Janis Ian

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the singer. For the fictional character, see Mean Girls § Cast.

Janis Ian
Ian performing in concert, 1981
Ian performing in concert, 1981
Background information
Birth nameJanis Eddy Fink
Born (1951-04-07) April 7, 1951 (age 70)
Farmingdale, New Jersey U.S.
GenresFolk, soft rock
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
  • author
Years active1965–present
Labels
Websitejanisian.com

Janis Ian (born Janis Eddy Fink; April 7, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her signature songs are the 1966/67 hit "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" and the 1975 Top Ten single "At Seventeen", from her LP Between the Lines, which in September 1975 reached no. 1 on the Billboard album chart.

Born in Farmingdale, New Jersey, Ian entered the American folk music scene while still a teenager in the mid-1960s. Most active musically in that decade and the 1970s, she has continued recording into the 21st century. She has won two Grammy Awards, the first in 1975 for "At Seventeen" and the second in 2013 for Best Spoken Word Album, for her autobiography, Society's Child, with a total of ten nominations in eight different categories.

Ian is also a columnist and science fiction author.[1]

Early life[]

Born in Farmingdale, New Jersey,[2] Janis Fink was raised on a farm, and attended East Orange High School in East Orange, New Jersey,[3] and the New York City High School of Music & Art. Her parents, Victor, a music teacher, and Pearl, a college fundraiser, were Jewish-born liberal atheists who ran a summer camp in upstate New York.[4]

As a child, Ian admired the work of folk musicians such as Joan Baez and Odetta. Starting with piano lessons at the age of two (at her own insistence), Ian, by the time she entered her teens, was playing the organ, harmonica, French horn and guitar.[5] At the age of 12, she wrote her first song, "Hair of Spun Gold", which was subsequently published in the folk publication Broadside and was later recorded for her eponymous debut album. In 1964, she legally changed her name to Janis Ian, taking her brother Eric's middle name as her new surname.[6]

Music career[]

At the age of 14, Ian wrote and recorded her first hit single, "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)", about an interracial romance forbidden by a girl's mother and frowned upon by her peers and teachers. Produced by George "Shadow" Morton and released three times from 1965 to 1967, "Society's Child" became a national hit upon its third release after Leonard Bernstein featured it in a late-April 1967 CBS TV special titled Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution.[6]

The song's theme of interracial relationships was considered taboo by some radio stations, who withdrew or banned it from their playlists accordingly. In her 2008 autobiography Society's Child, Ian recalls receiving hate mail and death threats as a response to the song and mentions that a radio station in Atlanta that played it was burned down. In July 1967, "Society's Child" reached no. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single sold 600,000 copies and the album sold 350,000 copies.[5]

At the age of 16, Ian met comedian Bill Cosby backstage at a Smothers Brothers show where she was promoting "Society's Child". Since she was underage, she was accompanied by a chaperone while touring. After her set, Ian had been sleeping with her head on her chaperone's lap (an older female family friend). According to Ian in a 2015 interview, she was told by her then manager that Cosby had interpreted their interaction as "lesbian" and as a result "had made it his business" to warn other television shows that Ian wasn't "suitable family entertainment" and "shouldn't be on television" because of her sexuality, thus attempting to blacklist her.[7][8][9] Although Ian would later come out, she states that at the time of the encounter with Cosby she had only been kissed once, in broad daylight at summer camp.[10]

Ian relates on her website that, although "Society's Child" was originally intended for Atlantic Records and the label paid for her recording session, Atlantic subsequently returned the master to her and quietly refused to release it.[11] Ian relates that years later, Atlantic's president at the time, Jerry Wexler, publicly apologized to her for this. The single and Ian's 1967 debut album (which reached no. 29 on the charts) were finally released on Verve Forecast. In 2001, "Society's Child" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which honors recordings considered timeless and important to music history. Her first four albums were released on a double CD entitled Society's Child: The Verve Recordings in 1995.

