A Melanie Tribute...

2024

I do not claim ownership of any of the following music/videos in any way whatsoever, and as such they are in no way my personal property whatsoever - i have simply chosen, of my own free-will, to showcase them here in order to provide some education/entertainment/relaxation/upliftment to both myself and all others who may like to watch/listen to their contents - if you find that you have enjoyed listening to them, then please consider purchasing them for yourself, in order, in this particular case, to help the family members etc of such a musical artiste further along their chosen journey(s) through life...

Melanie (Safka), the reluctant Hippie, returned Home recently - onth 23rd January 2024 (after having spent 76 years on planet Earth, during this latest particular sojourn), actually - and W/we have decided that her contribution to music should be celebrated within this 'ear website of O/ours at least...

I say 'reluctant Hippie' because Melanie made a point of saying that she didn't consider herself to have been a Hippie, in a Guardian online newspaper article, sometime during 2021 apparently - something that i took issue with at the time btw - anyway, having Conversed (fairly briefly within a series of intermittent perceived Exchanges, in actual fact) with Melanie, She now admits that she was, indeed, a Hippie, 'but not that type of Hippie' apparently (although, in my mind, at least, the lyrics to 'Peace Will Come' would very much seem to suggest otherwise dahlings ('I'm never going to live this down, am I', Says Melanie - 'well, not if i can help it, that's for sure, Melanie Baby' - 'i have already put my digitised music cd's of your songs into the 'Hippie Music' folder, as You well Know, after all)) ...

I am wishing to say something regarding an indirect (but never-the-less public) perceived 'interaction' that took place some years ago now between Melanie and myself that would possibly go some way towards explaining the slight edginess that the reader of the above words may have detected - however Melanie has Said 'please don't', and as this is a tribute to Her, i will duly choose not to - that was then, and this is now, after all...

Beautiful People ~ Melanie Safka...

I can't really remember when i first heard this particular song...

Possibly only during the period of time when i found myself to be writing comments within The Sun online newspaper - together with certain 'blog' entries within the personal/individual facility/space most generously provided by such an online newspaper - during that particular period of time anyway...

...Although i feel sure that i must have heard it before - on a juke box within a pub / pubs, and/or onth radio perhaps - anyway, whatever the truth of the matter may be, i most certainly find it to be a very beautiful song to enjoy listening to...

Citiest People ~ Melanie Safka...

I bought a vinyl copy of the Candles In The Rain album, waaay back, during my later teens...

This track, in particular brought into (/helped fill) my being (with) a certain soothing succour (cue the particular part of the appropriate episode of The Vicar Of Dibley eh) ...

...For we, as a family, had moved out of our latest predominantly countryside environment, into a 'citified', stone-flagged, heavily-roaded and multiply-housed area of Stretford - a new and highly unwelcoming/confusing, densely-populated environment for me to try to get used to - and with the only publicly-grassed area within which to exercise our dogs being in the form of a seemingly postage-stamp-sized local 'park'...

Ruby Tuesday ~ Melanie Safka (original songwriters - Keith Richards & Mick Jagger) ...

Life can present its challenges, to all of us, at times - some caused by ourselves - and some caused (perceived or otherwise) by others...

And in case you were wondering - yes, there have been held-back tears - and indeed, flowing, S/shared O/ones, during the first listening and viewing to/of this particular song, as it was being Selected (by Melanie) as a possible (at that particular, and now (at the time of typing) most recent, time) offering...

Many thanks of appreciation for the songs that helped to provide me with a form of musical/Spiritual sustenance, at certain points during my life, especially, lovely and Good-natured, Melanie :-) :-) :-) ...

Note...

When selecting a Beautiful People offering Melanie wanted me to select this particular live version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRFhd6eggUE (live 1969 UK) - however, i much prefered the chosen 'unflawed' and much more naturally appealing version...

...So i Said to Her, 'why would you want the far less appealing (live) one'??? - a Question that was left unAnswered - of course, the far less appealing one is from Melanie's official YouTube channel (as is another, not particularly great one, from 1973 actually), and, as such, will presumably attract income/royalties (for the financial benefit of her family members presumably) each time it is played publicly (however, at present, no one comes to this website do they, so it only affects such derived income minusculely - hence the reason for, on this particular occasion, over-riding Melanie's preference - i simply wish to show her in her best light, after all) ...