Janis Ian | |
|---|---|
 Ian performing in concert inDublin, Ireland, 1981 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Janis Eddy Fink (1951-04-07)April 7, 1951 (age 74) Farmingdale, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Labels |
|
Spouse(s) | |
| Website | janisian |
Janis Ian (bornJanis 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)"[1] and the 1975 Top Ten single "At Seventeen", from her seventh studio albumBetween the Lines, which in September 1975 reached No. 1 on the U.S.Billboard 200 chart.
Born inFarmingdale, New Jersey, Ian entered the Americanfolk 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 twoGrammy Awards, the first in 1975 for "At Seventeen" and the second in 2013 forBest Spoken Word Album, for her autobiography,Society's Child, with ten nominations in eight categories.
Ian is a columnist andscience fiction author.[2]
Born in Farmingdale, New Jersey,[3] Ian was raised on a farm and attendedEast Orange High School inEast Orange, New Jersey[4] and theNew York City High School of Music & Art inManhattan. Both sets of grandparents (fromPoland,Ukraine, andTashkent, Uzbekistan) lived in the New York-New Jersey area, having emigrated viaEngland around 1918.[5] Her parents, Victor, a music teacher, and Pearl, a college fundraiser, wereJewish-born liberal atheists who ran several summer camps inupstate New York.[6]
As a child, Ian admired the work of folk musicians includingJoan Baez andOdetta. 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.[7] At the age of 12, she wrote her first song, "Hair of Spun Gold", which was subsequently published in the folk publicationBroadside 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.[8]
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At 14, Ian wrote and recorded her first hit single, "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)", about aninterracial romance forbidden by a girl's mother and frowned upon by her peers and teachers. Produced byGeorge "Shadow" Morton and released three times from 1965 to 1967, "Society's Child" became a national hit upon its third release afterLeonard Bernstein featured it in a late-April 1967 CBS TV special titledInside Pop: The Rock Revolution.[8] In July 1967, "Society's Child" reached No. 14 on theBillboard Hot 100. The single sold 600,000 copies and the album sold 350,000 copies.[7]
At 16, Ian met comedianBill Cosby backstage at aSmothers 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 the lap of her chaperone (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.[9][10][11] Although Ian would later come out, she states that at the time of the encounter with Cosby she had only been kissed once, by a boy she had a crush on, in broad daylight at summer camp.[12]
On her website, Ian relates that although "Society's Child" was originally intended forAtlantic Records and the label paid for her recording session, Atlantic subsequently returned themaster to her and quietly refused to release it.[13] 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) was finally released onVerve Forecast. In 2001, "Society's Child" was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame, which honors recordings considered timeless and important tomusic history. Her first four albums were released on a double CD entitledSociety's Child: The Verve Recordings in 1995.
"Society's Child" stigmatized Ian as aone-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 number 3 on theBillboard Hot 100, hit number one on the Adult Contemporary chart and won the 1976Grammy Award forBest Pop Vocal Performance - Female, beatingLinda Ronstadt,Olivia Newton-John,Judy Collins andHelen Reddy. Ian appeared as the second musical guest on the series premiere ofSaturday Night Live on October 11, 1975, performing "At Seventeen" and "In the Winter".[14][15] The albumBetween the Lines was also a smash and reached number one onBillboard′s album chart. The album would be certifiedplatinum for sales of over one million copies sold in the US. Another measure of her success is anecdotal: onValentine's Day 1977, Ian received 461 valentine cards, having indicated in the lyrics to "At Seventeen" that she never received one as a teenager.[16]
"Fly Too High" (1979), produced bydisco producerGiorgio Moroder, was Ian's contribution to the soundtrack of theJodie Foster filmFoxes and was also featured on Ian's 1979 albumNight 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 JapaneseOricon charts, "Love Is Blind" in 1976 and "You Are Love" in 1980. Ian's 1976 albumAftertones also topped Oricon's album chart in October 1976.[17] "You Are Love (Toujours Gai Mon Cher)" is the theme song ofKinji Fukasaku's 1980 movieVirus. 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 theAdult 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. Since then, RGR has steadily grown, with its ownership of more than twenty-five Janis Ian albums and DVDs overseas, as well as hundreds of unreleased recordings and videos, including unreleased songs, concerts, demos, and rehearsal tapes. The Rude Girl label oversees the production of Ian's newer work, and in the case of older work, its re-mastering and the re-creation of the original artwork.[18]
