First time hearing At 17 by Janis Ian

One of the most introspective songs ever written, at 17 by Janis Ian was an anthem for young girls and even boys who just didn't fit the mold of the "popular" children. Burch talks about how Olivia Rodrigo's writing style reminds him of Janis. Alexis picked up right away that Janis's lyrics are very sophisticated that is rarely heard in popular music today.
#janisian #at17 #70s #folk
‪@JanisIanVEVO‬

[@Captainoneliner]

My mom was a huge Janis Ian fan and she loved this song. When my mom got sick, my daughter unbeknownst to me contacted Janis through social media and told her about my mom and how much Janis’s music had meant to her. I didn’t know about any of this until my mom gets this lovely supportive letter from Janis. It really was wonderful of her to write it and it meant the world to my mom. After my mom passed, I wrote to Janis just to thank her. She wrote me back too, again a nice supportive note. She’s just a beautiful soul. I’ll never forget how she took a few minutes to lift my mom up after her music had done the same for my mom for decades. Love that woman.

[@b0bthebuilder198]

Beautiful ❤️ 😍

[@joelmoreno4223]

A very underappreciated talent a wonderful song-writer, a wonderful voice, a wonderful musician, a wonderful story-teller, but this was the 70s when there was sooo much talent.

[@maha77]

This song is so stunningly beautiful,it often brings a tear to my eye. Except that Janis is gorgeous!

[@vancemccutchen1434]

I remember my older sister crying when she listened to this song in the 70's.

[@kimwatchesstuff]

I cry listening to it now.

[@chrishoffman6233]

She won a Grammy for best female pop performer for “At Seventeen” at the 18th Grammy Award show and performed that night

[@itchyandred4131]

I love this song ❤️ I think everyone can relate to this, High school was rough ✌️

[@Rick-or2kq]

I understand what she is saying my high school years were a journey of isolation from the popular crowd. I was skinny, bushy black hair and acne. Every day was a lesson in survival, probably one of worst experiences of my life, I so happy to leave it behind and enter the world of adults who much less cruel. It taught me that trust is earned not given and people can be so very cruel for no other reason than just to be cruel. I am still cautious of people even to this day.

[@lindafletcher1628]

Her album Between the Lines was one of the best and At Seventeen was just one of the great songs on it

[@mrjobangles5906]

I was a punk rocker when I met you now wife in 1980, she introduced me to between the lines, it is in my top ten albums of all time

[@ochjim]

@@mrjobangles5906 . .Yep. It's exceptional.

[@dusty4835]

Introduce your daughter to Ian's "Society Child".

[@dragonlady229]

It came out in 1975...I was 11. She's my idol!! You should check out other songs of hers. She hits that universal many times over a fifty year career. She just retired from touring and performing in 2023. Her first hit was in 1968 (when I was 4) so, I first knew her from this Grammy winning album called Between the Lines from 1975. At the time she was nominated for this album, she broke the record for Grammy nominations for a woman...it was an amazing album as were nearly all of them. She's also a science fiction writer as well...take a look her prose. Big fan!!! If you couldn't tell...

[@dmmjq2]

I always loved the bossa nova sound behind the song.. the guitar solo was fantastic.. an iconic song for sure

[@KevinRyan-MouthAlmighty]

Janis' song, "From Me to You" will make you cry.

[@user-if4tt1xr8y]

Great choice!!!!

[@SparkyLu60]

I'm the same age as Janis, I always thought of her as a Poet with a Great voice, Great reaction guys

[@jaycohen3884]

Janis Ian is just unbelievable. She was struck by a problem with her voice this year and does not believe she will be able to sing in forseeable future. But she did release her last life's work album. I wish her all the best.... that's what she gave all of us.

[@angelrogo]

Janis is part of history now by putting in words and in a song the painfull feelings and frustration of hundreds of millions of teenagers and young adults since the 1950s until today.

[@user-gr7ik1pu6y]

Very good reaction i liked it alot

[@MikeBruno-qt5es]

This is a great version of this song. Sounds amazing live. Another artist I appreciate lyrically, is Sting. He uses sophisticated lyrics and is one of my favorite songwriters.

[@chrisc5029]

Remember those who win the game Lose the love they sought to gain In debentures of quality And dubious integrity Their small town eyes will gape at you In dull surprise when payment due Exceeds accounts received At seventeen such an amazing lyric. hard to imagine better writing.

