Brand New Key

Here's what Melanie Safka has to say about it: "'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."

"Brand New Key" broke on American radio in October 1971 and reached the top of the charts in December. For nearly four months, confused record buyers flooded the stores asking for "The Roller Skate Song," "I've Got a Brand New Pair of Roller Skates," and even "The Bicycle Song." Fortunately, all finally were steered to the right record.

"I used to love singing 'Brand New Key,'" said Melanie, "at first. It had great shock value, dropped in the middle of one of my concerts. I'd be singing along about Suffering and the Trials of Man, and then suddenly, 'I've got a brand-new pair of roller skates...' It had a great effect. After it became a hit, though, the fun kind of wore off, at least for me. Some things, I think, are better left a surprise."

Melanie herself has suggested that people not to take this song to seriously, but the lyrics are pretty simple to interpret and I'm sure she knew exactly what people would think, when she wrote them.

First, old time quad roller skates needed a key to take them on and off. If you lost your key, you could use a needle nose pliers, with some difficulty.

The 'lock and key' context of this song is also a classic euphemism for sex, and the song practically drips with teenage female sexual longing and awakening with practically every line. The young woman has had some experience already ("I go pretty far", "I've been all around the world"), but wants this particular young man, who's apparently more interested in someone else ("but you weren't alone").

The obvious sexual innuendo actually got this song banned from play by some radio stations back in 1971.

you obviously don't know how roller skates worked. you'd tighten them with a key to loosen and tighten them. without a key you couldn't get your skates on or off. so you need someone with a key if you want to wear roller skates.

There is clearly a sexual metaphor going on in this song, even if Melanie won't take credit for it.

"I don't go to fast, but I go pretty far." That one's obvious. Going "all the way" is a term referring to sex that's been around since at least the thirties. Not to mention, everyone knows you gotta take it slow. ;)

"For somebody who don't drive, I been all around the world" Well that's easy, this is clearly from the perspective of a young girl who is experimenting with her new-found sexuality. You can tell she's young because she asked the boy's mom if he was home, not something an adult woman would have to worry about.

"I'm okay alone, but you've got something I need" The something she needs, the "key" for her "skates"... Well that's obvious too. The "lock and key" metaphor for female and male body parts has also been around forever.

And of course the anxiety and that little tinge of jealousy over being avoided is ubiquitous to anyone who's experienced a crush, especially in their youth.

Overall, it's a very sweet and sexy song. It takes it right to line with the metaphors, and no further. Just perfect.

I spent a while trying to think of what the nonsexual meaning could possibly be for this song. I completely agree that when she was asked about the meaning she answered delusively, but the problem I was having was coming up with any possible innocent interpretation. I think even if I was a kid when the song came out and knew about roller skate keys I’d know something was up because it’s weird for someone else to have the keys to your shoes unless there’s something going on there.

But the best I came up with is that, if we pretend the key is not to her roller skates & instead his family recently moved or changed the locks on their doors, she could be saying “I’ve got a new way to come over faster and you’ve got the means to let me in, so let’s hang out together or go on a date at your place.”

Again, the obvious meaning is that it’s a puppy love type song about experimenting with sex using the lock and key as a sex metaphor and the roller skates as a metaphor for youth.

There’s also a sense of the first taste of freedom in a brand new pair of roller skates—you don’t have to rely on your parents to drive you as much, and it can be easier to learn and use than a bicycle since you just need enough room for yourself and pavement that you won’t die on.

I think that connects with the blossoming sexuality of a young person. If they wanna “hang out” at his house when no one is around, she’s got the means to get there, he’s got the means to help her “take her skates off,” and if his parents come home early she can skate her way out of trouble pretty easily.

i saw melanie play in ohio on saturday and this is what she said about the song.

she was on a fast for 27 days where she drank nothing but water. she did this to leave her body and fun, different from what most people did in the 60s to leave their bodies. she had been thinking about becoming vegetarian at this point. her doctor urged her to come off the fast and he told her that she will know what she wanted to do when she got off of it. one day she sees those golden arches she is lured in by them. she has to go in there. she orders a combo meal sits down to eat. takes a bite of the hamburger and at the moment she bit into the hamburger was when she wrote brand new key.

it reminds me of when thing were simple :'(

People may say I've got a wicked mind, but beyond the lecture of "when things were simple", I've always felt the brand new pair of roller skates referred to "a brand new pair of knockers", and that the "brand new key" was a phallic symbol... To me it's a song about teenager sexuality (she doesn't drive a car because she's too young), she's been around but she's focused on a childhood friend and she would like to experiment her brand new feminity on him. It bothers her when she hears "he's home, but not alone".

IMO, the key & rollerskates she refers to is a metaphor for the physical connection during sex. If you listen to it, the sexual inuendo is practically dripping from her voice. This song definately is very flirty & suggestive.

rasputina does a cellorific cover of this song.