Melanie, 'Brand-New Key' Singer From Long Branch, Dies At 76

LONG BRANCH, NJ — Melanie Safka, a folk singer who performed at Woodstock — and grew up in Long Branch and Red Bank — died this week. She is best known for a cheeky little song she wrote in the 1960s called "Brand New Key" ("I've got a brand-new pair of roller skates, you've got a brand-new key"), which has stood the test of time, and remained popular over the decades.

Safka wrote the song herself when she was a young woman. In this hilarious interview, she said she wrote it after having McDonald's coming off a 27-day water fast.

Safka died Tuesday, Jan. 23, according to the AP. She was 76. Her three children announced their mother's death on her Facebook page, saying they are "heartbroken" and that she was "one of the most talented, strong and passionate women of the era."

Melanie was one of only three women to perform solo at Woodstock in the summer of 1969. She was relatively unknown at the time, but she got her start singing in cafes along the Jersey Shore. In the 1960s, she used to sing at the now-closed Inkwell coffeeshop in Long Branch, NJ.com reported.

In fact, she was so young her own mother drove her up to perform at Woodstock that summer, driving up from their home in the Elberon section of Long Branch, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Melanie attended Long Branch High School. She graduated from Red Bank High School in 1964.

She is also known for her songs "Beautiful People," "Lay Down” and “Look What They've Done to My Song Ma.” Here is her iconic “Brand New Key," (a chart topper in the early 1970s).