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Post by billhammond on Jan 25, 2024 9:59:14 GMT -5
NYTimes excerpt
Melanie, the husky-voiced singer and songwriter who was one of the surprise stars of the Woodstock music festival in 1969 and two years later had a No. 1 single with the disarmingly childlike “Brand New Key,” died on Tuesday. She was 76.
Her death was announced on social media by her children, Leilah, Jeordie and Beau Jarred. Neither the cause nor the location were cited.
Melanie, born Melanie Safka in 1947, was only 22 but already a presence on the New York folk scene when she appeared at Woodstock. She was one of only three women who performed unaccompanied at the festival — and, as she later recalled, she was petrified at the thought of performing in front of a crowd vastly bigger than the coffeehouse audiences she was used to.
It started to rain before she took the stage, and she would later say that the sight of people in the crowd lighting candles inspired her to write “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” which she recorded with gospel-style backing from the Edwin Hawkins Singers. Released in 1970, it became her first hit, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Post by Marshall on Jan 25, 2024 10:04:49 GMT -5
Yeow
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Post by billhammond on Jan 25, 2024 20:07:41 GMT -5
Mike's sad she died, Radtke's happy.
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Post by howard lee on Jan 26, 2024 7:52:14 GMT -5
Recorded when she was 23 years old.
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Post by kbcolorado on Jan 26, 2024 8:28:56 GMT -5
I have always loved that performance and regarded it as a masterpiece. Thanks for posting, Howard.
A local Jersey girl made good, RIP Melanie Safka.
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Tamarack
Administrator
Ancient Citizen
Posts: 9,390
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Post by Tamarack on Jan 26, 2024 8:56:54 GMT -5
My condolences to family and friends.
"Brand New Key" was on constant rotation on AM radio whilst I was learning to drive. My pothead friends really liked her.
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Post by RickW on Jan 26, 2024 16:22:15 GMT -5
I think Brand New Key was one of those songs people would rather not has big hits. Warren Zevon hated the fact that Werewolves of London made him famous, and he had to play the stupid thing over and over.
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Post by Marshall on Jan 27, 2024 9:34:45 GMT -5
Ah-Woo !
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Post by dradtke on Jan 27, 2024 10:05:28 GMT -5
Mike's sad she died, Radtke's happy. Oh, that's not fair. I clicked Like because I was glad you posted it, not glad she died.
A while back I was impressed with how this video shows off both Melanie and Miley Cyrus as musicians.
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