Janis Ian
Janis Ian | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Janis Eddy Fink |
Born | Farmingdale, New Jersey, U.S. | April 7, 1951
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Years active | 1965–present |
Labels |
|
Website | janisian |
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)"[1] and the 1975 Top Ten single "At Seventeen", from her seventh studio album Between the Lines, which in September 1975 reached no. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
Born in
Ian is also a columnist and
Early life
Born in
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.[7] 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.[8]
Music career
This section of a poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Janis Ian" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2023) |
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.[8]
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.[citation needed] 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.[7]
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 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]
Ian relates on her website that, although "Society's Child" was originally intended for
"Society's Child" stigmatized Ian as a
"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.[17] "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
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 partner Kye Fleming, some of 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.[19]
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.[19] 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. 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 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 the UK's Cambridge Folk Festival.[21][22]
Criticism of the RIAA
Ian is an outspoken critic of the
Writing and acting
Ian writes science fiction. A long-time reader of the genre, she became involved in
Ian was a regular columnist for the
Ian took acting lessons and script interpretation classes from
Personal life
Ian's mother Pearl Yadoff Fink was diagnosed with
Ian married
Discography
Studio albums
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 | 83 | 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 | |
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] | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Live albums
- Remember... (1978) (orig. JVC Japan, now Rude Girl)
- Live on the Test 1976 (1995) (BBC World Wide)
- The Bottom Line Encore Collection (1999) (Bottom Line Records)
- Live: Working Without a Net (2003) (Rude Girl)
- Live at The Calderone Theater 1975 (2023) (Rude Girl)
Compilation albums
Year | Title | Chart positions | Label | |
---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [40] |
NLD [41] | |||
1977 | The Best of Janis Ian | 69 | — | Interfusion |
1980 | The Best of Janis Ian | — | — | CBS Benelux |
1980 | 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 |
2002 | The Best of Janis Ian | — | — | Festival Australia |
2004 | Souvenirs: Best of 1972–1981 | — | — | Rude Girl |
2006 | Unreleased 2: Take No Prisoners | — | — | |
2006 | Unreleased 3: Society's Child | — | — | |
2007 | Ultimate Best | — | — | JVC Victory |
2008 | Best of Janis Ian: Autobiography Collection | — | — | Rude Girl |
2017 | The Essential Janis Ian | — | — | Sony worldwide |
2023 | Worktapes & Demos, Vol. 1 | — | — | Rude Girl |
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 | 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" (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" (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" (from Stars) |
3 | 1 | 1 | 6 [49] | 23 | — | 54 [d] | — | — | ||
"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 [50] | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Roses" b/w "Love Is Blind" |
— | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Love Is Blind" b/w "Miracle Row" (from Miracle Row) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 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 | 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" |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2010 | "Every Woman's Song" (with Angela Aki)[51][52] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 53 | Non-album track |
DVDs
- Janis Ian: Live From Grand Center (2008)[53]
- 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 ISBN 978-0-7564-0148-1
- Society's Child: My Autobiography, 2008, Tarcher/Penguin; ISBN 978-1-58542-675-1
Notes
- ^ At this time, Ian made a parody version of Revenge under the name Simon Renshaw Presents: Janis Ian Shares Your Pain as a private joke and prank on her manager, Simon Renshaw. The album was later[when?] released publicly on iTunes; it's never been released on CD.[citation needed]
- ^ Available only at live shows.
- ^ A limited-edition two-CD combining Up 'Til Now - The Best of Janis Ian with Breaking Silence was issued by Sony in 1993.
- ^ Chart position is from the official UK "Breakers List".
References
- ^ "The Song that Made Janis Ian the Most Notorious Folk Singer in America | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ "Janis Ian: A Life in Song" (PDF). Janis Ian Website. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 7, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
- ^ Ian, Janis. "Janis Ian Through the Years" (PDF). Janis Ian. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 30, 2022.
- ^ Nash, Margo. "JERSEY FOOTLIGHTS" Archived July 8, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, 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.