Ian performing at the National Stadium Dublin, Ireland on May 14, 1981

"Society's Child" stigmatized Ian as a one-hit wonder until her most successful US single, "At Seventeen", was released in 1975. "At Seventeen" is a bittersweet commentary on adolescent cruelty, the illusion of popularity and teenage angst, from the perspective of a narrator looking back on her earlier experience. The song was a major hit as it charted at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, hit number one on the Adult Contemporary chart and won the 1976 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female, beating out Linda Ronstadt, Olivia Newton-John and Helen Reddy. Ian appeared as the first musical guest on the series premiere of Saturday Night Live on October 11, 1975, performing "At Seventeen" and "In the Winter".[12][13] The album Between the Lines was also a smash and reached number one on Billboard′s album chart. The album would be certified platinum for sales of over one million copies sold in the US. Another measure of her success is anecdotal: on Valentine's Day 1977, Ian received 461 valentine cards, having indicated in the lyrics to "At Seventeen" that she never received one as a teenager.[14]

"Fly Too High" (1979), produced by disco producer Giorgio Moroder, was Ian's contribution to the soundtrack of the Jodie Foster film Foxes and was also featured on Ian's 1979 album Night Rains. It also became another international hit, reaching number one in many countries, including South Africa, Belgium, Australia, Israel and the Netherlands, and going gold or platinum in those countries and others. Another country where Ian has achieved a high level of popularity is Japan: Ian had two Top 10 singles on the Japanese Oricon charts, "Love Is Blind" in 1976 and "You Are Love" in 1980. Ian's 1976 album Aftertones also topped Oricon's album chart in October 1976.[15] "You Are Love (Toujours Gai Mon Cher)" is the theme song of Kinji Fukasaku's 1980 movie Virus. Ian cut several other singles specifically for the Japanese market, including 1998's "The Last Great Place".

In the US, Ian did not chart in the Top 40 on the pop charts after "At Seventeen", though she had several songs reach the Adult Contemporary singles chart through 1980 (all failing to make the Top 20).

Ian started Rude Girl Records, Inc. and its publishing arm, Rude Girl Publishing, on January 2, 1992. From 1992 to the present, RGR has steadily grown, with its current ownership of Janis Ian masters up to twenty albums and DVDs overseas, and a slightly smaller number in North America. The Rude Girl label oversees the production of Janis' newer work, and in the case of older work, its re-mastering and the re-creation of the original artwork.[16]

From 1982–92, Ian continued to write songs, often in collaboration with then-songwriting partner Kye Fleming, which have been covered by Amy Grant, Bette Midler, Marti Jones and other artists. She released Breaking Silence in 1993 and also came out as a lesbian.[17]

Other artists have recorded Ian's compositions, including Roberta Flack, who had a hit in 1973 with Ian's song "Jesse", which peaked at #19 on the Billboard pop charts on November 3, 1973.[17] Ian's own version is included on her 1974 album Stars (the title song of which has also been oft-covered, including versions by Joan Baez, Shirley Bassey, Cher, Nina Simone and Barbara Cook). "At Seventeen" is Ian's most covered composition with 50 versions by artists including Celine Dion, Miki Howard and Julia Fordham amongst others. Ian's song "In The Winter" has also been covered many times by singers including Dusty Springfield and Sheena Easton. Richard Barone recorded Ian's song "Sweet Misery" on his album Sorrows & Promises: Greenwich Village in the 1960s in 2016. She continues to tour in both the US and the UK.[18]

In August 2018 Ian performed at the UK's Cambridge Folk Festival.[19][20]

Criticism of the RIAA[]

Ian is an outspoken critic of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),[21] which she sees as acting against the interests of musicians and consumers. Consequently, she has released several of her songs for free download from her website.[22] "I've been surprised at how few people are willing to get annoyed with me over it," she laughs. "There was a little backlash here and there. I was scheduled to appear on a panel somewhere and somebody from a record company said if I was there they would boycott it. But that's been pretty much it. In general, the entire reaction has been favorable. I hear from a lot of people in my industry who don't want to be quoted, but say 'yeah, we're aware of this and we'd like to see a change too.'"[23] Along with science fiction authors Eric Flint and Cory Doctorow, she has argued that their experience provides conclusive evidence that free downloads dramatically increased hard-copy sales, contrary to the claims of RIAA and NARAS.[24]

Writing and acting[]

Ian at a Borders book signing in 2005

Ian writes science fiction. A long-time reader of the genre, she became involved in science fiction fandom in 2001 by attending the Millennium Philcon. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and she co-edited, with Mike Resnick, the anthology Stars: Original Stories Based on the Songs of Janis Ian, published in 2003 (ISBN 978-0-7564-0177-1). She continues to occasionally attend science fiction conventions.[25]

Ian has been a regular columnist for the LGBT news magazine The Advocate[26] and contributed to Performing Songwriter magazine from 1995 to 2003.[citation needed] On July 24, 2008, Ian released her positively-received autobiography Society's Child (published by Penguin Tarcher). An accompanying double CD, The Autobiography Collection, has been released with many of Ian's best loved songs.[27][citation needed]

