Melanie, the world-renowned pop/folk singer-songwriter, has declared that she's a libertarian. And she did so in a very public way: in the liner notes to her 1999 greatest-hits CD, Ring the Living Bell: A Collection.

She wrote: "I'm a total Libertarian, and I am not a Democrat, a Socialist, or a Republican… Vote Libertarian, [and] don't worry about wasting your vote." She also had this to say about government: "Totally leave us alone and we'll be better off."

Melanie first came to public prominence when she appeared at the original Woodstock music festival in 1969. Among her biggest hits: "Brand New Key," "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," and "The Nickel Song." The Emmy-winning singer/songwriter has released 25 albums. "Brand New Key," a huge hit in the early '70's, was featured on the soundtrack of the 1998 hit film Boogie Nights.

From LP News, August 2000:

With a cheerful, "Hi! I'm home," '70's pop icon Melanie joined the Libertarian Party live onstage at the party's National Convention on July 1, 2000.

"I've always been a shopper [and] it took me 30 years to find the party of my choice!" she said, before signing her name on a membership form that was projected onto huge video screens around the convention hall. Delegates welcomed the singer -- best known for a string of melodic and slightly quirky pop/folk hits in the early 1970s -- with cheers and a standing ovation.

In a brief speech before joining, Melanie said her instincts had always been libertarian, but, previously, she didn't have a label to describe her beliefs. After she performed at Woodstock in 1969, she said, she got regularly booked on the anti-Vietnam War festival circuit, where everyone assumed she had "a Leftist slant -- [but] I felt like a charlatan." Or, she said, she would perform on the bluegrass circuit, where conservatives would come up and ask her, "Have you received Jesus into your life?" She felt out of place in either venue, said Melanie, and always wondered why -- until she discovered libertarianism.

Now, "This is my year to come out and say, 'Hi! I'm home!' " she said.

Melanie had elaborated on that theme the previous night, when she performed at a special convention entertainment event. "I really have the feeling I've come home," she said at the time. "You know, I played Woodstock, and reporters sometimes ask: Whatever became of the Woodstock spirit? I never really had an answer until now. This is what became of the Woodstock spirit!"  

She performed again right after joining, singing a song entitled, "Freedom Knows My Name."

Melanie had been invited to the convention -- and urged to join the party -- by LP Political Director Ron Crickenberger, a longtime fan who had purchased the singer's 1999 greatest hits CD. Upon reading the liner notes, he said, he discovered that Melanie had written: "I'm a total Libertarian -- not a Democrat, a Socialist, or a Republican. Vote Libertarian. Don't worry about wasting your vote!"

Melanie, born Melanie Safka in 1947, first came to public prominence with her appearance at the famous Woodstock music festival. During the next five years, she had a string of hits in the United States and Great Britain, including "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," "What Have They Done to My Song, Ma," "The Nickel Song," and "Brand New Key," which hit #1 in 1971.

Over the years, Melanie has released 25 albums, won an Emmy Award in 1989 for a song she performed for the television show Beauty and the Beast, and served as a spokesperson for UNICEF. She returned to the public eye with an appearance on a Spice Girls album in 1996, and when "Brand New Key" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1998 hit film Boogie Nights. In 1999, she issued a greatest hits collection, Ring the Living Bell: A Collection. She still performs concerts around the world

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