Melanie Safka
PMP Network Presents
Melanie Safka, known for her hit songs and Woodstock performance, shares her memories of the iconic festival. She recounts her initial terror before taking the stage and the unexpected relief she felt when it started to rain. Safka also touches upon the inspiration and reception of her song 'Look What They've Done to My Son.'
Singer / Songwriter
Melanie
About Melanie Safka
Melanie Safka, known professionally as Melanie, was an American singer-songwriter who performed at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. Her hit "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" reached No. 6 in 1970, inspired by her Woodstock experience. "Brand New Key" topped the charts in 1971. She founded her own independent record label in 1971 and won an Emmy Award in 1989 for writing the theme song for the television series Beauty and the Beast.
In this interview
- Recalls being in absolute terror before performing at Woodstock for more than five hundred people.
- Describes feeling relieved when rain started, thinking everyone would go home.
- Recounts an out-of-body experience walking onstage, watching herself perform.
- Mentions the announcement about candles and Hog Farm passing out candles during her performance.
“I was so terrified that I actually left my body, that I walked on that stage as I watched myself.”— Melanie Safka, in this interview
Since this interview
Melanie continued recording through 2024, completing her 32nd album "Second Hand Smoke" and a cover of Morrissey's "Ouija Board Ouija Board" for a tribute album in early January 2024. She died on January 23, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee at age 76.