From 1982–92, Ian continued to write songs, often in collaboration with then songwriting partnerKye Fleming, some of which have been covered byAmy Grant,Bette Midler,Marti Jones and other artists. She releasedBreaking Silence in 1993 and came out as a lesbian.[19] Other artists have recorded Ian's compositions, includingRoberta Flack, who had a hit in 1973 with Ian's song "Jesse", which peaked at #30 on theHot 100 on October 27, 1973.[19] Ian's own version is included on her 1974 albumStars (the title song of which has also been oft-covered, including versions byJoan Baez,Shirley Bassey,Cher,Nina Simone andBarbara Cook). "At Seventeen" is Ian's most covered composition with 50 versions by artists includingCeline Dion,Miki Howard andJulia Fordham. Ian's song "In The Winter" has also been covered many times by singers includingDusty Springfield andSheena Easton.Richard Barone recorded Ian's song "Sweet Misery" on his albumSorrows & Promises: Greenwich Village in the 1960s in 2016. She continues to tour worldwide, though she stated that her 2022 North-American tour, which was cancelled when a laryngitis diagnosis became severe, would be her "last full tour".[20] In August 2018 Ian performed at theUK'sCambridge Folk Festival.[21][22]
Ian is an outspoken critic of theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA),[23] which she sees as acting against the interests of musicians and consumers. She has released several of her songs for free download from her website.[24] "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.'"[25] Along with science fiction authorsEric Flint andCory Doctorow, she has argued that their experience provides conclusive evidence that free downloads dramatically increased hard-copy sales, contrary to the claims of RIAA andNARAS.[26]
Ian writes science fiction. A long-time reader of the genre, she became involved inscience fiction fandom in 2001 by attending theMillennium Philcon inPhiladelphia. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and withMike Resnick, she co-editedStars: Original Stories Based on the Songs of Janis Ian, an anthology published in 2003. She continues to occasionally go toscience fiction conventions.[27] Ian performed at the 2009 Nebula Award Conference inLos Angeles, where she sang "Welcome Home," a version of her song "At Seventeen" with the lyrics changed to talk about the acceptance she found by reading science fiction.[28]
Ian was a regular columnist for theLGBT news magazineThe Advocate[29] and contributed toPerforming Songwriter magazine from 1993[30] to 2006.[31] On July 24, 2008, Ian released autobiographySociety's Child (published byPenguin Tarcher), which was positively received. An accompanying double CD,The Autobiography Collection, has been released with many of Ian's best loved songs.[32]
Ian took acting lessons and script interpretation classes fromStella 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 ofHBO comedy seriesGetting On playing a patient who refused to stop singing.[33][34]
Ian's mother, Pearl Yadoff Fink, was diagnosed withmultiple 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 inGoddard College's adult education program and 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 oldercontinuing education students, which became the Pearl Foundation, a501(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.[35] By 2020, it had endowed more than $1,250,000 in scholarship funds at four schools.[36]
Ian marriedPortuguese filmmaker Tino Sargo in 1978 and the two divorced in 1983. In her autobiography, Ian accused Sargo of physical and emotional abuse.[35][37] After moving toNashville, she met Patricia Snyder in 1989. Iancame out as a lesbian in 1993 with the worldwide release of her albumBreaking Silence.[19] Snyder and Ian married inToronto on August 27, 2003.[38] Ian has a stepdaughter and two grandchildren with Snyder.[39]
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Label | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS [40] | CAN | JPN | NLD [41] | UK [42] | |||
| 1967 | Janis Ian | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | Verve Forecast |