[@lutdesimpelaere2947]

You’re right , Janis is a genius. Not only is she one of the best songwriters of all time, she also has a great voice and is an amazing guitarist. She is still performing, “resist” is a new song on KZbin, I had the privilege of seeing her in concert twice. The last time was in Chicago and I had the opportunity to talk to her, she’s so very nice and kind. Definitely one of my all time favorite artists. Please react to “ Society’s child “ she wrote it when she was 14 and performed it when she was 15 I believe. Very controversial song at the time. Thanks for reacting to her.

[@user-mf6li4sw6n]

The 70s had some very memorable singers. Do kids today appreciate the beauty of these songs as we did?

[@Macilmoyle]

Janis was 25 when this show aired. She had her first hit at the age of 14 with the song "Society's Child". She was touring up until last year, but is now unable to sing anymore due to scarring on her larynx caused by a viral infection.

[@pamelabryer9744]

My 2 favorite songs areJesse and Lover's Lullaby by Janis Ian❤❤

[@garyarnett1220]

Great choice. I know at the beginning she states it was about her own feelings, but it's so hard to believe that someone who had an international hit when she was 15 (Society's Child) still had to put up with this. She'd already proven who she was.

[@cmlemmus494]

Important to remember that what's going on inside is skewed by our own perceptions, not necessarily what's going on outside. Just think of people like Virginia Woolf and Robin Williams who were globally famous in their lifetimes and still ended themselves.

[@b0bthebuilder198]

Janice is beautiful. Life is beautiful 🎉 dads are just dads! Lol.. 😊

[@ed.z.]

I heard Janis Ian when I was 15. It kinda changed my taste in music. Her other hit was just as powerful. The subject was racism. It was a doorway to jazz, and Bob Dylan.

[@jomamma1750]

A rich Jewish activist who failed at marriage and later became a lesbian. She sold the rich man's narrative back then. Nobody cared then, nobody cares now, and thankfully she never reproduced.

[@nealrepetti2396]

I'm in Burches camp . When I was 17 and in highschool I was tortured by jocks and idiots and I made it my lifes work to become something. So , I went to school to become a mechanic and they wound yp becoming nobody's! Retired now but I feel good about what I accomplished. Eat your hearts out nobody's !

[@mikefrank115]

Great and insightful reaction. If Alexis likes intelligent songwriting and vocabulary, I would suggest Joni Mitchell, one of the top female singer/musician/poets ever (in my opinion). Thank you for sharing this!

[@GinMae]

Thanks, kids... so many of us can relate! (I love the great live version) I appreciate your reactions!

[@knotslip8862]

Great reaction video. Please do a reaction video to Triumph. Fight the Good Fight or Say Goodbye. Vocals are great and I'm curious what Alexis will think of the band. They were such a great band back in their day and Fight the Good Fight has some of the best lyrics I've ever heard - very positive. Thanks!

[@randallshuck2976]

You should react to her "ahead of her time" song "Societies Child". It was banned on TV and radio when she first sang it. The Smothers Brothers had the guts to showcase her on their weekly variety show.

[@user-if4tt1xr8y]

Alexis is a really Intelligent young Lady!!!!

[@janicemartell1211]

Actually one of her most recent songs "Resist" you should check out, it is very current to what is happening today. The song "society's child" was her first song she is known for. I believe she wrote it when she was 14.

[@michaelgatheringdust]

The eloquence in this song is a genuine reflection of the live she is singing of.

[@ochjim]

Great to hear this gifted singer-songwriter being so warmly received. I became a fan in 1977 after reading a review of her album Miracle Row in The Manchester Guardian. Between The Lines is one of the all time great albums imv. It's mature in style and packed with high quality songs. The 70s was a very strong era for her, with excellent songs across several first rate albums. Society's Child, her first hit, issued nearly 10 years earlier and written when she was 14-15 is arguably one of the most controversial and listenable political songs of the 60s, and may have been the reason why the FBI (apparently) opened a file on her. Her late phase, from Breaking Silence in the early 90s, on until at least God And The FBI is also very worth a listen. A highly articulate songwriter with a rare gift for melody, who could also sing and play very well. Have only heard her play live once, in the RCH in Glasgow 25 years ago, and she was terrific. One of the singer-song writer elite imv.

