In case you missed it - Jamie Lee Curtis on Janis Ian's "At Seventeen"
Published
In Case You Missed It
The New Yorker shares their interview
with actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
When asked about the song that always makes her cry,
Curtis reflects on the lasting impact
of Janis Ian’s iconic song, “At Seventeen”
and introducing it to her “Freakier Friday” co-stars.
“There’s something just awful about being a teenager,
and art can help you work through it.
Janis Ian recorded a song called ‘At Seventeen,’
which is told from her standpoint
of what it was like to be her at 17— and the brutality of being a teenager,
and how awful it is if you’re different.
“I remember when I heard that song.
It makes me cry just saying the words ‘at seventeen.’
“There’s something so deeply emotional
about the longing that a young person has
for what she thinks everyone else is having except her.
It’s heartbreaking.”
– Jamie Lee Curtis
I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant
for beauty queens
…We all play the game
And when we dare
To cheat ourselves at solitaire
– Janis Ian, “At Seventeen”
The chart topping hit celebrates
its 50th Anniversary in 2025.
About Janis IanJanis Ian is a 10-time GRAMMY nominee (two-time winner) whose songs and performances have resonated with a diverse group of fans for more than five decades. She is one of just a handful of artists who have received nominations in eight completely different categories. Raised by activist Jewish parents on a New Jersey farm, she currently lives in Florida with her partner and wife of 34 years.
Ian received her first GRAMMY nomination in 1967 for “Best Folk Album” with Janis Ian, featuring “Society’s Child.” She took home her first GRAMMY in 1975 for “Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female – At Seventeen,” and her second for “Best Spoken Word Album – Society’s Child: My Autobiography” in 2013. Her 2023 GRAMMY nomination for “Best Folk Album,” The Light at the End of the Line, brought her full circle.
Two of her most powerful songs, “Society’s Child” and “At Seventeen,” were inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2002 and 2008, respectively. She received the International Folk Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 and was honored by Ireland’s Tradfest and Ireland’s Minister of Culture in 2024 for Outstanding Achievements In the Arts.
Ian has been mining her treasure trove of music and memorabilia for a massive archival project, the Janis Ian Archives, that will open in October of 2024 at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, as well as preparing collections of rare and previously unreleased recordings. The first two releases, Live at the Calderone Theater 1975 and Worktapes & Demos Vol. 1, dropped last fall with more to come. She is also gearing up for the June 2025 broadcast on PBS’ famed American Masters of a documentary about her life and work. Janis Ian: Breaking Silence is helmed by award-winning director/producer Varda Bar-Kar, best known for Big Voice (Netflix, PBS) and Fandango at the Wall (Max). Along with Ian, the film features interviews with friends including Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Lily Tomlin, Jean Smart, Laurie Metcalf, and others.
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