RIP - Melanie - Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) ft. The Edwin Hawkins Singers Reaction

In this video we're honouring the life of Melanie Safka, Professionally known as Melanie. We've only heard a few songs from this fantastic artist, but we're excited to hear more. And we're told this will make a fitting tribute. Enjoy!
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[@philipdickey6460]

I just loved Melanie, and this was a very powerful song, the Woodstock Festival was an epic success, and showed us that all races are equal, everyone got along with no hate towards each other, love this song

[@nancymartin5005]

She was always one of my favorites, thanks for playing her.

[@TangSongs]

Brilliant Melanie! ❤❤❤

[@ericanderson8886]

"Beautiful People" with just Melanie and her guitar live is so good. RIP to a brilliant singer.

[@notanotherenigma7759]

She used her super power here, her voice! So strong. RIP.

[@markreeder1051]

This performance is a masterpiece! Cheers.

[@thancrow]

Next song you should listen to by melanie is "Look what they've done to my song, Ma"

[@ChuckSchickx]

When I was much younger....you couldn't turn on the radio and not hear Melanie all the time!! ❤ Much love and thank You Melanie for sharing your amazing gifts with the world.

[@kentclark6420]

It figures that people would get a Woodstock vibe from this. Melanie wrote this song about her performance and experience at Woodstock.

[@leisastalnaker3790]

What a voice, what a powerful song. About Woodstock.❤love

[@davidellis5141]

Melanie performed at Woodstock & made quite an impression.

[@liveitup67]

One of the singers I heard in my early childhood. Brand New Key was always on the radio, but ''Lay Down'' was also another one I remember.

[@colrhodes377]

It's a great vocal performance 👏

[@robertburke5354]

RIP Melanie. One of a kind. Her Candles in the Rain album is a masterpiece IMO.

[@lbd-po7cl]

I had the great privilege of seeing Melanie just twice in my life. The first time was as a pre-teen in the early ‘70s in Melbourne (Aus). My family were attending the Moomba festival, a long running family festival here featuring parades, water skiing on the river, and the Birdman Rally. Melanie wasn’t booked for Moomba, but had a concert that night at Festival Hall. She decided to do an impromptu session to prepare for the concert and asked the festival organizers if they minded if she sang a few songs at the Myer Music Bowl. They of course said yes, made a brief announcement over the PA, and she treated us to half a dozen songs as we sat on the grass. The next time I saw her was just 5 years ago at the Port Fairy Folk Festival. While her voice was deeper, it was still powerful, and she was an absolute delight - still shining with her zest for life and gorgeous spirit. She was also very funny and a great storyteller. Melanie was truly one of the Beautiful People, and we are blessed to have had her amongst us.

[@danperez8211]

So glad you acknowledged a true musical legend!!

[@bobthebear1246]

You guys are a hoot. You sound exactly like NPR morning hosts. 😂 But anyways, R.I.P. Melanie. 🌹 I know a few songs by her (including the supremely annoying "Brand New Key"), and "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)" is her absolute best. Others I would recommend are her Woodstock song "Beautiful People" and the humorous "Psychotherapy." Melanie wrote this song based on her Woodstock experience, which launched her from a complete unknown to being a rising musical force to be reckoned with. Melanie indeed had a great voice. I've never heard this mentioned before, but just from this song alone, there is no question that she was a major vocal influence on Cyndi Lauper.

[@festidious2644]

This song was the first time I ever heard Melanie. I have three 45s of this one. There is a short talking piece with guitar on side 2 called, Candles In The Rain. When this song was on the charts, they always played a spliced together version which was side 2 running into side 1. I know this for a fact and remember it like yesterday but I cannot find one other person who can say that they also remember that. Good reaction and thank you for this upload.

[@garyspeed8961]

I remember... and it really is an essential part of the song !

[@robertburke5354]

On the album, Candles in the Rain, Candles in the Rain is the first song, and Laydown is the 2nd song, and they run into each other.

[@festidious2644]

Thank you, Robert. One thing that was different though is this. At the end of Candles In The Rain, there's are three guitar notes that come in just after, "Men can live as brothers; candles in the rain". If you follow the beat in that last line, the drum at the start of Lay Down came in at the start of the next beat and the three guitar notes were not there. I actually made an mp3 file of it just like that since that was how I knew the song. @@robertburke5354

[@festidious2644]

Thank you, Gary. Is that, Gary Speed or Gary's Peed.@@garyspeed8961

[@festidious2644]

Thank you, Gary. Is that, Gary Speed or Gary's Peed? @garyspeed8961

[@clivemason-ms8ju]

I had not heard that Melanie had left us. Very sad news. Thanks for playing this great song. Such a distinctive voice and she has indeed left us some wonderful performances. RIP Melanie.

[@jameswiglesworth5004]

If you want to hear her at her most powerful try her cover of The Rolling Stones Ruby Tuesday, she absolutely owns the song

[@hanierfamily]

We did a comparison of both of those versions. Just a little while back, in fact. She was quite good.

[@michaeldavidfigures9842]

This is the studio recording synchronized to a video recording of a live broadcast on Dutch television. The actual audio of that performance is what I've usually seen. Think I prefer that to this.

[@richardnelson2895]

not

[@deepfriedscotsman2860]

You should listen to her other song called ( The Nickel Song )from 1971

[@ylt123]

Brilliant tune!

[@warwickcathro2650]

This was a Vietnam War protest song, absolutely iconic of the late 60s and early 70s.

[@markreeder1051]

There is a longer version of this video which is definitely worth watching. Great pick-up on Woodstock as it inspired her to write this song. Cheers.

