Melanie [Safka]

[The Siren 29,115]

Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (February 3, 1947 – January 23, 2024), professionally known as Melanie or Melanie Safka, was an American singer-songwriter.

She is widely known for the 1971–72 global hit "Brand New Key"; her 1970 version of "Ruby Tuesday", which was originally written and recorded by the Rolling Stones; her composition "What Have They Done to My Song Ma"; and her 1970 international breakthrough hit "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" (inspired by her experience of performing at the 1969 Woodstock music festival).

[The Siren 29,115]

didnt see a thread in existence for her

 

heres the two announcement posts from her patreon (her death and some upcoming releases that have been planned for a while now)

 

A message from Leilah, Jeordie and Beau Jarred

Spoiler

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

 

A message from Dave Thompson (Melanie’s manager)
 

Spoiler

Hi everyone

These last few days have been… you can probably imagine. Shock first, followed by grief - and then, such an overwhelming outpouring of love and sympathy from you, Melanie’s dear ones, to let us all know we’e not alone in our sadness.

First, then, thank you to everyone who has posted, commented, and just filled our world with so much support. It means everything to Melanie’s family, and they will be in touch soon, to thank you themselves.

A number of people have contacted me to ask whether Melanie’s passing affects any of the plans we’d been making for the future.

No. If anything, it has strengthened our determination to do everything right. Melanie’s legacy is vitally important to everybody involved - her family and friends, her record labels, all of us. And we’re working together to make sure that it will live forever.

Beau is determined to complete her final album - hopefully you’ve already heard her version of “Hurt,” but if not… heres the YouTube link. It was the last song she ever recorded, which makes it especially poignant, and we wanted you all to hear it now. If you’re a member of Melanie’s Patreon, you’ll have also heard at least an excerpt of “Ouija Board Ouija Board,” which she recorded a few days earlier for an upcoming Morrissey tribute album.

Melanie’s full autobiography, sadly, was never completed. But we have several other books in the pipeline (more details soon) - and the first of them depends upon all of you. We’d like to gather together everybody’s memories, thoughts and photographs of Melanie, especially those that have been posted on her social media pages over the last few days, and make them available as a book “by the fans, for the fans.” Please contact me if you’d like to be a part of this (my e-mail is at the end of this message)

As for the reissues, Melanie and I spent a lot of time talking about how she wanted things done - replacing album art that she didn’t (and in some instances had never) liked, selecting bonus tracks for LPs, and finding unexpected treasures in the archive that she wanted to bring to light. I took notes, and we’re going to stick to her wishes like glue.

As you all know, the 1984 live album “One Night Only” is now available and the deluxe “Stoneground Words” is imminent. “Arabesque” and “Second Wave” will be making their official CD debuts soon, and of course there’s the 6 CD rarities box set to look forward to. Easy Action Records are planning a restoration of the legendary lost “Autumn Lady” album; and Cleopatra are looking at both “The Lost 1979 Album” and Ace of Diamonds. And there’s more, as well.

Things are also busy online. We’re in the process of making Melanie’s entire post- 1972 catalog available for streaming, together with further rarities - a terrific, unreleased live recording of “Lay Down,” from 1991, with Leilah and Jeordie onstage alongside their mom, has just gone up., and a collection of her best-loved songs and performances is also coming soont. Collectors will likely find some surprises there, as well.

Finally, we’re still looking out for good quality recordings, live and studio, audio and video, that may not be already in the archive. Please get in touch if you think you can help. And if anybody has a copy of that photo of Mick Jagger wearing the Melanie button (or was in a T-shirt?) PLEASE post it!

Thank you, again, for all your support. Together we’ll make certain that Melanie lives forever.

Dave

 

[The Siren 29,115]

im not sure how this would work in real life since her second album came out a few months after Woodstock, but i think i like this list if her first two albums were just one album, released in 1969.

 

 

 

i plan on also rearranging her 1971 albums (theres three) into one album (or two if i decide to include her one 1970 album) and possibly some of her 2000s albums cos a bunch of them share some of the same songs (whether they are re-recordings or not, i have yet to really listen to them)

Edited January 28 by The Siren