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Melanie — Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)
Album: Greatest Hits
Avg rating:
6.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 522









Released: 1969
Length: 3:30
Plays (last 30 days): 2
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Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown

We were so close, there was no room
We bled inside each other's wounds
We all had caught the same disease
And we all sang the songs of peace

Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown

So raise the candles high
'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the night
Oh, raise them higher again
And if you do we could stay dry against the rain

Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown

We were so close, there was no room
We bled inside each other's wounds
We all had caught the same disease
And we all sang the songs of peace
Some came to sing, some came to pray
Some came to keep the dark away

So raise the candles high
'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the sky
Oh, raise them higher again
And if you do we could stay dry against the rain

Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown

Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
You got to lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown

You got to lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Oh, lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown

Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Comments (97)add comment
Just heard this song a few days ago on RP, and now my dad came with the sad news Rest in piece dear Melanie, I've always loved your unique voice ever since I was a little kid <3
Posted 2 months ago by huib    [ Reply ]
 LowPhreak wrote:

This girl had some pipes!


This is absolutely the first time I've heard this song. Starting at 8. One of my fave songs as a kid was Melanie's "Brand New Key."
Posted 3 months ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
 springof63 wrote:

Shame you missed out the first part of this song ('Candles In The Rain' and 'Lay Down' are one song (in my opinion))...
You know what i mean. 



"Little sisters of the sun lit candles in the rain,
Fed the world on oats & raisins, candles in the rain,
Lit the fire to the soul,
Who never knew his friends,
Meher Baba lives again, candles in the rain,
To be there is to remember, so,
Lay it down again,
Lay it down, oh,
Lay it down again,
Men can live as brothers,
Candles in the rain"
.
That's the missing part. Please fix this.
Posted 4 months ago by springof63    [ Reply ]
always loved this song!! 
Posted 4 months ago by jameshay    [ Reply ]
Harsh criticism on the tune.
Not played often based on comments and ratings votes

Though this playing brought in a number of current comments
Posted 7 months ago by the_jake    [ Reply ]
 rgrace wrote:

I don't get it. This is a huge classic. A 5? Jeez. Tough crowd.



Pink Floyd Fanboys can not dig this
Posted 7 months ago by thewiseking    [ Reply ]
GottDamn this is good! Listen to that chorus, that lead vocal and that bass!
Posted 7 months ago by thewiseking    [ Reply ]
Shame you missed out the first part of this song ('Candles In The Rain' and 'Lay Down' are one song (in my opinion))...
You know what i mean. 
Posted 7 months ago by springof63    [ Reply ]
Pretty difficult to listen to. 
Maybe if I were in church, listening to the radio.
Posted 7 months ago by Emperors_Spork    [ Reply ]
Please, my ears. This is far too much to take straight after Joni Mitchell. {#Beat}
Posted 6 years ago by carlos65    [ Reply ]
 LAwolf8 wrote:
oh I remember this on the radio, you might as well give in and sing along .  She really was a good singer, much in the background.


Yup.

Posted 6 years ago by sunybuny    [ Reply ]
I got my basic musical education from "Dick Clark's 25 years of Rock and Roll" LP; my grandmother got it for me in a department store in the Bronx when I was 7 or 8. I played it over and over, and every song on that double album is a permanent, deep favorite of mine, including this one.
Posted 6 years ago by GTT    [ Reply ]
oh I remember this on the radio, you might as well give in and sing along .  She really was a good singer, much in the background.
Posted 6 years ago by LAwolf8    [ Reply ]
This girl had some pipes!
Posted 6 years ago by LowPhreak    [ Reply ]
Haven't heard Melanie in ages. Thanks Bill, love it!
Posted 6 years ago by pixeldude1    [ Reply ]
have this one on 60/70ies compilation and I like it 
gotta love the energy behind that voice :) 
Posted 6 years ago by ShamanManu    [ Reply ]

Had to be there, I guess.

Worked for me then; works for me now.


Posted 6 years ago by steeler    [ Reply ]
 BillG wrote:
buzz wrote:
When the song came on I gave it a 9 rating, then i realized it was some kind of nasty remix version, i changed my rating to a 2. It's a really groovy tune, but this version is bummin me out man

This is the original album version. The one played on the radio back then was the edited single version. This one does go on a bit, I'll admit.

 
whoa man cooool
Posted 6 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
 Leetzy wrote:
Love it. An anthem of the era. I dig the way she sings off key and is wildly emotional. Thanks Bill!
 
