Melanie Safka - Psychotherapy

Melanie Safka, an American singer/songwriter, known simply as Melanie, made her mark in the 60s and 70s. She still performs on tour to this day.

Her big hits were "Brand New Key", "Lay Down", "Look what they done to my song, Ma".

In 1969, she also had a hit (in the Netherlands) with"Beautiful People" before performing at the Woodstock Festival the same year.

But, she had her biggest American hit with the novelty-sounding 1972 "Brand New Key" (often referred to as "The Roller Skate Song"). It was featured in the 1997 movie, "Boogie Nights".

When first released, "Brand New Key" was banned by some radio stations because some saw sexual innuendo in the lyrics. She had written the song as a fun take on Leon Redbone's music and was surprised by its popularity and peoples' imaginative interpretation of the innocent lyrics. She didn't at all write this song with freudian sexual metaphors in mind. It reached number 1 despite some radio stations refusing to play it.

I couldn't find any information to substantiate my suspicions that "Psychotherapy" might have been, in part, a reaction to all the media focus on "Brand New Key". It is certainly one of her more obscure songs and it demonstrates her ability to satirise. It is sung to the tune of America's "Battle Hymn of the Republic". A tongue-in-cheek song, which gets quite risqué, it also gets her the biggest applause at her Carnegie Hall performance in 1973. The song parodies aspects of Freudian psychoanalysis.

I had never really taken the time to listen to her repertoire of songs over the years. Turns out she is not the singer/songwriter lightweight portrayed by critics. Her album, "Stoneground Words" (1972) depicts a Melanie who has the ability to write deeply poignant lyrics.

Unfortunately, "Brand New Key" had sounded the death knell on her commercial prospects.She became identified so strongly with the song that she would never really be able to overcome the image of a light, cutsie, singer/songwriter.

Whether or not "Psychotherapy" was written to address in a humorous fashion the ridiculous innuendos surrounding her song "Brand New Key", the lyrics are witty and funny at times.

I was definitely attracted to the song because of its relative obscurity and because of its unusual content. This was the Melanie who sang, "Brand New Key"??

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Melanie Safka
• psychotherapy
• Freud
• Brand New Key
• 60s music
• 70s music
• songwriters
• Battle Hymn of the Republic
• parody
• satire
• humor
• pleasure principle
• id
• ego
• superego
• sexuality
• Woodstock

[revelrot]

Il y a beaucoup d'humour dans cette chanson et la vidéo le démontre à la perfection !! Je n'aime pas Freud alors je trouve le tout encore plus drôle !!

J'y ai vu un clin d'oeil à 02:08 .... Y'a pas que Mélanie qui ait le sens de l'humour !!!

J'adore cette vidéo, Eileen !! : )

[Adamfulgence]

@revelrot I had a LOT of fun doing this one! I had never even heard of this song by Melanie and just came across it by accident. Glad you enjoyed it! Merci!

[boxxxah]

E this is Brilliant - love it!

[Adamfulgence]

@boxxxah  Hi there!! Glad you liked my weird video (which was really fun to make). I guess we have the same kind of sense of humor!

[mariutza66]

Eileen siempre es muy grato para mi ver tus ediciones... son estupendas!!!

Gracias , un abrazo y mis mejores deseos para ti.

[Adamfulgence]

@mariutza66 Como siempre, muchas gracias amiga!

[TarBabyJim]

I'm putting this in my favorites. Love what you did with this! MelanieSafkaCult is my dot com

[anningham]

Great photos/video track! Very funny!

[Adamfulgence]

@vonmedler Thanks for your insightful comment....much appreciated!

[vonmedler]

Amazing how this song's fun nature belies the serious psychie below it's surface and how that remains relevent even now in this Jetson age, some 40 years on. And The ID goes marching on & on & on & on.......