Brand New Key

"Brand New Key"
Song by Melanie from the album Gather Me
Released	1971
Genre	Folk, folk pop, pop
Length	2:26
Label	Neighborhood Records
Composer	Melanie Safka
Producer	Peter Schekeryk

"Brand New Key" is a pop song written by folk singer Melanie, which became a novelty hit in 1971-72. Taken from Melanie's album Gather Me, it was also known as "The Rollerskate Song" due to its chorus. It was her biggest hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in December 1971 and January 1972. It reached #1 in Canada and Australia, and #4 in the UK charts. Melanie's version of "Brand New Key" was featured in the 1997 film Boogie Nights as well as the 2010 film Jackass 3D.

Overview

The song is lighthearted in tone, sung from the viewpoint of a girl with roller skates trying to attract the attention of a boy:

I got a brand new pair of roller skates,

You got a brand new key.

I think that we should get together and try them out, to see ...

The roller skates in question would have been children's quad skates, which were clamped to the soles of ordinary shoes. The clamps were tightened with a special "key" that was basically a very simple socket wrench. The key was inevitably lost or misplaced, in which case a screwdriver or other tool could usually substitute though at some inconvenience. Although the lyrics claim that the roller skates are "brand new"; the girl presumably has lost her key:

I roller skated to your door at daylight[...]

I'm okay alone, but you got something I need

Controversy

Some listeners detected innuendo in the lyrics, with the key in its lock thought to be symbolizing sexual intercourse, or in phrases such as "I go pretty far" and "I've been all around the world".

Melanie has acknowledged the possibility of reading sexual innuendo in the song:

“

'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.

”

Selected list of recorded versions

• 1995 Sharon, Lois & Bram, on the album Let's Dance!
• 1996 Rasputina, on the album Thanks for the Ether
• 1998 Deana Carter, on the album Everything's Gonna Be Alright
• 2006 Tara King Th, on the album A Sigh Of Relief
• 2007 The Dollyrots, on the album Because I'm Awesome
• 2008 Jennie Devoe, on the album Busted Flat
• 2009 Katharine McPhee, on the album Unbroken
• 2009 Adrien Reju, on the album A Million Hearts

Parodies and other versions

• The parody song "Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)", produced by Bob Barrett, was released in the UK by West Country comedy folk act The Wurzels and reached #1 for two weeks in June 1976. New rustic-themed lyrics by Brendan O'Shaughnessy included "I got a brand new combine harvester / An' I'll give you the key". The song was used prominently in the film Evil Aliens.

• Following the January 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan, a parody of "Brand New Key" circulated on radio stations. The parody featured lyrics from Tonya Harding's point of view, and included the chorus, "I've got a brand new pair of figure skates / You've got a busted knee; / They're gonna lock up my ex-husband and throw away the key."

• With lyrics describing Best Film nominee Pan's Labyrinth, Minnie Driver sang a parody of the song at the 2007 Spirit Awards ("I blew a giant frog to smithereens / I got his golden key").

• Supercute!, an indie pop/psychedelic pop teenage band led by Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players member Rachel Trachtenburg, have covered this song. They have also performed it live with English singer Kate Nash.

• Los Angeles pop-punk band The Dollyrots covered the song in 2007 on their album Because I'm Awesome. It was met with great enthusiasm during their 2010 UK tour with Bowling for Soup, largely due to the commercial success of The Wurzels' 1976 cover throughout England.

References in popular culture

Melanie's version is heard in the 1997 film Boogie Nights as Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) has his "audition" with Rollergirl (Heather Graham) in front of Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds)

Melanie's version is heard at the closing of an episode of "Yes, Dear" as Greg (Anthony Clark) skates down the street.

Melanie's version is heard in a 2010 TV commercial for Hewlett-Packard printers.

Melanie's version was also featured in the 2010 film Jackass 3D.

The members of the London Investigation 'N' Detective Agency sing a cover of this song in the Doctor Who episode titled Love & Monsters.

A line from Melanie's version is shown in the popular game Minecraft as a splash on the title screen.

References

Preceded by "Family Affair" by Sly & the Family Stone	Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Melanie version) December 25, 1971	Succeeded by "American Pie" by Don McLean
Preceded by "No Charge" by J. J. Barrie	UK number one single (Wurzels version) June 12, 1976 for two weeks	Succeeded by "You to Me Are Everything" by The Real Thing