''Candles in the Rain'' is singer

Melanie Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" is the second single from Melanie Safka's 1970 album '' Candles in the Rain''. It was her breakthrough hit in the United States, climbing to number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number three on the Cash Box T ...

", which was inspired by the crowd's reaction to her performance at

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

. The cover of

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

' 1967 song " Ruby Tuesday" reached the Top Ten in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Track listing

All songs written by Melanie Safka except where noted. #"Candles in the Rain" 1:42 #"

Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" is the second single from Melanie Safka's 1970 album '' Candles in the Rain''. It was her breakthrough hit in the United States, climbing to number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number three on the Cash Box T ...

" (accompanied by the

Edwin Hawkins Singers Edwin Reuben Hawkins (August 19, 1943 – January 15, 2018) was an American gospel musician, pianist, choir master, composer, and arranger. He was one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. He (as leader of the Edwin Hawkins S ...

) 3:49 #" Carolina in My Mind" (

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

) 3:37 #"Citiest People" 3:32 #"

What Have They Done to My Song Ma "What Have They Done to My Song Ma" is a song written and performed by Melanie Safka. It was co-written by HM Saffer II, a notable American painter and musician who worked for Warner Brothers Productions. It was released in 1970 as the B-side o ...

" ( fr) 4:02 #"Alexander Beetle" (Safka, A.A. Milne) 2:35 #"The Good Guys" 3:08 #"Lovin' Baby Girl" 4:20 #" Ruby Tuesday" (

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

) 4:31 #"Leftover Wine" 6:06 Some versions of the album substituted "Close to It All" for "Alexander Beetle", some versions have neither song. On the original 1970 UK release by Buddah Records (2318009), "Lay Down" is given a timing of 3:49 on both label and sleeve notes as is quoted above. On this album, the track is in fact 7:44 minutes long (from direct timing), but was 3:49 on her ''Very Best of'' album.

Personnel

*Melanie - guitars, vocals *

Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English filmmaker. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts ...

- guitars *

Alan Hawkshaw William Alan Hawkshaw (27 March 1937 – 16 October 2021) was a British composer and performer, particularly of library music used as themes for movies and television programs. Hawkshaw worked extensively for the KPM production music company ...

- keyboards, organ *

Edwin Hawkins Edwin Reuben Hawkins (August 19, 1943 – January 15, 2018) was an American gospel musician, pianist, choir master, composer, and arranger. He was one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. He (as leader of the Edwin Hawkins ...

- piano on "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" *

Harold McNair Harold McNair (5 November 1931 – 7 March 1971) was a Jamaican-born saxophonist and flautist. Early life McNair was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He attended the Alpha Boys School under the tutelage of Vincent Tulloch, while playing with Jo ...

- fiddle, flute *

Herbie Flowers Brian Keith "Herbie" Flowers (born 19 May 1938) is an English musician specialising in electric bass, double bass and tuba. He is noted as a member of Blue Mink, T. Rex and Sky. Flowers has contributed to recordings by Elton John (''Tumblewe ...

- bass * Barry Morgan - drums *Rico Reyes - congas, percussion on "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" *John Abbott - arrangement on "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)"; conductor on "What Have They Done to My Song Ma" *

Lee Holdridge Lee Elwood Holdridge (born March 3, 1944) is a Haitian-born American composer, conductor, and orchestrator. A 18-time Emmy Award nominee, he has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Daytime Emmy Awards, two News & Documentary Emmy Awards, and one ...

- string arrangements on "Citiest People" and "Ruby Tuesday"

Charts

Singles

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1970 albums Buddah Records albums Melanie (singer) albums Albums arranged by Lee Holdridge