Melanie Safka, professionally known as Melanie, was still a relatively unknown artist when she took the stage at Woodstock, but what she saw would inspire her biggest breakthrough track.
The Astoria, Queens, native had been performing for years, ever since she was four years old. By the time she was in her 20’s, she was performing at clubs and had released two previous albums. It wasn’t until 1969 that Melanie had a breakthrough as a singer with her track “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)”.
It was her second released single and was included in her third album, Candles in the Rain. The folk song landed her at No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on Cash Box. The recording was in collaboration with the Edwin Hawkins Singers, who had secured a record deal with Melanie’s label after their hit track “Oh Happy Day.”
What inspired “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” was a moving moment that Melanie witnessed at the first-ever Woodstock in 1969 in New York. By this time, Melanie didn’t have much popularity behind her name and was one of the first female artists to perform at the event. According to American Songwriter, she didn’t have any plans to attend, as she was working on her album with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Her manager pushed her to go, hoping she would secure a slot.
In an interview with SongFacts, she remembers having been “terrified” at Woodstock, as she had never sung in front of thousands of people. She was also unknown amid hit artists like Joan Baez and Janis Joplin. At 11 p.m., Melanie stepped on stage with just her guitar and no band support and captured the hearts of fans.
“People really connected quickly with me and it instantly resonated with 500,000 people at that one moment,” she said. “I walked on the stage an unknown person and walked off a celebrity.”
It was well reported that it was raining heavily during the festival; the grounds were covered in mud, and things had gotten unsanitary. Melanie was convinced people wanted to go home, but to her surprise, she saw a sea of fans with lit candles and lighters swaying to her music. Melanie recalled it by saying it was like, “Witnessing that hill light up was akin to seeing countless fireflies.”
The moment at Woodstock is what inspired the singer to start “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” while she was still on stage, and she would later write it when she got home. She also recalls the significance of the song and Woodstock at the time.
“There was, without getting into it, a strong force going against it, and who would want to look at that? The powers that be do not want a bunch of free happy beings running the planet, end of story, ’nuff said. But here it is, a literal visual of the world that was. Black and white harmony, unity and power. This WAS the world! The dream? You may say I’m a dreamer… candles in the rain,” she said.
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