Melanie, Brand New Key singer and Woodstock star dies aged 76 (2024)

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What happened to Melanie's Brand New Key? ›

Melanie, the singer-songwriter who rose through the New York folk scene, performed at Woodstock and had a series of 1970s hits including the enduring cultural phenomenon “Brand New Key," has died. Her publicist Billy James told The Associated Press that Melanie died Tuesday. She was 76 and lived in central Tennessee.

Melanie, Singer Who Performed at Woodstock and Topped Charts With 'Brand New Key,' Dies at 76. The singer, who wrote 'Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)' based on her experience at Woodstock, had been at work this month on a covers album.

January 23, 2024 (age 76 years), Nashville, TN

Melanie / Died

Melanie, the singer who performed at Woodstock in 1969 and had major pop hits with “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” in the early '70s, died Tuesday at age 76. News of the death came from her publicity firm, Glass Onyon PR. No information on the cause of death was immediately given.

Melanie, the singer-songwriter who rose through the New York folk scene, performed at Woodstock and had a series of 1970s hits including the enduring cultural phenomenon “Brand New Key,” has died. She lived in Pinellas County for many years.

Personal life. Melanie married record producer Peter Schekeryk in 1968. They had three children: daughter Leilah born on October 3, 1973; daughter Jeordie on March 27, 1975; and son Beau-Jarred on September 11, 1980.

Possible sexual innuendo

Melanie has acknowledged the possibility of detecting sexual innuendo in the lyrics, but has denied any deeper meaning: [The song], "Brand New Key", I wrote in about fifteen minutes one night. I thought it was cute; a kind of old thirties tune.

Joan Baez took the stage of Woodstock a little before 1 a.m. on the first evening, following sets by Ravi Shankar, Melanie Safka, and Arlo Guthrie. She was six months pregnant and missing her husband David Harris, who was in a Texas prison for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War.

A couple of surviving eyewitnesses say there were births. The concert's medical director told reporters at the scene there were two births: one at a local hospital after the mother was flown out by helicopter; the other in a car caught in the epic traffic jam outside the site crowded with more than 400,000 people.

How old was Melanie when she was on The Voice? ›

Martinez auditioned for The Voice Season 3 when she was just 16 years old.

Melanie Anne Safka (February 3, 1947 – January 23, 2024), better known as Melanie, was an American singer and songwriter. She was best known for hit songs, like "Ruby Tuesday" and "Brand New Key".

Here's what I wrote in 1990 about “Brand New Key”: “Melanie, whose 'Brand New Key' hit #1 in December 1971, wasn't a one-hit wonder.

Singer Melanie, who performed at Woodstock in 1969 and had hits in the 1970s with “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” died Tuesday.

Queens

Melanie / Places lived

The song is sung from the viewpoint of a girl with roller skates trying to attract the attention of a boy. In an interview with Examiner.com, Melanie described what she claimed was the inspiration for the song: I was fasting with a 27-day fast on water.

Melanie Safka, the American singer-songwriter known as Melanie who had a global hit with Brand New Key, has died aged 76.

Dollhouse is written in the key of C Minor. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 3rd most popular key among Minor keys and the 9th most popular among all keys.