BEST CHILDREN'S ALBUM
When Woodstock legend and hitmaker Melanie Safka passed away on January 23 2024, work was just beginning on one of the most cherished long term projects of her career, a full-blown children’s album.
She had toyed with the concept in the past - at Woodstock itself, she performed “Animal Crackers”; her debut album in 1968 included an adaptation of AA Milne’s “Christopher Robin Is Saying His Prayers”; and “Alexander Beetle,” which she’d been performing since her teenaged years was still appearing in her live set 50 years later.
Now, she declared, she was finally going to do it, and nothing, she joked was going to stop her. And it didn’t, as her three children - daughters Leilah and Jeordie, and son Beau Jarred - delved into both her most recent recordings, and a career’s worth of archive material, to create the album that their mother would have wanted.
With songs that Melanie recorded dating back to the mid-1960s, and undiscovered until after her death, this collection of lullabies is both a revelation for fans of this ever-pioneering artist, and an eye-opener to those who remember Melanie only as the purveyor of a record breaking sequence of hits in the early 1970s… she was the first solo performer to have three singles simultaneously on the Billboard chart, while her chart topper “Brand New Key” has been performed by artists as far afield as Olivia Newton-John, Todd Rundgren and UK comedy act The Wurzels (who promptly topped the charts as well!)
Six of the recordings featured on Lullabies From Heaven date back to Melanie’s teenaged recordings; others trace her career across subsequent decades; and as the album came together, her children Beau Jarred, Leilah and Jeordie went into the studio in their own right to sing and add instrumentation. Melanie’s grandchildren and great grandchildren, too, appear on the album - that’s four generations coming together across one magical album.
Lullabies From Heaven is a charming collection featuring a number of classic lullabies, including “Puff The Magic Dragon,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and “Teddy Bear’s Picnic.” But it also includes a number of original songs written by Melanie: “Skinny Bone Jones” (co-written with her daughter Jeordie), “Ring Around The Moon,” and “Garden In The City.”
Many of the songs resonated with the children - hearing her teenaged renditions of “Puff The Magic Dragon,” they recalled her singing it to them when they were tiny. “Teddy Bear’s Picnic,” performed here by Beau Jarred, was another bedtime favorite. “I’m beyond glad we got to do that one for her,” he says.
“These songs are all so special and all have their own place in my heart,” says daughter Jeordie. “Momma was always such an inspiration and incredible craftswoman of songs. All these songs have had a unique place in our hearts & especially now. We are excited to share these with everyone .. from our family to yours.”
Daughter Leilah adds: “I love singing with my family! There were so many little magical moments I really felt mom’s spirit with us. Just truly special!!”
Melanie with husband Peter Schekeryk and children Jeordie (left) and Leilah (right), London 1975. Photo by Barry Plummer.
Credits
Lullabies from Heaven released May 2025 on Cleopatra Records
“Rain, Rain Go Away,” “Puff the Magic Dragon,” “Hobo’s Lullaby,” “Riddle Song,” “Garden in the City” and “Alexander Beetle” were recorded by Larry Kassab between 1963-1965. “Alexander Beetle” (bonus track) and “Animal Crackers” were recorded by Peter Schekeryk circa 1972. “Duck Bottom Boat” was recorded by Beau Jarred in 2016. .
All lead vocals by Melanie except:
“Fly Me To The Moon” and “Ring Around the Moon,” by Leilah
“Skinny Bones Jones” by Jeordie
“Teddy Bear’s Picnic” by Beau Jarred
Additional vocals by Leilah, Jeordie, Beau Jarred, Christiana, Analisa and whole family. Special baby vocals by Remy and Goldie.
Guitars - Melanie, Beau Jarred, Jeordie. Additional instrumentation and production on “Duck Bottom Boat” by Eric Alexandrakis.
Produced by Beau Jarred. Co-produced by Dave Thompson.
Listen to Lullabies From Heaven
SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/album/1uRzjUqQabI6a8khtpEFm1
YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k8g_ueuxXI&list=PLktaelVK2ZfRUPhzwHoPpuLH5he6rRKlI
TIDAL https://tidal.com/album/420280288
