie made her first public singing appearance at age four on the radio showLive Like A Millionaire, performing the song "Gimme a Little Kiss".[9] She moved with her family toLong Branch, New Jersey, and attendedLong Branch High School. Disturbed that she was rejected by her schoolmates as a "beatnik", she ran away to California. After her return to New Jersey, she transferred toRed Bank High School inRed Bank, New Jersey. She graduated in 1966, although she was prevented from attending hergraduation ceremony because of an overdue library book. She was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2014.[10]
In the 1960s, Melanie started performing at The Inkwell, a coffee house in theWest End section of Long Branch. After high school, her parents insisted that she attend college, so she studied acting at theAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.[11] She began singing in the folk clubs ofGreenwich Village, such asThe Bitter End, and signed her first recording contract withColumbia Records.[12] Melanie released two singles on the label in the U.S. She subsequently signed withBuddah Records and found her first chart success in Europe in 1969 with "Bobo's Party", which reached No. 1 in France. Her popularity in Europe resulted in performances on European television programs such asBeat-Club in West Germany and BBC in Concert in the UK [BBC in Concert S1972EO2 8 Jan 1972 Per theTVDB.com]. Her debut album received positive reviews fromBillboard, which described her voice as "wise beyond her years" and said her "non-conformist approach to the selections on this LP make her a new talent to be reckoned with".[13][14]
Later in 1969, Melanie had a hit in the Netherlands with "Beautiful People". She was one of only three solo female artists[15] who performed at theWoodstock festival in 1969, and her first hit song, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)", was inspired by the Woodstock audience lighting candles during her set[16] as well as being influenced by her following of Indian spiritual masterMeher Baba.[17] The record became a hit in Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States in 1970. TheB-side of the single featured Melanie's spoken-word track, "Candles in the Rain". Her first top 10 hit in America was "Lay Down", which peaked at No. 6 on theBillboardsingles chart and achieved worldwide success. Her later hits included "Peace Will Come (According To Plan)" and a cover of theRolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday".[18]
In 1970, Melanie was the only artist to ignore a court injunction banning thePowder Ridge Rock Festival, which was scheduled to be held on July 31, August 1 and 2, 1970.[19] She played for the crowd on a homemade stage powered byMister Softee trucks. Not long after this performance, she played at theStrawberry Fields Festival held from August 7 to 9, 1970, atMosport Park in Ontario, Canada.[20] She also performed at theIsle of Wight Festival, held between August 26 and 30, 1970, atAfton Down. At the festival, she was introduced byKeith Moon and received four standing ovations. She appeared again at theIsle of Wight Festival in 2010. In June 1971, she was the artist who sang to herald in the summer solstice atGlastonbury Fayre (later the Glastonbury Festival) in England. She performed again at Glastonbury in 2011, the 40th anniversary of the original festival.[21]
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Melanie left Buddah Records when they insisted that she produce albums on demand. In 1971, she formed her own label,Neighborhood Records, with Peter Schekeryk, who was also her producer and husband. She had her biggest American hit on the Neighborhood label, the novelty-sounding late 1971 No. 1 hit "Brand New Key" (often referred to as "The Roller Skate Song"). "Brand New Key" sold over three million copies worldwide and was featured in the 1997 movieBoogie Nights.[22]
When first released, "Brand New Key" was banned by some radio stations because some inferredsexual innuendo in the lyrics. Melanie acknowledged the possibility of reading an unintended sexual innuendo in the song, stating:
I wrote ['Brand New Key'] in about fifteen minutes one night. I thought it was cute; a kind of old thirties tune. I guess a key and a lock have always beenFreudian symbols, and pretty obvious ones at that. There was no deep serious expression behind the song, but people read things into it. They made up incredible stories as to what the lyrics said and what the song meant. In some places, it was even banned from the radio ... My idea about songs is that once you write them, you have very little say in their life afterward ... People will take it any way they want to take it.[23]
In a 2013 interview with music journalist Ray Shasho, Melanie elaborated on the origin of "Brand New Key":
Of course I can see it symbolically with the key, but I just thought of roller skating. I wasfasting with a twenty seven day fast on water. I broke the fast and went back to my life living in New Jersey and we were going to aflea market around six in the morning. On the way back ... and I had just broken the fast, from the flea market, we passed aMcDonald's and the aroma hit me, and I had been avegetarian before the fast. So we pulled into the McDonald's and I got the whole works ... the burger, the shake and the fries ... and no sooner after I finished that last bite of my burger ... that song was in my head. The aroma brought back memories ofroller skating and learning to ride a bike and the vision of my dad holding the back fender of the tire. And me saying to my dad ... "You're holding, you're holding, you're holding, right?" Then I'd look back and he wasn't holding and I'd fall. So that whole thing came back to me and came out in this song. So it was not a deliberate or intentional sexual innuendo.[24]
