Melanie safka youtube woodstock

Melanie Safka, professionally known as Melanie, didn’t plan to attend the Woodstock Music Festival that paved the way for her breakthrough hit, &#;(Lay Down) Candles in the Rain.&#; At that time in , she was in England working on a soundtrack with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Her manager convinced her to go to Woodstock in the hopes that she would secure a performance slot.

When she arrived, the festival was awash in rain, mud, food shortages, and unsanitary conditions. But she was undaunted.

The New York City native was determined to play her music—in a way, to continue her family’s heritage.

Melanie safka wikipedia

Melanie’s mother was a jazz singer, and took Melanie to many jazz clubs when she was kindergarten-aged.

“When I was five and six, I was writing torch songs. I didn’t know what I was saying, and my mom would laugh. As a teenager, I also got very into Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, and Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith—sol