[@bgfd1]

Why did it fade out as it goes on long after that as on the album and this video/film which I have watched amny times? RIP Melanie. I feel so sad you have gone but aleast we have your music still.

[@liveitup67]

Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma was another big hit by her, and was made famous by The New Seekers.

[@didierchapelot5671]

She was my favorite singer for so long now. And God knows I heard a lot of singers and songs in my life. But never found someone who gave me chills and moved me like she did. I met her once in 2005 for an interview I did for a music mag in which I wrote then. She was adorable and this meeting had a profound influence on the way I saw life. This well-known song is excellent of course but she composed and sang so many fantastic ones that it would be too long to suggest some. I hope that now she's dead you won't stop to react to her music. PS. Too bad you didn't react to the complete version of the video. The coda deserved to be heard.

[@garyspeed8961]

never heard of Candles in the Rain... ooohhh myyy.. PS you should also include the spoken prelude... "Little Sisters of the Sun.... " there is a huge catalogue still

[@GaryNoone-jz3mq]

This song she wrote after performing at Woodstock. The audience was very close and there was a viral cold going around. (Hence the reference to all catching the same disease)

[@elizabethfranco1284]

Well funny you should say that because this is about her experience performing at Woodstock in the rain while watching a sea of lighters among the audience

[@johnandert1611]

The video and audio on this are a mismatch. The video is from a dutch television broadcast and is widely available with the right audio on youtube. The audio if from the studio album "Candles in the Rain"

[@GutsGrizzle]

Ruby Tuesday was a good cover of the Rolling stones song she did.

[@davidellis5141]

That & Lady Jane are my favorite Stones songs !

[@Rhiannon011]

There is a longer version of this song, (not live) where Melanie speaks some poetic beautiful words, before she starts singing "Candles in the rain"..it's my favorite version. Actually the "real Melanie fans" that are familiar with all of her songs and albums the main reasons we love her is her POWERFUL voice and her poetic beautiful lyrics. She has released 32 albums throughout her whole life career.. and never stopped singing and did some live concerts in Europe the last few years until she passed. Europeans have had a love affair with Melanie from the very beginning of her career. She was much more popular in Europe and her albums sold big time there. Melanie also has a very unique voice, there is no one else that sings like she did.. To me Brand New key is just another pop type song, it does NOT represent nor show Melanie's true powerful voice and singing ability. If you look more into her beautiful powerful poetic ballads you will then begin to witness her incredibly powerful voice range. I would say one of her songs that truly shows her vocal range is "I really loved Harold"..her lungs get quite an exercise in this song. Melanie also does a beautiful rendition of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine man". Bob Dylan said that her version of this song was his very favorite, even more then his version, he got in touch with her and told her so..

[@bobthebear1246]

Wouldn't you say though that she had to have been a major vocal influence on Cyndi Lauper? I mean, their voices are so similar, especially when they're both in their upper register.

[@Rhiannon011]

@@bobthebear1246 You know you make a good point! And I love Cyndi Lauper's voice so much, I have some of her albums. Maybe that's why I like her so much? She has that "quiver" in her voice like Melanie's.

[@JayCross]

Melanie didn't have anything else as powerful as "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)", but there were some great songs. A less remembered song that I like is "Peace Will Come".

[@user-qb9pi4di3z]

Was because of this song that people started holding up lighters (now cell phones) at concerts. Can't understand why she is not in the rock and roll hall of fame.

[@colrhodes377]

76 is a decent innings

[@bradsense7431]

This video has the recorded version over the video. Which is a shame and unnecessary as this live performance is from a Dutch television show that can be found on YT. And she sounds great in that so there was no need for overdub. And it went much longer as well. She introduces the song as being about her experience from Woodstock.

[@hanierfamily]

The mono recording with old mics didn't sound as nice. We know she had something to say at the first, but we wanted the music to shine.

[@bradsense7431]

@@hanierfamily I understand I was not trying to be critical. I thought you played this video as you found it - that someone else had done the overdub. I just thought you might not be aware another full version of this performance was out there. Thanks for the reply.

[@TarBabyJim]

I love Melanie music. Who cares that she was a 40 year member of the Scientology cult? God rest her soul.

[@michiganjfrog366]

This song will always be one of my favorites.. but disappointedly she went from peace and love to laying down the Constitution to wipe her ass as a maga cult member

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

I’m sorry to hear she passed , obviously I fondly remember Brand new Key , which The Wurzels later murdered . This has a whole Jesus Christ superstar , Jos sticks and sandals vibe going on , not moved me in any way tbh 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@liveitup67]

I fondly remember Brand new Key , which The Wurzels later murdered .. ROFT 😆

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

@@liveitup67 😆.. I’m not even gonna pretend I’m cool enough to know what ROFT means Gillian but I’m gonna guess it’s positive 😃 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@SPKdesign1]

@@liveitup67 They only KIdnapped it and Held it for a while but it got away.

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

@@SPKdesign1lol .. check out the convo I had with Kaitlyn batt on the other song , you get a mention bro ✊ 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@SPKdesign1]

@@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering I cannae see it but that's no a surprise my Eyesight isnae great at the mo.

[@SPKdesign1]

Great song but the Chorus is a bit over the top.

[@hanierfamily]

But we love that part! 😊

[@liveitup67]

Edwin Hawkins Singers did the backing.

[@SPKdesign1]

@@hanierfamily It could probably have been Mixed a bit better.

[@terrythekittieful]

The Edwin Hawkins Singers had a lot of power in their vocals. 'Oh Happy Day', their big hit (it inspired George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord') was the same. Their rousing vocals on that will make the hairs on your back stand on end. R.I.P. Melanie, sweet angel.

[@sukie584]

If by over the top you mean gorgeous, then yes.