Hear! Hear!  (Audible table thumping in background.)
Posted 6 years ago by westslope    [ Reply ]

Melanie Safka - "Look What They've Done To My Song Ma" Live (1969):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqg3kcwAgso
Posted 13 years ago by calypsus_1    [ Reply ]

Melanie and Johnny Cash - "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" Live (1969): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6zfS96WGNE
Posted 13 years ago by calypsus_1    [ Reply ]


Melanie Safka performing Ruby Tuesday, original by The Rolling Stones (1966), 15 of August 1982 at Germany:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tognmHSh_Qg



Posted 14 years ago by calypsus_1    [ Reply ]
Misterfixit wrote:
Hey now, you'all lighten up on Miss Melanie. What a lot of folks said earlier in this thread is true. She was (and still is, for that matter) an inspired musician with a very strong love of her faith and family. She's a stand up person. And her singing is NOT off-key ... the tonal qualities of her music were deliberately atonal to accentuate the particular poetry which she sang.
Word
Posted 16 years ago by E_A_D_G    [ Reply ]
I just had to turn the volume...Way Down, Way Down!
Posted 16 years ago by mtbskisail    [ Reply ]
Hey now, you'all lighten up on Miss Melanie. What a lot of folks said earlier in this thread is true. She was (and still is, for that matter) an inspired musician with a very strong love of her faith and family. She's a stand up person. And her singing is NOT off-key ... the tonal qualities of her music were deliberately atonal to accentuate the particular poetry which she sang.
Posted 16 years ago by Misterfixit    [ Reply ]
Melanie always drove me up the wall ... at least it's not "Brand New Key".
Posted 16 years ago by keller1    [ Reply ]
Posted 16 years ago by trekhead    [ Reply ]
Retro sap. Not at all bad. Cheech & Chong's favorite label.
Posted 16 years ago by E_A_D_G    [ Reply ]
Ow....my ears.
Posted 16 years ago by Beez    [ Reply ]
Time has not changed how much I don't like this song.
Posted 16 years ago by pannaramma    [ Reply ]
I just loved this when I was a little girl in Boston. Even though I didn't really understand the politics of what was going on in the country, the emotion and the passion hooked me.
Posted 16 years ago by maryte    [ Reply ]
A minor-key masterpiece. What surprised me after all these years was the rhythm and drive of the song. The words may be a little sappy; I mean, "we all had caught the same disease"? Reminds me of New Jersey's new slogan in the late '70's, "New Jersey's got it". Cynics added "and I don't want to catch it" Melanie's voice sounds a bit rough through speakers, too. So what? The basic song is fine.
Posted 16 years ago by BasmntMadman    [ Reply ]
buzz wrote:
When the song came on I gave it a 9 rating, then i realized it was some kind of nasty remix version, i changed my rating to a 2. It's a really groovy tune, but this version is bummin me out man
"Hey man, is that Freedom Rock?" "Yeah man!" "Well turn it up man."
Posted 16 years ago by Waybo    [ Reply ]
Passion - not perfect pitch - rocks.
Posted 16 years ago by Photo-John    [ Reply ]
What have they done to my song, Ma?
Posted 16 years ago by TerryS    [ Reply ]
I really, really, really, really am not feelin' this one. Wow. Is it over yet?
Posted 16 years ago by rconway    [ Reply ]
The technology from the era of this song was minimal compared to today. Melanie, a 17 year old girl at te time of this recording, had little in the way of voice command. Her passsion, however, is undeniable. She meant what she was singing, which is why this song roused a nation.
Posted 16 years ago by jadewahoo    [ Reply ]
Someone PLEASE find her nuk-nuk, I can't STAND the screaming!
Posted 16 years ago by trekhead    [ Reply ]
bigpomp wrote:
Hey Melanie, I've got a slightly used key.
If you use that, she will sing slightly off-key.
Posted 16 years ago by ThePoose    [ Reply ]
CCinSB wrote:
wow, it's Melanie! Where are my roller skates?
I got a brand new key--but it's uncut.
Posted 16 years ago by ThePoose    [ Reply ]
Back then, this was a statement. Worked for me then. Works for me now.
Posted 16 years ago by steeler    [ Reply ]
Oh man does this take me back. Had this on a K-Tel LP (also reminds me of the 18 hours spent in a Greyhound Station in Winnipeg in 1971 - "I gotta brand new paira rollerskates ..")
Posted 16 years ago by Marina1    [ Reply ]
100% crap
Posted 16 years ago by AphidA    [ Reply ]
wow, it's Melanie!
Posted 16 years ago by CCinSB    [ Reply ]
CanuckBeaker wrote:
It would be great to hear a new re-mastering of this track using current technology. Great tune, but pretty shrill.
Sometimes, I wish folks would check out the album details...This was remastered by Robert Fripp in 1999...
Posted 16 years ago by equanimoose    [ Reply ]
Uh, mmm, ah, a throwback fer sure. Makes me think Friday nights of Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, and Love American Style... ah, the classics... groovy man, just groovy...
