"Brand New Key I wrote in about fifteen minutes one night. I thought it was cute; a kind of old thirties' tune. I guess a key and a lock have always been Freudian symbols, and pretty obvious ones at that. There was no deep serious expression behind the song, but people read things into it. They made up incredible stories as to what the lyrics said and what the song meant. In some places, it was even banned from the radio. My idea about songs is that once you write them, you have very little say in their life afterward. It's a lot like having a baby. You conceive a song, deliver it, and then give it as good a start as you can. After that, it's on its own. People will take it any way they want to take it." —Melanie on Wikipedia"Melanie Safka had a song on the radio called 'Beautiful People.' 'An extremely hip DJ named Roscoe on WNEW-FM played it. One day, Melanie ran into a curly-haired music-business guy named Michael Lang, who was talking about a festival he was producing. When Melanie asked if she could play there, Lang's answer was a very laid-back, 'Sure.' 'I thought it would be very low key,' recalled Melanie." —Music-Atlas.com
Brand New Key Lyrics
(Words and Music by Melanie Safka)
I rode by bicycle past your window last night
I roller skated to your door at daylight
It almost seems that you're avoiding me
I'm ok alone but you've got something I need
Well, I've gotta brand new pair of roller skates
You've got a brand new key
I think that we should get together
And try them out and see
I've been lookin' around the world
You've got somethin' for me
Oh, I've gotta brand new pair of roller skates
You've got a brand new key
I ride my bike, I roller skate, don't drive no car
Don't go too fast, but I go pretty far
For somebody who don't drive I've been all around the world
Some people say I've done all right for a girl
Oh yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah,
yeah-yeah
I asked your mother if you were at home
She said yes, but you weren't alone
Oh sometimes I think that you're avoiding me
I'm ok alone but you've got something I need
Well, I've gotta brand new pair of roller skates
I think that we should get together
And try them out ya see
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
Oh, I've gotta brand new pair of roller skates
You've gotta brand key
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
Oh, I've gotta brand new pair of roller skates
You've gotta brand key
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
Oh, I've gotta brand new pair of roller skates
You've gotta brand key
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A whole new generation of "babies" are getting the quirky "Brand New Key" stuck in their heads, thanks to a recent HP (Hewlett-Packard) commercial. The first to be hooked were the "Baby Boomer" generation, now in their 50s and 60s, when Melanie (Safka) hit the #1 spot in November of 1971.