Ian took acting lessons from acting coach Stella Adler in the early 1980s to help her feel more comfortable on stage, and she and Adler remained close friends until Adler's death in 1992. In December 2015, Ian appeared in the series finale of HBO comedy series Getting On playing a patient who refused to stop singing.[28][29]

Personal life[]

Ian's mother Pearl Fink was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1975. Because of this, Ian and her brother persuaded their mother to pursue her lifelong dream of going to college. Fink eventually enrolled in Goddard College's adult education program and ultimately graduated with a master's degree. After Fink's death in 1997, Ian decided to auction off memorabilia to raise money to endow a scholarship at Goddard specifically for older continuing education students, which became the Pearl Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity. At the end of each year, 90% or more of funds raised from sale of merchandise, donations from fans and contributions from Ian herself are disbursed to various educational institutions to fund scholarships.[30] By 2016, it had contributed more than $900,000 in scholarship funds.[31]

Ian married Portuguese filmmaker Tino Sargo in 1978 and the two divorced in 1983. Accusations of Sargo's physical and emotional abuse were discussed in Ian's autobiography.[30][32] Sargo was never charged or convicted. After moving to Nashville, she met Patricia Snyder in 1989. Ian came out as a lesbian in 1993 with the worldwide release of her album Breaking Silence.[17] Snyder and Ian married in Toronto on August 27, 2003.[33] Ian has a stepdaughter and two grandchildren with Snyder.[citation needed]

Discography[]

Albums[]

  • Janis Ian (1967), #29 US (Verve)
  • For All the Seasons of Your Mind (1967), #179 US (Verve)
  • The Secret Life of J. Eddy Fink (1968) (Verve)
  • Who Really Cares (1969) (Verve)
  • Present Company (1971), #223 US (Capitol)
  • Stars (1974), #63 US, #82 Australia[34]
  • Between the Lines (1975), #1 US, #4 Canada[35], #16 Australia[34] #22 Japan (Columbia, Festival)
  • Aftertones (1976), #12 US, #81 Canada[36], #45 Australia[34] #1 Japan, #23 (Netherlands) (Columbia)
  • Miracle Row (1977), #45 US, #58 Australia[34] #26 Japan, #20 (Netherlands) (Columbia)
  • Janis Ian (1978) (Columbia) #97 Australia[34]
  • Night Rains (1979) (Columbia) #11 Australia,[34] #2 (Netherlands)
  • Restless Eyes (1981), #156 US (Columbia) #57 Australia,[34] #15 Netherlands
  • Uncle Wonderful (1983) (Rude Girl) #93 Australia[34]
  • Breaking Silence (1992) (Morgan Creek)
  • Simon Renshaw Presents: Janis Ian Shares Your Pain (1995) (Rude Girl) (not released until 12.09)
  • Revenge (1995) (Rude Girl)
  • Hunger (1997) (Windham Hill/Rude Girl)
  • God & the FBI (2000) (Windham Hill/Rude Girl)
  • Lost Cuts 1 (2001) (Rude Girl)
  • Billie's Bones (2004) (Rude Girl)
  • Folk Is the New Black (2006) (Rude Girl)
  • Strictly Solo (2014) (Rude Girl). Available only at live shows.
  • Hope (2021) (Rude Girl)

Compilation albums[]

  • The Best of Janis Ian (1977) (Interfusion) #69 Australia[34]
  • Remember (1978) (orig. JVC Japan, now Rude Girl)
  • The Best of Janis Ian (1980) (CBS Benelux)
  • My Favourites (1980) #5 (Netherlands) (CBS Benelux)
  • At Seventeen (1990) (CBS)
  • Up 'Til Now - The Best of Janis Ian (1992) #18 (Netherlands) (Sony)
  • Society's Child: The Verve Recordings (1995) (Polydor/UMG)
  • Live on the Test 1976 (1995) (BBC World Wide)
  • Unreleased 1: Mary's Eyes (1998) (Rude Girl)
  • The Bottom Line Encore Collection (1999) (Bottom Line Records)
  • The Best of Janis Ian (2002) (Festival Australia)
  • Live: Working Without a Net (2003) (Rude Girl)
  • Souvenirs: Best of 1972–1981 (2004) (Rude Girl)
  • Unreleased 2: Take No Prisoners (2006) (Rude Girl)
  • Unreleased 3: Society's Child (2006) (Rude Girl)
  • Ultimate Best (2007) (JVC Victory)
  • Best of Janis Ian: Autobiography Collection (2008) (Rude Girl)
  • The Essential Janis Ian (2017) (Sony worldwide)

Dutch chart positions taken from the book "Albumdossier 1969-2002" by Johan van Slooten, GottmerBecht, 2002.