Posted 16 years ago by SpamNRice    [ Reply ]
shakitten wrote:
Ooh...I dig this tune. Cool!
:)
Posted 16 years ago by Kerly    [ Reply ]
Thanks for playing this Bill, brings back some grand memories; a classic cut ya'all!
Posted 16 years ago by guiguy    [ Reply ]
rgj13 wrote:
Maybe I'm just in a bad mood, but this is bugging the living hell out of me.
LMAO! This one always kinda annoyed me as being too much hippy schmaltzy stuff. And I thought the same thing back then. Just one of those period "anthem" peices you kinda go along with. If she cut back on the helium it might have sounded better...
Posted 17 years ago by shutter    [ Reply ]
CaptTofu wrote:
Hey hippy lady - you don't need to scream into the mike, also, put the mike further away from your mouth so it won't distort so much. At times, she almost sounds like a mosquito buzz amplified to high heaven. Peace man.
I think that's more a function of the limited recording equipment they had in those days. Now. we'd just add some EQ and it'd be all good. Back then, if you had four tracks you were stylin'.
Posted 17 years ago by rgrace    [ Reply ]
BillG wrote:
This is the original album version. The one played on the radio back then was the edited single version. This one does go on a bit, I'll admit.
I don't care if it does go on a bit, I still like it. Thanks for playing it, Bill.
Posted 17 years ago by n4ku    [ Reply ]
Ooh...I dig this tune. Cool!
Posted 17 years ago by shakitten    [ Reply ]
my friend mel was named after melanie. her hippy mom loves this song.
Posted 17 years ago by daveesh    [ Reply ]
I don't get it. This is a huge classic. A 5? Jeez. Tough crowd.
Posted 17 years ago by rgrace    [ Reply ]
This reminds me of college...it was on "Freedom Rock."
Posted 17 years ago by AliGator    [ Reply ]
Wild! This is the same singer who does that "I got a brand new pair of rollerskates song", the only song I knew of hers until now.
Posted 17 years ago by DoctorHooey    [ Reply ]
buzz wrote:
When the song came on I gave it a 9 rating, then i realized it was some kind of nasty remix version, i changed my rating to a 2. It's a really groovy tune, but this version is bummin me out man
This is the original album version. The one played on the radio back then was the edited single version. This one does go on a bit, I'll admit.
Posted 17 years ago by William    [ Reply ]
amv wrote:
Horrible !!
my sentiments exactly! Sounds a lot like a cross between Jefferson Airplane (grace) and a gospel chorus (Fifth Dimension) . :P
Posted 20 years ago by t66tah    [ Reply ]
Great song......I969, if I remember correctly....one song hitmeister....but not to be repeated.....enjoy it for what it is...topical once again, unfortunately..... :nodhead:
Posted 20 years ago by Patrick    [ Reply ]
Horrible !!
Posted 20 years ago by amv    [ Reply ]
When the song came on I gave it a 9 rating, then i realized it was some kind of nasty remix version, i changed my rating to a 2. It's a really groovy tune, but this version is bummin me out man
Posted 20 years ago by buzz    [ Reply ]
Just to add to a theme, I was around 10 when I bought my first record, one of those compliations (K-Tel I think!!) with this track on it. Thanks for digging this up... Sorry for the public flashback kids, but you might get it when you try to explain to your kids how you used to listen to CDs on a "walkman". No matter what kind of look they give you its still fun to reminisce............. Vive le R.P.!!
Posted 20 years ago by tovarisch    [ Reply ]
WoW,that was a"rough"transition....blew my headphones of mu noggin!!
Posted 20 years ago by katzendogs    [ Reply ]
Hey hippy lady - you don't need to scream into the mike, also, put the mike further away from your mouth so it won't distort so much. At times, she almost sounds like a mosquito buzz amplified to high heaven. Peace man.
Posted 20 years ago by CaptTofu    [ Reply ]
skindy wrote:
Cool! Brings me back to age 5 or so, when my mom used to play this album (yes, vinyl) on our cheap turntable (I know many of us remember them). For those who don't want to click through to find out about this song, here's what AMG says: "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," recorded with the Edwin Hawkins Singers... the song written as a tribute to the audience at Woodstock and displaying the feel of a gospel hymn, rose to number six on the U.S. charts, while the accompanying LP, entitled Candles in the Rain, reached the Top 20.
I too was just a young'un when this song hit the airwaves and I recall it evoking feelings of unity in our generation. All these years later, the powerful opening to this tune still awakens those emotions, thanks Bill for reminding me of those feelings which seems lost on us today.
Posted 20 years ago by sharkartist    [ Reply ]
She's a belter, that's for sure. 2
Posted 20 years ago by ScottFromWyoming    [ Reply ]
sucko-barfo
Posted 20 years ago by mlsully7    [ Reply ]
