At Seventeen - Janis Ian (1975) 2/21/22

In many ways, Janis Ian was a normal teenager--sensitive, introspective, and filled with insecurities about her looks, her future, and about living in the extremely problematic world of adulthood.

The difference was this: Janis was (is) an extremely talented songwriter.

Her very first "Great Song" was "Society's Child," a Top 15 song in 1966 about interracial dating that really struck a nerve. She was 13 when she wrote it. (To hear the song, click the link below.)

Nine years later, exhausted from years of touring without making any real money, and living with her mother, she read a magazine article written by a former debutante who had discovered that being popular in high school didn't always continue after graduation. (Surprise!)

The line, "I learned the truth at 18" caught Janis' attention. It opened up some deep feelings and prompted her to write today's "Great Song of 1975."

"At 18" didn't quite match the meter of the samba style song she was writing, so Janis changed 18 to 17, and then, after a lot of stops and starts, ended up with a song about "ugly ducklings" who understood high school and adult life a lot better than most of the debutantes of the world.

There's quite a bit more to it, but I'm simplifying my description, because if I didn't, this would be the longest blog entry I've ever written. Seriously. There's so much there.

Once "At Seventeen" was completed and released, a number of real challenges presented themselves.

#1: Columbia Records thought the song was great, but too long and too wordy to be a hit.

#2: Because it was about teen girl angst, and the majority of radio music directors were male, it was feared they'd ignore the song and it wouldn't get played. (They weren't wrong.)

The problems were solved in two very unique ways: Columbia sent copies of the single to the WIVES of the music directors, and they booked Janis to sing "At Seventeen" on every TV talk show they could find that was hosted by a woman .

It worked! In time, she was invited to sing on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," and that was HUGE...but Janis was very uncomfortable with singing it live. She felt that since she was no longer a teen (23), she would seem like an imposter, and believe it or not, sang it with her eyes CLOSED for several months because she was afraid to see how the audience would react.

She needn't have worried: The song and the sentiment struck a nerve with women everywhere. It took a while, but in the end, "At Seventeen," was a big hit: #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart and #3 on the Hot 100.

Janis won the Grammy for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" and the song was nominated for both Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year." In 2008, "At Seventeen" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Since 1975, the song has been covered by several artists, most notably Celine Dion, who has made it a staple in her concerts. It has also appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, including "Mean Girls," "30 Rock," and "The Blacklist."

To this day, Janis firmly believes that the key to "At Seventeen's" success is the fact that there is a glimmer of hope in the lyrics. After all, most ugly ducklings turn into swans!

"At Seventeen" by Janis Ian: A "Great--and Very Deep--Song of the '70s!"

"Society's Child" (1966):