At Seventeen - Janis Ian (1975)
LCM Classic: ‘At Seventeen’ - Janis Ian
Our LCM classic this week is a beautiful and reflective Grammy winning No.1 song by US singer-songwriter Janis Ian, taken from her ‘Between The Lines’ album. We won’t say too much more about the song, as Janis gives a great introduction on this live version. Enjoy!
Janis’ most successful recording, the song is a commentary on society's beauty standards, adolescent cruelty, the illusion of popularity, and teenage angst, as reflected upon from the maturity of adulthood. It is told from the point of view of a woman who was an "ugly duckling" as a girl and ignored in high school while the popular girls got all the attention.