Melanie Safka, best known for her musical hits “Brand New Key,” “Ruby
Tuesday,” “What Have They Done to My Song Ma,” and her song about performing at
the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival, “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” will be
receiving the 2015 Peaceful Revolution award from the Church of Scientology in
a special ceremony in June.
Melanie became famous during one unforgettable night on stage at
Woodstock in 1969. Her song “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” was inspired by
this night and became an instant hit in the United States, Europe, Australia and
Canada. According to her website, during that night at Woodstock, Melanie was a
New York kid barely known outside of the coffeehouse circuit in Greenwich
Village. Long before it was a trend, while she sang her song "Beautiful
People," the audience was inspired to light their candles and raise their
lighters. That, in turn, moved the young singer to write ‘Lay Down (Candles in
the Rain),’ which sold more than one million copies in 1970 and prompted
Billboard, Cashbox, Melody Maker, Record World, and Bravo to anoint her as
female vocalist of the year.
Melanie appeared before the General Assembly of the United Nations,
where she was invited back on many occasions. When she became an official
UNICEF ambassador in 1972, she agreed to forgo a world tour in favor of raising
money for the organization.
It is from this work with the United Nations International Children’s
Education Fund that the Nashville Church of Scientology is presenting Melanie
with the 2015 Peaceful Revolution Award during a private ceremony.
For more information about Melanie, visit her website melaniesafka.com.
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