For our podcast tribute to Melanie, I loved listening again to her music -- finding old favorites and ones I missed until now.
For those of you with Apple Music, here's a playlist of essentials.
For everyone else, I've added notes below about songs we mentioned in the podcast -- with links to listen on Youtube. I hope you discover some of your own favorites too.
My Top 10 Melanie Songs:
Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)
Inspired by the candle ceremony Melanie witnessed while performing in the rain at Woodstock, this song still gives me a thrill as her voice rises above the chorus of Edwin Hawkins singers. It doesn't mention Vietnam. But I always heard it as the defiance of a generation that didn't want to go to war.
Peace Will Come (According to Plan)
As one of Melanie's many songs that starts softly and builds to a powerful climax, this was a perfect match for my teenage vision of myself at one with humanity and the universe. Uh oh. I still kind of relate to it. (She sang this on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1970 -- his praise for her at the end is impressive.)
The Nickel Song
When I heard this song on Boston's cool WBCN radio station, that's the moment I became an instant fan. The way the song devolves into nonsense syllables at the end (and finally peals of laughter from Melanie) makes me so happy. Plus, I like the straightforward lyrics about feeling the need to put on a show. In high school, I made our entire school listen to this song when I played it after morning announcements. Guess I'm kinda giving you the same treatment now.
Together Alone
Our podcast guest Maddy Miller was at the Carnegie Hall concert where this version was recorded. It conveys the simple paradox of a great relationship -- you can be together and alone, at the same time. I think it comes across better when Melanie sings it live, instead of the tarted-up version on the the Stoneground Words album.
Some Say I Got Devil
A haunting song that always made me wonder what event in Melanie's life could have triggered such a raw confession, or if it was just a situation that she imagined. The 2019 cover version by Morrissey proves that there's still a lot of drama lurking in Melanie's songs.
Look What They Done To My Song, Ma
The New Seekers made it a hit before Melanie did. Then there were really different and interesting versions by Ray Charles, Nina Simone, and Miley Cyrus. Even when it was new, this song had the quality an old folk song from times gone by. Which makes sense. As Maddy told us on the podcast, Melanie was "an old soul."
Psychotherapy
Sung to the tune of Glory Glory Hallelujah, Melanie shares funny punch lines like "His analyst assured him that... he really was inferior." And she kinda gets stuck in those same two chords. Time for some guitar therapy?
Natural Man
This one sounds so much like Randy Newman -- with its clever sendup of Cali culture. But nope, it's Melanie. It seems to have come out around 1993. I'm happy that our podcast research helped me discover it.
Crack Seeks The Edge
This came out on 1985's "Am I Real Or What?" album, which I ignored because I didn't like the fact that Melanie was trying out electronic music. But now I love it. The chorus -- with Melanie's typical nonsense syllables -- is the kind of ear worm I like to have in my head every now and then.
Someday I'll Be a Farmer
Gardeners of the world -- this one's for you. I loved it in high school during my first foray into organic gardening, and it still works fine for me when I'm out there pulling weeds.
After Melanie sang "Peace Will Come" on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1970, he greeted her -- and compared her to Elvis, years before her that other song became a hit.
And Special Mention:
Here are some of the songs we mention in the podcast:
Beautiful People
This song established Melanie's career -- just before she sang it at Woodstock. It was inspired by her feelings of community during the 1965 New York City blackout.
I Don't Eat Animals
This is the song that goes with Maddy's famous photo of Melanie with a cow. Though it didn't succeed in making me a vegetarian, it definitely made me a very devout vegetarian sympathizer.
The Good Book
Another early favorite for me. Melanie starts softly, then sings above an entire chorus of voices -- which she liked to do back then. I was happy to discover a new version on Youtube where you can watch Melanie perform it with her two daughters.
Autumn Lady
The all-time favorite of photographer Maddy Miller. It was written by Melanie when she was 16, but it's about an older woman. The song took on new meaning for Maddy and Melanie as the years passed.
The People in the Front Row
The hip-hop group Hilltop Hoods heavily sampled this for their song The Nosebleed Section, which was a massive hit in Australia. Eventually, they gave Melanie credit for contributing to their fame.
The Saddest Thing
For some reason, this mournful song from The Good Book album became a huge hit in Korea -- where Melanie was eventually given an award for writing it. I found this version by a Korean singer on Youtube.
Bitter Bad
After Maddy Miller complained to Melanie that her boyfriend was "doing my stuff with another girl," she later heard that line in the chorus of this song.
Baby Day
To get the right mood for the photos on the cover of 1972's Gather Me album, Melanie wanted to stay up all night. This song is about just that -- the importance of witnessing the sunrise.
Ring the Living Bell
When Melanie became the second woman to ever have three songs on the Billboard pop chart at the same time, this was one of the songs. It's got another one of those choruses that can stay in your head for an extended time.
Ruby Tuesday
Melanie had no fear of covering songs that were strongly affiliated with other artists; she made them her own. She brought a whole new interpretation to this rendition of the Rolling Stones song.
The First Time I Loved Forever
Melanie and her co-writer won an Emmy for writing the theme song to the late-80s TV show Beauty and the Beast. The official version for the TV show was sung by Lisa Angelle.
Hurt
At 76, Melanie was still so cool that she chose to record a song by Trent Reznor, best known for leading the ear-splitting industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Because this was the last song she released, I find the dour lyrics somewhat upsetting -- but Maddy hears it differently, and you might too.
Brand New Key
Okay, I had to mention it. Just in case you never experienced the novelty hit that put Melanie at #1 on the charts in 1972 (ahead of Don McLean's "American Pie") here it is. The roller skate song -- which has been parodied by Britain's Wurzels and featured in movies -- came into Melanie's mind when she followed a 27-day fast with a feast on a Big Mac. Delirium or genius? You decide. And for an interesting twist, listen to the countrified version by Melanie's daughter Jeordie.
Melanie and her daughters Leilah and Jeordie sang The Good Book together at the Woodstock 25th anniversary concert in 1994.
MORE ABOUT MELANIE
- Hear our podcast tribute to Melanie
- See Maddy Miller's gallery of classic and never-shared Melanie photos