| 1967 | For All the Seasons of Your Mind | 179 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1968 | The Secret Life of J. Eddy Fink | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1969 | Who Really Cares | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1971 | Present Company | — | — | — | — | — | — | Capitol |
| 1974 | Stars | 63 | 82 | — | — | — | — | Columbia |
| 1975 | Between the Lines | 1 | 16 | 4[43] | 22 | — | — | |
| 1976 | Aftertones | 12 | 45 | 81[44] | 1 | 23 | — | |
| 1977 | Miracle Row | 45 | 58 | — | 26 | 20 | — | |
| 1978 | Janis Ian | 120 | 97 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1979 | Night Rains | — | 11 | — | — | 2 | — | |
| 1981 | Restless Eyes | 156 | 57 | — | — | 15 | — | |
| 1985 | Uncle Wonderful | — | 93 | — | — | — | — | Interfusion |
| 1992 | Breaking Silence | — | — | — | — | — | — | Morgan Creek |
| 1995 | Revenge[a] | — | — | — | — | — | 81 | Beacon |
| 1997 | Hunger | — | — | — | — | — | — | Windham Hill/Rude Girl |
| 2000 | God and the FBI | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2001 | Lost Cuts 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Rude Girl |
| 2004 | Billie's Bones | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2006 | Folk Is the New Black | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | Strictly Solo[b] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | Hope | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2022 | The Light at the End of the Line[45] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Remember... | originally JVC Japan, now Rude Girl |
| 1996 | Live On the Test 1976 | BBC World Wide |
| 1999 | The Bottom Line Encore Collection | The Bottom Line Record Company |
| 2003 | Live: Working Without a Net | Oh Boy/Rude Girl |
| 2023 | Live at The Calderone Theater 1975 | Rude Girl |
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [40] | NLD [41] | |||
| 1970 | Golden Archive Series: Janis Ian | — | — | MGM Records |
| 1977 | Best of Janis Ian | 69 | — | Interfusion |
| 1980 | The Best of Janis Ian | — | — | CBS Benelux |
| My Favourites | — | 5 | ||
| 1990 | At Seventeen | — | — | CBS |
| 1992 | Up 'Til Now - The Best of Janis Ian[c] | — | 18 | Sony |
| 1995 | Society's Child: The Verve Recordings | — | — | Polydor/UMG |
| 1998 | Unreleased 1: Mary's Eyes | — | — | Rude Girl |
| 2000 | Unreleased 2: Take No Prisoners | — | — | |
| 2001 | Unreleased 3: Society's Child | — | — | |
| 2002 | The Best of Janis Ian | — | — | Festival (Australia) |
| 2004 | Souvenirs: Best of 1972–1981 | — | — | Rude Girl |
| 2007 | Ultimate Best | — | — | JVC Victor |
| 2008 | Best of Janis Ian: Autobiography Collection | — | — | Rude Girl |
| 2009 | The Essential Janis Ian | — | — | Columbia/Legacy/Rude Girl |
| 2011 | Playlist: The Very Best of Janis Ian | — | — | |
| 2017 | The Essential Janis Ian 2.0 | — | — | Sony (worldwide) |
| 2023 | Worktapes & Demos, Vol. 1 | — | — | Rude Girl |
| Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated | Chart positions | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USBillboard | USCash Box | US A/C | CAN | AUS [40] | SA | UK | NLD [46] | JPN | |||
| 1967 | "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" b/w "Letter to Jon" (Non-album track) | 14 | 13 | — | 13[47] | — | — | — | — | — | 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[48] | — | — | — | — | — | 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" (fromThe 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" (US) or "See My Grammy Ride" (UK) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 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" (fromStars) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6[49] | 23 | — | 54[d] | — | — | ||
| "In the Winter" b/w "Thankyous" (fromStars) | — | 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[50] | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Roses" b/w "Love Is Blind" | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Love Is Blind" b/w "Miracle Row" (fromMiracle Row) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||
| "Between the Lines" b/w "Sweet Sympathy" (fromStars) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 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" (fromJanis Ian (Columbia)) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Night Rains |
| "Fly Too High" b/w "Night Rains" | — | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | 44 | 5 | — | ||
| 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 | 30 | — | Night Rains | |
| 1981 | "Under the Covers" b/w "Sugar Mountain" | 71 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Restless Eyes |
| "Restless Eyes" b/w "I Remember Yesterday" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "Body Slave (Re-Mix)" b/w "Mechanical Telephone" (Australia) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Uncle Wonderful |
