My Name’s Sake: May Freewrite

    Who were you named after?  A grandparent or uncle?  A famous author or character from a book?  Some folks get named after godparents or special friends of the family.  Many share family names passed down for generations.  In my family, we have a different kind of tradition.  We name our kids after musicians.

    My oldest brother is named Kristopher David after Kris Kristopherson and David Crosby.  Johnanthan (the second child) was named after John Fogerty.  My name was almost Janice (Janis Joplin), but my mom settled on Melanie Carole after Melanie Safka and Carole King.

    Most of you should know Carole King.  She sang famous songs like “I Feel the Earth Move” “It’s Too Late” “Now and Forever” "Natural Woman” and “You’ve Got a Friend”.  Melanie Safka is a lesser known artist.  She was one of the artists that played at the original Woodstock.  During her career she only ever had one song make the Billboard Chart: “Brand New Key.”

    “Brand New Key” has recently been featured in commercials and even the Johnny Knoxville 3D movie.  It is not however Melanie’s only notable song.  Other songs you might recognize by her are “Lay Down,” “Beautiful People” and a cover version of “Ruby Tuesday” that in my opinion is better than the original Rolling Stones version.  She is still producing albums and touring, so I had the honor of meeting her in person in 2002. 

    My siblings, now all grown up, have started families of their own, and you guessed it. . . some of our kids are named after musicians.  Joe named his son Trent after Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.  John named his daughter Delilah Rose after a Greatful Dead song, and so the tradition of musical name’s sakes continues.

Comment here and tell where your name comes from!

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