Singles[]

Year Titles (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated 		Chart positions Album
US Billboard US Cash Box US A/C Australia[34] South
Africa 		UK JPN CAN
1967 "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)"
b/w "Letter to Jon" (Non-album track) 		14 13 – – – – – 13 [37] Janis Ian (Verve Forecast)
"Younger Generation Blues"
b/w "I'll Give You a Stone If You'll Throw It" 		– – – – – – – –
"Insanity Comes Quietly to the Structured Mind"
b/w "Sunflakes Fall, Snowrays Call" 		109 82 – – – – – 76 [38] ...For All The Seasons Of Your Mind
1968 "A Song for All the Seasons of Your Mind"
b/w "Lonely One" 		– – – – – – – –
"Friends Again"
b/w "Lady of the Night" (Non-album track) 		– – – – – – – – The Secret Life of J. Eddy Fink
"Janey's Blues"
b/w "Everybody Knows" (from The Secret Life of J. Eddy Fink) 		– – – – – – – – Janis Ian (Verve Forecast)
1969 "Calling Your Name"
b/w "Month of May" 		– – – – – – – – Who Really Cares
1971 "He's a Rainbow"
b/w "Here in Spain" 		– – – – – – – – Present Company
1974 "The Man You Are in Me"
b/w "Jesse" 		104 105 33 – – – – – Stars
1975 "When the Party's Over"
b/w "Bright Lights and Promises" 		– 112 20 – – – – – Between the Lines
"At Seventeen"
b/w "Stars" (from Stars) 		3 1 1 23 – – – 6 [39]
"In the Winter"
b/w "Thankyous" (from Stars) 		– 97 21 – – – – –
1976 "Boy I Really Tied One On"
b/w "Aftertones" 		– – 43 50 – – – – Aftertones
"I Would Like to Dance"
b/w "Goodbye To Morning" 		– – 28 – – – – 86 [40]
"Roses" / – – 37 – – – – –
"Love Is Blind" – – – – – – 1 –
"Between the Lines"
b/w "Sweet Sympathy" (from Stars) 		– – – – – – 90 – Between The Lines
1977 "Miracle Row"
b/w "Take to the Sky" 		– – – – – – – – Miracle Row
"I Want to Make You Love Me"
b/w "Candlelight" 		– – – – – – – –
"Will You Dance?"
b/w "I Want to Make You Love Me" 		– – – – – – 40 –
1978 "That Grand Illusion"
b/w "Hopper Painting" 		– – 43 – – – – – Janis Ian (Columbia)
"The Bridge"
b/w "Do You Wanna Dance" 		– – – – – – – –
1979 "Here Comes the Night"
b/w "Tonight Will Last Forever" (from Janis Ian Columbia album) 		– – – – – – – – Night Rains
"Fly Too High"
b/w "Night Rains" 		– – – 7 1 44 – –
1980 "You Are Love"
b/w "All to You" 		– – – – – – 10 – "Virus" soundtrack (Japan release only)
"The Other Side of the Sun"
b/w "Memories" 		– – 47 44 – 44 – – Night Rains
1981 "Under the Covers"
b/w "Sugar Mountain" 		71 79 – – – – – – Restless Eyes
"Restless Eyes"
b/w "I Remember Yesterday" 		– – – – – – – –
2010 "Every Woman's Song" (with Angela Aki)[41][42] – – – – – – 53 – Non-album track
DVDs
  • Live at Club Cafe (2005) (Rude Girl)
  • Janismania (2005) (Rude Girl)
  • Through the Years: A Retrospective (2007) (Rude Girl)
  • Janis Ian '79: Live in Japan & Australia (2008) (Rude Girl)

Bibliography[]

  • Who Really Cares: Poems From Childhood and Early Youth, 1969 (2002 re-release), ISBN 978-1-930709-37-9
  • Songbook, 1999, ISBN 978-0-7692-0148-1
  • Stars: Original Stories Based on the Songs of Janis Ian, 2003, ISBN 978-0-7564-0177-1 (ed., with Mike Resnick)
  • "Prayerville", 2003, in Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg (eds), Women Writing Science Fiction As Men, ISBN 978-0-7564-0148-1
  • Society's Child: My Autobiography, 2008, Tarcher/Penguin; ISBN 1-58542-675-X; ISBN 978-1-58542-675-1