Orp wrote:
"let your wife burn smile up as the one to tear you down"
that is awesome. :D
Posted 20 years ago by rah    [ Reply ]
Play Brand New Key and I will vomit!
Posted 20 years ago by Mot    [ Reply ]
When I was five or six years old my I got a whole pile of records from off the curb (my grandpa would scour the curbs for stuff he deemed useful). I was exposed to a lot of obscure stuff, mostly from the 60's and early 70's, mostly pop. This song was on one of those records and I swear I have not heard it in over 25 years until now. It is amazing how the human brain retains musical information. I still hear "let your wife burn smile up as the one to tear you down" (I looked up the real lyrics just now :). THANKS RP FOR A WEIRD TRIP INTO MY OWN HEAD.
Posted 20 years ago by Orp    [ Reply ]
I can only think of one reason that we keep hearing this: One of the backup singers sounds like Sandy Denny.
Posted 20 years ago by catsoup    [ Reply ]
Make it stop! This is the first song that has made me use such an intense emoticon!
Posted 20 years ago by istanbulbaby    [ Reply ]
Melanie - the Tori Amos of her generation. or maybe Tori is the Melanie of our generation?
Posted 20 years ago by Skeletor    [ Reply ]
Hated it then, hate it 30+ years later .... but thanks anyway for the chance to see if I'd change my mind. That's what I love about RP -- eclectic all the way.
Posted 20 years ago by sass    [ Reply ]
Maybe I'm just in a bad mood, but this is bugging the living hell out of me.
Posted 20 years ago by rgj13    [ Reply ]
Melanie!!!!!!
Posted 20 years ago by rymalia    [ Reply ]
You know, I don't particularly think its a terrible song, but it still get on my nerves.
Posted 20 years ago by stickytylertoo    [ Reply ]
Ahh, the sixties.. a time where people who had no business being in front of a microphone, let alone in a recording studio, ran amok with their bad old voices... How about "I got a brand new pair of rollerskates, you got a brand new key"? If you had TWO keys, I'd jam one in either ear from listening to this...
Posted 20 years ago by Illustr8r    [ Reply ]
hey, hunny - please stop bellowing. it's annoying. thanks.
Posted 20 years ago by PattonFever    [ Reply ]
talus wrote:
Please never again <-o<
Please EVER again
Posted 20 years ago by hayesj    [ Reply ]
Love it. An anthem of the era. I dig the way she sings off key and is wildly emotional. Thanks Bill!
Posted 20 years ago by Leetzy    [ Reply ]
Hmmmm.....brings back some memories for sure, but sounds like they recorded the vocals through a cup with a string attached to the soundboard.
Posted 20 years ago by paulmall    [ Reply ]
Wow! This is better than a strong espresso to wake you up in the afternoon and get the blood going!
Posted 20 years ago by KALINEVE    [ Reply ]
Hey Melanie, I've got a slightly used key.
Posted 20 years ago by bigpomp    [ Reply ]
Yay RP!! Thanks for digging this classic out!
Posted 20 years ago by MsJudi    [ Reply ]
Cool! Brings me back to age 5 or so, when my mom used to play this album (yes, vinyl) on our cheap turntable (I know many of us remember them). For those who don't want to click through to find out about this song, here's what AMG says: "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," recorded with the Edwin Hawkins Singers... the song written as a tribute to the audience at Woodstock and displaying the feel of a gospel hymn, rose to number six on the U.S. charts, while the accompanying LP, entitled Candles in the Rain, reached the Top 20.
Posted 20 years ago by skindy    [ Reply ]
horrible
Posted 20 years ago by nolands    [ Reply ]
Have not heard this in eons - at least the Cretaceous era, when I was born.... Man, the original recording sure didn\'t have very good fidelity - the treble range on this MP3 really hurts my ears. Ow, owwww. Did like the song, though. Old memories.
Posted 20 years ago by rgrace    [ Reply ]
I thought I had successflly blocked this song out of my mind and you had to go and play it. Not I\'ll be suffering nightmare flashbacks for another 30 years. thanks a heap.
Posted 20 years ago by ndanger666    [ Reply ]
Please never again <-o<
Posted 20 years ago by talus    [ Reply ]
Originally Posted by B-dub: good Lord that chorus shrilled out and startled the hell out of me. I just spilled my Yoo Hoo all over my desk.
:p
Posted 20 years ago by porcupinemeat    [ Reply ]
Holy smokers! I haven\'t heard that one in...let\'s see...um... A long time anyway! Thanks for digging it up. I love it!
Posted 20 years ago by ediTed    [ Reply ]
good Lord that chorus shrilled out and startled the hell out of me. I just spilled my Yoo Hoo all over my desk.
Posted 20 years ago by B-dub    [ Reply ]
All I can say is that whenever I heard this the first time around, my hand went directly to the dial to GET AWAY................sorry to see this exhumed.
Posted 20 years ago by dadofsammy    [ Reply ]
:) :Dcool hippie music
Posted 20 years ago by orpheus    [ Reply ]