'Brand New Key' folk singer Melanie dies, aged 76
Melanie was a folk pop icon who played Woodstock and an early Glastonbury festival and was still making new music up to her passing.
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Melanie was a folk pop icon who played Woodstock and an early Glastonbury festival and was still making new music up to her passing.
American singer Melanie Safka has died, her family have announced.
Melanie, who has died aged 76, was a singer and songwriter who made her name at Woodstock before becoming best known for two songs, What Have They Done to My Song Ma, which was covered by a variety of musicians including Nina Simone, and Brand New Key – “I’ve got a brand new pair of roller-skates” – which was famously parodied in the Wurzels’ UK No 1 The Combine Harvester.
The singer-songwriter topped charts with hits 'Brand New Key' and 'Lay Down (Candles in the Rain).'
Melanie, who hit with “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain), a song about her Woodstock experience, died aged 76 in January 2024.