[@forourtroopssake7373]

Just LOVE you guys! You are so awesomely eclectic! ❤️❤️👍

[@dcmphotog8452]

If you have Peacock channel you can stream every episode of SNL from year one to today. The first four of five years has performances by the musical guests, so you can see this song performed by Janis Ian. They have not licensed the rights to any performances from the 80s onward, so they are edited out (unfortunately).

[@maddysdaddystevem563]

As the dad of a 3 year-old, your relationship gives me hope.

[@jasonbirkey7825]

Love that song. Great songwriting.

[@kimwatchesstuff]

@janisianchannel Another great reaction to this amazing song!

[@jetaurus]

No one is doing a reaction video for "Love is Blind" by Janis Ian...I like this song better than her any other songs...

[@alisonrodger3360]

A rainy summer Sunday afternoon spent with a combination of Janis Ian, Joan Armatrading, Tracy Chapman maybe with a bit of Sarah Vaughn & Columbia years Aretha thrown in is my idea of a good time.

[@kevinwallis2194]

She needs to hear Carol King. maybe even jim croche

[@vancemccutchen1434]

Tapestry was excellent.

[@kevinwallis2194]

@@vancemccutchen1434 so many of the songs from that era mean a lot, because even now, they make me remember and feel the happy and sad times of things i went through when in my youth.

[@dennisleach4518]

I identified because I stuttered

[@johngoodroe809]

Burch please introduce Alexis to Joan Baez Diamonds and Rust.

[@davehess1019]

Janis sings this song like she transforms herself back to when she was 17 when she was probably very quiet and very sad

[@gary_somebody7660]

Hulu has her SNL appearance Season 1 Episode 1 George Carlin was the guest

[@LS-wn5cd]

For similar solo singer reaction but more on country side you might react to Bobby Gentry -"Ode To Billie Joe"

[@TheOicyu812]

I've always liked this song by Janis, but I personally identified with the lyrics in Rush's song Subdivisions when I was in high school during the years of '83 to '87.

[@Peter-oh3hc]

I would also recommend Jesse Stars days like these

[@thancrow]

I would suggest Socity's Child by Janis Ian.

[@OneThousandHomoDJs]

I don't know if it's true, but I've heard a story about how, after penning the line, "the valentines I never knew," Janis received a tsunami of Valentines.

[@jamesm3123]

High school was a annex of hell for me.Then in my 20s i started martial arts and bodybuilding and found my high school bullies and !!t😮alked!! to them .karma exists.

[@mark-be9mq]

After pointing out her sad part of "17" she absolutely eviscerates what she sees the popular girls character & what they trade in later life for winning the game of life at 17-21. Marring popular handsome rich guys who end up a empty lives of social upward mobility and downward intimacy.

[@knightamongknaves]

she is active on facebook

[@antiherocrm]

"The more precise the wording, the more cutting the song is

[@harryohrn6051]

react to Society's Child Janis Ian's Grammy award winning song.

[@joelhammond4162]

Not positive, but I think that was Al Dimeola playing the flamenco style guitar solo. Cool song, great reaction.😊

[@scotties.3414]

I love Janice Ian but I do agree that when she sings live it is often a bit frustrating because she adds affectations and likes to sing behind the music which makes it a bit difficult to catch the words especially if she drops to a murmur for effect. I can understand that because she sings it so often she likes to mix it up and keep it interesting, but mostly for her LOL the listeners are sometimes like huh?

[@Biostalker420]

Burch. I got a request. Probably out of your wheelhouse but it is what it is. Faith No More. The Real Thing. One of those songs that is still with me from my teenage years. He(Mike Patton) has one of the widest known ranges for any singer, with a full 6 octaves. Find a lyric video if you don't know the words :D

[@7spadefish7]

Play her some Pat Travers…..When I lived in Orlando in 1990, I think he lived in Rosemont…

[@TheJCCroyle]

Share Primus wuth Alexis

[@PianoGaming24]

Just a question of curiosity, is Burch your father?

[@americanman13]

have you ever done boston

[@michaelmiller9452]

It'a a samba.

[@AllenJackson-rs5wm]

Ac dc music

[@garyrigby21]

Janis Ian was Hot so i don't get this song even though i love it

[@paultweedley2026]

Beutiful sentiment song, was Janis an ugly duckling at 17? She might not have been the tall blonde/brunette but beauty is subjective, l mean layer on her musical talent and she accends into someone way more beutiful and greater substance than the tall blonde.

[@baronofgreymatter14]

This song when released in the 70s was voted the song most likely to make you slit your wrists to. I despise this song.