- ISBN 9781584653035. Archivedfrom the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "'At 60,' Janis Ian is no longer lonely". The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ a b Life Magazine, October 27, 1967, p. 53.
- ^ ISBN 0-87930-736-6.
- ^ Silman, Anna (July 29, 2015). "Janis Ian says Bill Cosby spread lesbian rumors about her as a teen, tried to blacklist her from TV". Salon. Archived from the original on July 31, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ^ Jones, Nate (July 29, 2015). "Janis Ian Shares Her Own Creepy Bill Cosby Story". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 31, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ^ Goodman, Jessica. "Janis Ian recalls personal story about Bill Cosby following New York cover feature". Entertainment Weekly. No. July 29, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Wiser, Carl (March 14, 2003). "Janis Ian interview". Songfacts. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
- ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
- ^ "SNL Transcripts". Snltranscripts.jt.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ISBN 0-7894-1263-2.
- ^ "Janis Ian". janisian.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2002.
- ^ "Rude Girl Records, Inc". janisian.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- ^ a b c Keehnen, Owen (March 24, 2005). "At 42: Lesbian Legend Janis Ian Comes Out". Queer Culture Center. Archived from the original on November 4, 2005. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
- ^ "Janis Ian: On Tour". janisian.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- ^ Irwin, Colin (August 6, 2018). "Cambridge folk festival review – verve and energy in a female-focused weekend". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ Scialom, Adrian Peel & Mike (August 7, 2018). "Cambridge Folk Festival 2018 a resounding – and countrified – success". Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ Ian, Janis (May 2002). "The Internet Debacle – An Alternative View". Performing Songwriter. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
- ^ Free Music Downloads Archived July 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine on Janis Ian's official website
- ^ Vanderhorst, Jan (October 2002). "Janis Ian: Doing It From The Heart". Babel. Archived from the original on June 23, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
- ^ Prime Palaver #11 Archived February 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine – letter by Janis Ian to Baen librarian, Eric Flint, September 16, 2002
- ^ John Teehan. "Janis at Worldcon 2001". Sff.net. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ Ian, Janis (2009), "Welcome Home" (PDF), Argentus, p. 20, archived (PDF) from the original on February 17, 2022, retrieved March 10, 2022
- ^ "Revenge is sweet for Janis Ian" Archived October 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine by Jeff Walsh, March 1, 1996
- ^ "Interview with Janis Ian". Performing Songwriter. Vol. 3, no. 1. United States. August 1993. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "Interview with Janis Ian". Performing Songwriter. No. 92. United States. April 2006. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
- ^ Lambe, Stacy (December 14, 2015). "'Getting On' Creators on Taking Big Swings With the Series Finale". ET Online. Archived from the original on February 18, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
- ^ ""Getting On" from the HBO series "Getting On"". Janis Ian Shopping Mall. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Ian, Janis. 2008. Society's Child: My Autobiography. New York City: Tarcher.
- ^ "Pearl Foundation". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "Janis Ian still makes people uneasy". Chicago Tribune. September 9, 2011. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ "Ian profile". Glbtq.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ Sohn, Amy (September 10, 2015). "Janis Ian and Patricia Snyder's Relationship Builds Upon Decades of Social Upheaval". New York Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b van Slooten, Johan; Albumdossier 1969-2002 GottmerBecht, 2002.
- ^ "Janis Ian". Official Charts. October 8, 2021. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - September 27, 1975" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - April 7, 1976" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022.
- ^ "The Light At The End Of The Line – Janis Ian®". The Official Website of Janis Ian. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ "Janis Ian – Top 40-hits". top40.nl. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 22, 1967" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 30, 1967" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - September 20, 1975" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - June 12, 1976" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100 2010/09/20". Billboard (in Japanese). September 20, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
- ^ Janis Ian Live From Grand Center, archived from the original on December 5, 2021, retrieved December 5, 2021
External links
- Official website
- Works by Janis Ian at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Janis Ian at Internet Archive
- Janis Ian at Library of Congress, with 55 library catalog records
- Janis Ian at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Interview with Janis Ian in International Songwriters Association's "Songwriter Magazine"