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A Soloist at Woodstock, Melanie Later Scored a #1 Hit with "Brand New Key" and Kept On Singing
Melanie was 22 and relatively unknown in the U.S. when she was invited to perform at Woodstock. Her set, which began at 1:30 a.m. in front of a throng of people holding lit candles in the rain, inspired her to write "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," which became her first U.S. hit. Another of her songs, "Brand New Key," was her biggest hit, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1971.
To hear Melanie sing "Brand New Key," check out this charming video.
The photo of Melanie in the thumbnail for this episode is a 1975 publicity shot credited to the William Morris Agency. There are a couple of other images in the chapters, one from her "Candles in the Rain" album cover. The second one is a 1971 Billboard advertisement for "Brand New Key." I found both the publicity shot and the ad on Wikipedia.
This tribute is one of 41 stories that Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime journalist, has written about the music notables who passed away in 2024. He's written tributes for other years as well. You can listen to the ones from 2023 on Everyday Creation. We'll have the 2022 tributes available later this year.
Sheldon also is the creator of Song of the Day, a story that he sends by email to a list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email [email protected] with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.
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By Kate JonesMelanie was 22 and relatively unknown in the U.S. when she was invited to perform at Woodstock. Her set, which began at 1:30 a.m. in front of a throng of people holding lit candles in the rain, inspired her to write "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," which became her first U.S. hit. Another of her songs, "Brand New Key," was her biggest hit, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1971.
To hear Melanie sing "Brand New Key," check out this charming video.
The photo of Melanie in the thumbnail for this episode is a 1975 publicity shot credited to the William Morris Agency. There are a couple of other images in the chapters, one from her "Candles in the Rain" album cover. The second one is a 1971 Billboard advertisement for "Brand New Key." I found both the publicity shot and the ad on Wikipedia.
This tribute is one of 41 stories that Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime journalist, has written about the music notables who passed away in 2024. He's written tributes for other years as well. You can listen to the ones from 2023 on Everyday Creation. We'll have the 2022 tributes available later this year.
Sheldon also is the creator of Song of the Day, a story that he sends by email to a list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email [email protected] with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.