Singer-songwriter Melanie, who performed at Woodstock in 1969 and had big hits with “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” in the early ’70’s, passed away peacefully Tuesday according to a statement on her Facebook page.
Melanie was one of only three female solo artists to perform at the original Woodstock festival in 1969 alongside Janis Joplin and Joan Baez and was helicoptered into the festival as a virtual unknown before she had any hits on the radio.
In 1970 “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” a gospel-flavored collaboration with the Edwin Hawkins Singers was Melanie’s first pop hit. It reached number 1 in The Netherlands and Canada, and number 6 on the USA Hot 100. Her biggest hit came the following year, when “Brand New Key,” which was taken as a sort of children’s tune by some and full of sexual innuendo by others, reached the top 10 in The Netherlands, Ireland and the UK, and number 1 in The USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Melanie’s other (minor) hits included “What Have They Done To My Song Ma,” “Nickel Song,” “Beautiful People” and a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday.”
By the mid-1970s Melanie’s popularity had waned, but she maintained a following and kept recording and playing live. She had recently been working on a new album of cover songs.