American singer songwriter Melanie Safka, best known for the hits ‘Brand New Key’ and ‘Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)’, has died at age 76.
Melanie’s three children Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau announced her passing on her Facebook page.
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.
We ask tonight, Wednesday January 24th, at 10pm central time, each of you lights a candle in honor of Melanie. Raise, raise them high, high up again. Illuminate the darkness, and let us all be connected in remembrance of the extraordinary woman who was wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to so very many people.
We are planning a Celebration of Life for Mom and it will be open to all of you who want to come and celebrate her. The details will be announced as soon as they are in place. We look forward to seeing you there.
At this time please allow us, her family, privacy as we grieve for her, remember her, and figure out how to navigate this crazy world without her.
Thank you all for your love – you meant so very much to her.
Love and Peace,
Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred
Melanie rose to fame in the late 60s. She was one of only three woman to perform solo at Woodstock in 1969. The other two were Janis Joplin and Joan Baez.
Melanie’s third album ‘Candles In The Rain’, released in April 1970, featured three hit songs ‘Lay Down’, ‘Look What They’ve Done To My Song Ma’ (also a hit for The New Seekers) and her cover of the Rolling Stones song ‘Ruby Tuesday’.
Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)
Look What They’ve Done To My Song Ma
Ruby Tuesday
In 1971, Melanie would have another hit with the controversial ‘Brand New Key’. The song was banned from some radio stations around the world because of its sexual innuendo (which by todays standards is G rated). The song must have meant something sexually because it was used for the soundtrack of ‘Boogie Nights’ in 1997.
Brand New Key
Melanie continued to write, record and perform through the 80s, winning an Emmy Award in 1989 for her theme to the TV show ‘Beauty and the Beast’.
Her last album ‘Ever Since You Never Heard of Me’ was released in 2010. It contained her tribute to Johnny Cash, ‘Working Legend’.
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