The follow-up single to "Brand New Key" was "Ring the Living Bell". To compete with this release, Melanie's former record company released "The Nickel Song", which she had recorded while still signed to Buddah Records. 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 at the same time.[25]
Melanie wonBillboard's No. 1 Top Female Vocalist award for 1972[26] and was awarded two gold albums, and a gold single for "Brand New Key". Three of her compositions were hits forthe New Seekers. She is also known for her musical adaptations of children's songs, including "Alexander Beetle" and "Christopher Robin". When she became an officialUNICEF ambassador in 1972, she agreed to forgo a world tour in favor of raising money for the organization. She also took time to raise her daughter.[27][28]
Melanie had another top 40 hit single in 1973 with "Bitter Bad", a song that marked a slight departure from the hippie sentiments of her 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".[29] Melanie's other chart hits during this period were the self-penned "Together Alone"[30] and a cover of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", which reached No 37 in theUK Singles Chart in March 1974.[31]
In 1976, Melanie released one album onAtlantic Records,Photograph, which was produced byAhmet Ertegun. The album was praised byThe New York Times as one of the year's best, although it was largely ignored by the public.[32] It was re-issued oncompact disc in 2005 with an additional disc of unreleased material. Also in 1976, Melanie appeared at the tribute concert forPhil Ochs, who had died by suicide on April 9 that year. Held on May 28 at New York City'sFelt Forum, Melanie performed an emotional version of Ochs's songs "Chords of Fame" and "Miranda".[33] She had appeared with Ochs on stage in 1974 at his "Evening withSalvador Allende" concert (also held at the Felt Forum), along withDave Van Ronk,Arlo Guthrie,Bob Dylan, and others.[34]
In 1983, Melanie wrote the music and lyrics for atheatrical musical,Ace of Diamonds, with a book by Ed Kelleher and Seymour Vall based on a series of letters written byAnnie Oakley. Though never fully produced, severalstaged readings were performed atLincoln Center, with Melanie as the narrator and pop singer and actressAnnie Golden as Oakley.[35]
Melanie won anEmmy Award for writing the lyrics to thetheme song for the television seriesBeauty and the Beast.[36] With one exception, her albums were produced by her husband, Peter Schekeryk, who died suddenly in 2010.[37] Her three children — Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau-Jarred — are also musicians. Beau-Jarred is a guitarist and accompanied his mother on tour.[38]
One of Melanie's later albums,Paled By Dimmer Light (2004), 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".[39]
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In 2007, Melanie was invited byJarvis Cocker to perform at theMeltdown festival at theRoyal Festival Hall in London. Her sold-out performance was critically acclaimed, withThe Independent saying, "It was hard to disagree that Melanie has earned her place alongsideJoan Baez,Judy Collins,Buffy Sainte-Marie,Laura Nyro,Joni Mitchell,Nico, andMarianne Faithfull in the pantheon of iconic female singers. Meltdown was all the better for her presence."[40] The concert was filmed for aDVD,Melanie: For One Night Only, which was released in October 2007. She recorded "Psychotherapy", sung to the tune of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic", which parodied aspects of Freudian psychoanalysis. The song has been played onTheDr. Demento Show. In July 2012, Melanie headlined along with Arlo Guthrie and Judy Collins at the 15th annualWoody Guthrie Folk Festival, which is held to celebrate Woody Guthrie's life and music.[41]
In October 2012, Melanie collaborated with John Haldoupis, artistic and managing director of Blackfriars Theatre inRochester, New York, to create an original musical about her love story with her late husband.Melanie and the Record Man made its premiere on October 19, with performances scheduled until October 28. The musical, conceived and designed by Haldoupis, featured Melanie's music and told the story of meeting Peter, falling in love, and working together to produce her music. Melanie performed during the musical and was also the narrator. In June 2014, she toured Australia for the first time since 1977.[42]
In April 2015, Melanie was inducted into Red Bank Regional's "Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame".[43] In May 2015, she was invited byMiley Cyrus to collaborate with her for theBackyard Sessions, to help raise funds and awareness for Cyrus'Happy Hippie Foundation.[44] OnNew Year's Eve 2019, she performed on theBBC'sJools' Annual Hootenanny.[45]
At the time of her death in 2024, Melanie was working on acovers album titledSecond Hand Smoke.[46]
Melanie married herrecord producer Peter Schekeryk[47] in 1968. They had three children;[11] daughter Leilah born in 1973, daughter Jeordie in 1975, and son Beau-Jarred in 1980.[48] Leilah and Jeordie, when aged seven and six, released a cover of "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" that charted in Canada, reaching No. 27.[49][50] Melanie was avegetarian in the early 1970s; she also practicedfasting.[51][52]
Melanie identified herself politically as alibertarian, stating, "I am not aDemocrat, aSocialist, or aRepublican."[53][17] She said that she had experienced acceptance from a "universal force of motherhood" after receiving a hug fromMata Amritanandamayi, a.k.a.Amma ("Mother") or the "hugging saint" from India, as she is also known, which had inspired her to write "Motherhood of Love".[54]
Melanie resided in theNashville metropolitan area.[55] She died on January 23, 2024, at the age of 76.[46][56] Her three children shared their mother's death in aFacebook post and her representatives mentioned "an illness", but no cause was given.[57]
Notes
Further reading
