Melanie was a folk singer and songwriter who had major hits in the 1970s with “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” and she was one of three women who performed solo acts at Woodstock.
- Died: January 23, 2024 (Who else died on January 23?)
- Details of death: Died in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 76.
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Melanie’s legacy
Born Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City, music was a part of her life from the start. Her mother was a jazz singer, exposing Melanie to musical performance at a young age. In fact, Melanie appeared on the radio show “Live Like a Millionaire” at just four years old, singing “Give Me a Little Kiss.” After attending high school in Red Bank, New Jersey, she performed at the Jersey Shore and in Greenwich Village.
She signed her first record contract in New York City and then scored her first chart successes in 1969 when “Bobo’s Party” went to number 1 in France and “Beautiful People” hit the charts in the Netherlands. That same year, she was one of just three solo women to perform at the now legendary Woodstock festival, considered by some to be the defining moment of a musical generation. Melanie’s biggest moments were still to come, however.
Melanie’s song “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” inspired by that Woodstock performance, went to No. 6 on the Billboard charts. In 1971, she released the album “Gather Me” and its song “Brand New Key” went to No. 1 in the U.S., eventually becoming her biggest hit. It was an international hit, too, selling more than three million copies overall. Melanie continued to release chart-topping songs like “Peace Will Come (According to Plan)” and her cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday.”
Though her hit-making popularity began to wane by the mid-70s, Melanie never stopped making music. She went on to make 23 more records – her last was “Ever Since You Never Heard of Me,” released in 2010. She continued to perform live well into her 70s, and at the time of her death, she was recording another album, a collection of cover songs to be called “Second Hand Smoke.”
Tributes to Melanie
Full obituary: The New York Times
