Friday, June 25, 2010

Here's one for my inner flower child ...

When I was about my little boy's age one of my favorite songs was "Brand New Key" by Melanie Safka. It was just such a happy, hooky, fun, innocent feel-good song that totally embodied being a little kid in the seventies.

"I got a brand new pair of roller skates / You got a brand new key / I think that we should get together and try them out you see / I been looking around awhile / You got something for me / Oh! I got a brand new pair of roller skates / You got a brand new key. / I ride my bike, I roller skate, don't drive no car / Don't go too fast, but I go pretty far / For somebody who don't drive / I been all around the world / Some people say I've done alright for a girl..."

Later, as a singer/songwriter I delved into Melanie's music more and so appreciated her clever songs and messages of love and humanity and was very flattered when I was compared to her as an artist.

I had an opportunity to hear her the other night when she did a benefit concert for a musician friend of hers whose daughter is a school friend of my sons. Brother Don Henry was my "date" and we loved getting to meet her. What an amazing night!!

4 comments:

Liz Mays said...

I definitely do remember that song! Very cool that you were able to meet her!

mudmama said...

I LOVE that song!! how cool!
Molly at I'm A Sleeper Baker

(somehow blogger rejected this comment so I cut and pasted it in :))

Mike said...

That song really takes me back to my childhood! Awesome that you met!

Jim said...

My friend Holly Kirby performed on Sunday on the Acoustic stage at the Isle of Wight (and saw Melanie's performance on Saturday - so she didn't have a backstage pass for Saturday as she wanted to talk to her and pass this message from me to her - that Melanie and I grew up on the same street in Astoria Queens and I used to play with her as a little kid out on the sidewalks there.. little did I know!) And I ended up a musician myself, very much in love with Melanie's music... especially "Peace Will Come" which I can never listen to enough!!

But Holly did say of Melanie that "She was definitely one of the highlights of the Festival for me. - A truly brilliant artist and lovely with it. :) (I had tingles through her set! Lol)".

I hope Melanie got to see Holly as well as Holly's first CD was just released ("A Woman You Don't Know") and she reminds me in many ways of Melanie in the late 60's (Holly's only 19 now) and Melanie, if you read this - THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC AND THE LOVE AND FOR .. YOU! :)

I hope some day I can let you know I knew you BEFORE "when"! :)

Jim Signorile

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