Brand New Key
"Brand New Key" is a pop song written and sung by folk music singer Melanie. Initially a track of Melanie's album "Gather Me", produced by Melanie's husband Peter Schekeryk, it was known also as "The Rollerskate Song" due to its chorus. It was her greatest success, scoring No. 1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 singles chart during December 1971 and January 1972. "Billboard" ranked it as the No. 9 song of 1972. It also scored No. 1 in Canada and Australia and No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. Overview. The song is sung from  the viewpoint of a girl with roller skates trying to attract the attention of a boy. In an interview with Examiner.com, Melanie described what she claimed was the inspiration for the song: "I was fasting with a 27-day fast on water. I broke the fast and went back to my life living in New Jersey and we were going to a flea market around six in the morning. On the way back… and I had just broken the fast, from the flea market, we passed a McDonald's and the aroma hit me, and I had been a vegetarian  before the fast. So we pulled into the McDonald's and I got the whole works... the burger, the shake, and the fries… and no sooner after I finished that last bite of my burger… that song was in my head. The aroma brought back memories of roller skating and learning to ride a bike and the vision of my dad holding the back fender of the tire. And me saying to my dad... 'You’re holding, you’re holding, you’re holding, right?' Then I’d look back and he wasn’t holding and I’d fall. So that  whole thing came back to me and came out in this song." The song has been described as folk music, pop music, and soft rock. It was arranged by Roger Kellaway. Possible sexual innuendo. Melanie has acknowledged the possibility of detecting sexual innuendo in the lyrics, but has denied any deeper meaning: 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). The song is also played in "Jackass 3-D" during the "Bungee Boogie" stunt  skit (in which the cast members use bungee cords, skateboards and a ramp to slingshot into a kiddie pool). On April 4, 2016, Jimmy Fallon lip synced the song during a "Lip Sync Battle" on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", while he competed with actress Melissa McCarthy. In the 9th season episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000", "Werewolf", Mike sings part of the song's chorus in a medley set to the film's end credits. On the October 17, 2016, episode of singing competition television show "The Voice", Team Miley (Cyrus) contestants Darby Walker and Karlee Metzger performed  the song in a Battle round. The original version appears in season one of the FX show "The Bridge", as the character Daniel Frye flushes his supply of drugs and alcohol. The original version also appears in the 2016 Hallmark TV movie "Signed sealed delivered from the heart". During the 16th season of "American Idol", contestant Maddie Poppe performed the song during the Top 24 elimination round. The original version appears in episode 1 of the first season of the 2017 Australian television series "Sisters", as the viewer is initially introduced to Julia, one of the main characters. In the  first online episode of the Comeback Stage of the singing competition television show "The Voice", no-chair reject Klea Olson performed the song as part of a Battle round against fellow Team Bebe (Rexha) members Nathan and Chesi Arnett, who performed the song "Tulsa Time." Melanie's version is heard playing over the closing credits of the 2nd episode of the 2020 miniseries "The Stand", right after Randall Flagg gives Lloyd Henreid a stone that transforms into a key, and frees him from prison. It is also heard in the 2021 "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" episode, "The Gang  Buys a Roller Rink", when Frank drops Dennis and Dee off at South Philly Skate in 1998.