Los Angeles, Cleopatra - Melanie’s Children, the three piece band formed by the son and daughters of the late Melanie Safka, release their debut album, Songs She Sang At Woodstock, on May 8 - just in time for Mother's Day!
Built around Melanie’s now-legendary set at Yasgur’s Farm on the first day of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, the album is a joyous celebration of what many people regard as the then-22 year old Melanie’s breakthrough performance, on a rainy afternoon in front of an audience who she admitted “didn’t know who I was.”
They certainly remembered her afterwards!
Songs She Sang at Woodstock follows Melanie’s live set from start to finish, omitting only her cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr Tambourine Man.” Drawing material from the two albums she had already released, Melanie - appearing solo, alone on that vast stage with just her guitar for company - treated the increasingly rapturous crowd to versions of her European hit “Beautiful People,” the so-gentle “Close To It All,” and the correspondingly raw “Tuning My Guitar,” future fan favorite “Momma Momma,” the newly written “Birthday Of The Sun” and, released as a single today, the hilarious “Animal Crackers.”
SINGLE: https://orcd.co/melanie_animalcrackers
Even more excitingly, Melanie herself plays guitar on these six songs, her contributions taken from an online concert she performed back in 2001. Other instrumentation is played by her son Beau Jarred Schekeryk, who also joins sisters Jeordie Schekeryk and Leilah Safka on vocals, alongside Melanie’s granddaughters Annalisa and Christiana Hayman.
"We felt called to bring together a collection of songs that have shaped our lives, and the lives of so many," says Leilah. "Growing up on stage with mom , we were surrounded by an extended family - the fans, who made every moment unforgettable. These songs are more than memories, they are living pieces of that journey, an extension of the love, connection, and beautiful moments we've carried with us through the years."
Neither is Woodstock the sole focus of the album. It continues on with five later Melanie contributions, drawn largely from songs that Leilah and Jeordie have performed during their solo careers, digging deep into the catalog for “Taking A Bath” and “The Champagne Song,” but also highlighting the hits “Brand New Key” and “Look What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma,” plus - of course - “Lay Down (Candles In The Rain),” the song that Melanie wrote in the immediate aftermath of Woodstock, with the memory of the audience stretching out into the darkness, all holding lit candles aloft.
The subsequent tradition of crowds raising cigarette lighter and, more recently, cell phones above their heads began there.
Leilah continues, "Mom created so many extraordinary songs that choosing wasn't easy. But, as we revisited them, something undeniable happened. The right ones rose to the top and together they formed an album that resonates deeply, almost magically, in our hearts."
The album closes with Beau Jarred alone, and the David Bowie song he recorded to mark the first anniversary of their mother’s death in January 2025, “Everyone Days Hi.” It is a fitting conclusion to an album that is both deeply emotional and joyously fun - the trio’s vocals, honed not only by their old work but also appearances on stage with their mom, are exquisitely blended, topping Beau Jarred’s inventive arrangements and playing. These are Melanie’s songs, but they are Melanie’s Children’s too. They grew up with this music, after all.
Yet they are also very individual songwriters in their own right, and future Melanie’s Children releases - and live performances, too - will spotlight the trio not simply as the children of one of the most talented American songwriters of the age, but also as her heirs.
CD: https://cleorecs.com/products/melanie-s-children-songs-she-sang-at-woodstock-cd
DIGITAL: https://orcd.co/melanie_songsshesangatwoodstock
Track listing
1. Close To It All
2. Momma Momma
3. Beautiful People
4. Animal Crackers
5. Birthday Of The Sun
6. Tuning My Guitar
7. Taking A Bath
8. Brand New Key
9. The Champagne Song
10. Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma
11. Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)
12. Everyone Says Hi
Just In Time For Mother’s Day, Melanie’s Children Celebrate Their Mother’s Epochal Woodstock Performance - And More. Join In The Fun With Their First Single “Animal Crackers” Available Now