| "Heart Skip Too Many Beats" b/w "Sniper of the Heart" (Australia/New Zealand) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989 | "Heaven Knows" b/w "Heaven Knows (Non Vocal Version)" (Japan) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album track |
| 1992 | "Days Like These" (promo) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Falling from Grace (Soundtrack) |
| "Walking On Sacred Ground" b/w "Cosmopolitan Girl (Live)" & "When He Was Here (Live)" (Europe) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Breaking Silence | |
| 1993 | "Tattoo" b/w "Cosmopolitan Girl (Live)" & "When He Was Here (Live)" (Europe) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Guess You Had To Be There" b/w "Breaking Silence" (Europe) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | "Tenderness" b/w "Take No Prisoners" & "When Angels Cry" (Europe) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Revenge |
| "Take Me Walking in the Rain" b/w "When the Silence Fall" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997 | "Honor Them All" (promo) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hunger |
| 1998 | "Getting Over You" (promo) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2000 | "Jolene" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | God and the FBI |
| 2006 | "The Great Divide" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Folk Is the New Black |
| "Standing In the Shadows of Love" b/w "All Those Promises" & "Crocodile Song" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Married In London" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album track | |
| 2010 | "Welcome Home (The Nebulas Song)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Every Woman's Song"(withAngela Aki)[51][52] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 53 | ||
| 2012 | "The Tiny Mouse" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Tiny Mouse Book/CD |
| 2013 | "Architect of All Creation" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Singer & the Song audiobook |
| 2014 | "I'm Still Standing" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Strictly Solo |
| "Society's Child (Solo Acoustic)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "At Seventeen (Solo Acoustic)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015 | "Getting On" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Getting On |
| 2017 | "1776" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album track |
| "Perfect Little Girl" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Light at the End of the Line | |
| "Swannanoa" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019 | "Resist" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | "Amazing Grace" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album track |
| "Better Times Will Come" withNeil Finn | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021 | "I Am the One" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hope |
| "A Thousand Years" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Today You're Mine (Unplugged 2007)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album track | |
| 2024 | "When He Was Here" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album track |
| 2024 | "Swannanoa" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Light at the End of the Line |
| 2025 | "One in a Million" (Live, with Joan Baez) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album track |
| Year | Title | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Live at the Forum(Japan) | Laserdisc | Midi Inc. |
| 2004 | Live at Club Cafe | DVD | Rude Girl |
| 2004 | Janismania | DVD | Rude Girl |
| 2007 | Through the Years: A Retrospective | DVD | Rude Girl |
| 2007 | '79: Live In Japan & Australia | DVD | Rude Girl |
| 2008 | Live From Grand Center[53] | DVD | Rude Girl |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Janis Ian: Breaking Silence | Herself | Documentary | [54] |
| Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Best Folk Performance | Janis Ian | Nominated |
| 1976 | Record of the Year | "At Seventeen" | Nominated |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female | Won | ||
| Album of the Year | Between the Lines | Nominated | |
| 1982 | Best Jazz Vocal Performance | "Silly Habits" withMel Torme | Nominated |
| 1994 | Best Contemporary Folk Album | Breaking Silence | Nominated |
| 2002 | Grammy Hall of Fame | "Society's Child" | Honored |
| 2013 | Best Audio Book | "Society's Child: My Autobiography" | Won |
| 2016 | Best Audio Book | Patience and Sarah withJean Smart | Nominated |
| 2023 | Best Folk Album | The Light at the End of the Line | Nominated |