References[]

  1. ^ "Janis Ian: A Life in Song" (PDF). Janis Ian Website. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 7, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  2. ^ Ian, Janis. "Janis Ian Through the Years" (PDF). Janis Ian.
  3. ^ Nash, Margo. "JERSEY FOOTLIGHTS", The New York Times, March 16, 2003: "Yet when Janis Ian went to East Orange High School, she was kicked out of the chorus." Retrieved December 19, 2007.
  4. ^ "'At 60,' Janis Ian is no longer lonely". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Life Magazine, October 27, 1967, p. 53.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Ankeny, Jason (2003). Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (eds.). All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-736-6.
  7. ^ Silman, Anna (July 29, 2015). "Janis Ian alledges Bill Cosby spread lesbian rumors about her as a teen, tried to blacklist her from TV". Salon. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  8. ^ Jones, Nate (July 29, 2015). "Janis Ian Shares Her Own Creepy Bill Cosby Story". Vulture. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  9. ^ Goodman, Jessica. "Janis Ian recalls personal story about Bill Cosby following New York cover feature". Entertainment Weekly (July 29, 2015). Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  10. ^ Duffy, Nick (July 29, 2015). "Veteran singer-songwriter Janis Ian has claimed that Bill Cosby tried to get her banned from TV – because he thought she was a lesbian". Pink News. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  11. ^ Wiser, Carl (March 14, 2003). "Janis Ian interview". Songfacts. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  12. ^ Cader, Michael; Baskin, Edie (1994). Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 124–127. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
  13. ^ "SNL Transcripts". Snltranscripts.jt.org. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  14. ^ Rees, Dafydd; Luke Crampton (1996). Encyclopedia of Rock Stars. Dk Pub. ISBN 0-7894-1263-2.
  15. ^ "Janis Ian". janisian.com.
  16. ^ "Rude Girl Records, Inc". janisian.com. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c Keehnen, Owen (March 24, 2005). "At 42: Lesbian Legend Janis Ian Comes Out". Queer Culture Center. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  18. ^ "Janis Ian: On Tour". janisian.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  19. ^ Irwin, Colin (August 6, 2018). "Cambridge folk festival review – verve and energy in a female-focused weekend". The Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  20. ^ Scialom, Adrian Peel & Mike (August 7, 2018). "Cambridge Folk Festival 2018 a resounding – and countrified – success". Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  21. ^ Ian, Janis (May 2002). "The Internet Debacle – An Alternative View". Performing Songwriter. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  22. ^ Free Music Downloads on Janis Ian's official website
  23. ^ Vanderhorst, Jan (October 2002). "Janis Ian: Doing It From The Heart". Babel. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  24. ^ Prime Palaver #11 Archived February 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine – letter by Janis Ian to Baen librarian, Eric Flint, September 16, 2002
  25. ^ John Teehan. "Janis at Worldcon 2001". Sff.net. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  26. ^ "Revenge is sweet for Janis Ian" Archived October 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine by Jeff Walsh, March 1, 1996
  27. ^ Ian, Janis. "Janis Ian - American songwriter, singer, musician, author and multiple Grammy-winning writer of "At 17," "Jesse" and "Society's Child": Listening Room: Best Of Janis Ian: The Autobiography Collection". www.janisian.com. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  28. ^ Lambe, Stacy (December 14, 2015). "'Getting On' Creators on Taking Big Swings With the Series Finale". ET Online. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  29. ^ ""Getting On" from the HBO series "Getting On"". Janis Ian Shopping Mall. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b Ian, Janis. 2008. Society's Child: My Autobiography. New York City: Tarcher.
  31. ^ "Pearl Foundation". Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  32. ^ "Janis Ian still makes people uneasy".
  33. ^ "Ian profile". Glbtq.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 145. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  35. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - September 27, 1975" (PDF).
  36. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - April 7, 1976" (PDF).
  37. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 22, 1967" (PDF).
  38. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 30, 1967" (PDF).
  39. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - September 20, 1975" (PDF).
  40. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - June 12, 1976" (PDF).
  41. ^ "ジャニス・イアンとの夢のコラボ曲「Every Woman's Song」が 着うた(R)、着うたフル(R)で好評配信中！" [Janis Ian dream collabo song, "Every Woman's Song" out as a ringtone and a cellphone download!] (in Japanese). Sony Music Japan. September 1, 2010. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  42. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100 2010/09/20". Billboard (in Japanese). September 20, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2014.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""