>Posted on 01/25/2024 1:46:26 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
The singer turned her experience at the 1969 concert into "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)," a top-10 hit in 1970
Singer Melanie Safka, who turned a 1969 performance at Woodstock into a hit song and a five-decade career, died Tuesday at the age of 76. Safka’s death was announced on her Facebook page with a letter from her three children, Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred:
Dear Ones,
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.We are heartbroken, but want to thank each and every one of you for the affection you have for our Mother, and to tell you that she loved all of you so much! She was one of the most talented, strong and passionate women of the era and every word she wrote, every note she sang reflected that.
Our world is much dimmer, the colors of a dreary, rainy Tennessee pale with her absence today, but we know that she is still here, smiling down on all of us, on all of you, from the stars.
No cause of death was announced.
Earlier this month, Safka was in a recording studio working on “Second Hand Smoke,” an album of cover songs, for the Cleopatra label, Variety reported. Born Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk in Astoria, New York, Safka studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before deciding to pursue a career as a folk singer. Her big break came at the 1969 Woodstock concert, which she described to Rolling Stone in 2019 as her first “out-of-body experience.”
>
She was a treasure.
One of my favorites to this day! Its in my spotify saved playlist. Love that song. RIP Melanie! I’ll play it few times today in her memory.
I'm 73 and I don't want to think about it.
That was a naughty song?
Crank it up. Melanie & The Edwin Hawkins Singers LIVE 1970
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ52lk9wjZI
That was one of those fun, light-hearted, off-beat novelty songs that were so popular in that era. There was SO much creativity then and the studios produced those novelty songs. There's nothing like that today where every song sounds just like every other song.
"Thinly veiled double-entendre" -- no kidding. "I ride ride my bike, I roller skate, don't drive no car. Don't go too fast, but go pretty far."
And "I got a brand new pair of roller skates, you've got a brand new key. I think we should get together and try them out and see."
Please use “/s” to denote sarcasm
8^)
“That was a naughty song?”
It was an innocent era full of double-entendres. Remember that the Playboy magazine at the store was kept on the top shelf behind solid cardboard covers or you had to ask for it from behind the counter. There was no way for pubescent kids to get their hands on porn or condoms.
Adults worked hard to keep kids innocent as long as they could. Remember this was the tail-end of the Hayes Code era, too. The Hayes Code was a set of guidelines for self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968.
People born after that era would have a hard time imagining such a time.
My favorite of hers was “Look What They’ve Done to my Song, Ma”
Yeah, Brand New Key was an odd, light-hearted follow up to the very powerful, heavy gospel, anthem-like Lay Down, a highlight of the culturally epic Woodstock.
“one husband and three children who loved her.”
Indeed. That was such a wonderful note her kids wrote (I posted it in the HuffPo article at the top).
My favorite of hers was “Look What They’ve Done to my Song, Ma”
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
“Ils ont changer ma chanson, Ma...”
What a great interview before the song. She was so cute, so innocent, so demure and very pretty. Thanks for the link.
“Her song with the Hawkins Gospel Singers is nothing less than awe inspiring.”
YES. I posted the link to “Lay Down” in the original post. What a magnificent combination with her vocals and the gospel singers in the background.
When B.J. Thomas died, I stayed up all night playing his songs.
That’s a fantastic live performance in the Netherlands with the whole group of gospel singers. Wow.
People wore dresses, coats and ties to performances!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.