Has anyone else noticed how beautifully she has aged? I swear the song sounds even better sung by her at an older age. Beautiful voice still. Hauntingly evocative.
Saw her play this live in Adelaide South Australia in 1980. My personal view is that her voice as lost nothing, neither has her beauty. She was a knockout then, and she is a knockout now.
Bless you Michael. Please don't t think of yourself as very old.....Just vintage at your very best.😉 Janis has gotten better with age and so have you. Peace and love.
I'm not so sure that there is a girl out there who can't identify with this song. She has such an incredibly beautiful voice. I was born the same year as Janis Ian, and this song is still as meaningful today as it was years ago.
Really - no girl out there who couldn't identify with this? So there are no beautiful home coming queens, with golden hair and breasts like melons, who think they are invincible because of their beauty? Not completely trashed at 17 like me. But yes, a fantastic song and singer!
Wow, she still sounds absolutely beautiful and her performance is so moving. And she doesn't have to wear a skimpy outfit and dance like a stripper to get your attention. She just sings with her emotions and brings me to goosebumps.
I agree. The skimpy outfits and the whorish dancing are not needed if the song is true. Janis was my hero bc she captured how I felt at 15 with at 17. I love her to death. Thanks. Janis
It saddens me that Paul McCartney sounds like an old man when he sings, and that Frankie Valli will never hit his high notes again. So I was expecting to see a performance from a woman who probably would no longer sound like the songs I've listened to for over 40 years. Oh my goodness, was I wrong. The years have only been good to her artistry, giving her the experiences to be able to reach even further into our heart and soul, moving us to tears with the beauty, and sadness, of her songs. Thank you, Janis Ian for giving me the opportunity to watch your live performance.
Then why doesn't he stop preforming? He's tarnishing his and the Beatles legacy. His performance on SNL was HORRIBLE. And I'm a HUGE Beatles fan. Never liked Wings though.
It's unfair to EXPECT folk in their 70's to sound like they're in their 30's. Paul McCartney has EARNED the right to sing anywhere he wants on the earth. He's not trying to sell records. He likely does it out of love of music, love for his fans, and his long time fans just like to see him on stage. We only live once.
Sincere feeling does not change with age, remains dormant, causing stirs deeper within, it resurfaces at some turns. A moving, melancholic feeling that has remained with me, words & music, for 50 years. Janis, is one of us, still vibrant, perceptive, caring. A generation of 🌟 stars so very bright.
Okay, I'm crying now. I was in high school when this came out. A small, skinny, pimply-faced kid who couldn't find a date. Boy, did this song hit me. You know what's funny? I thought Janis was really pretty. She didn't seem like an "ugly duckling" to me. And she is more beautiful now than ever. A beautiful, humble, talented woman. Thank you Janis. You made an impact on this life. . .
@@AintNoFool no Janis, you're beautiful. Find your strength and you will shine. Appearance is transitory and superficial, it is the inner qualities that will be remembered.
No Sara Taylor...I think you're beautiful! Doing anything tonight?,, There is a Club that I know, exclusive, but my brother is the bouncer! No pressure?
I include this song in my English classes for junior high-aged kids. They hear it; they know it; they feel it. I believe they take some solace and wisdom from it. Thank you for writing a "universal."
Pure genius and pure beauty. Janis, you're no ugly duckling and never were. Thank you for this song. I've been listening to it and crying along to it for some 40 years now.
She has more talent in one finger than all the present day divas put together, what a remarkable lady and a remarkable performance, I am old enough to remember it on release, man she sounds terrific.............. Thank you Janis.........
I am 22 now and I saw her play in a small town in Ohio when I had just turned 18. I had never heard her music but was content to go with my mother and aunt to see the show as I had nothing else to do. I was, to put it lightly, shook to my core. I cried openly during this song because as a short, awkward looking girl with glasses and chopped hair, I felt what she felt at that age. I knew nothing about this woman going into that music venue, but when she mentioned her marriage to her wife, I stood and applauded though much of the audience did not clap. She knew then, in her 60's, that love is for everybody and through her wisdom I learned that lesson too.
this really was my life...never called for the team, no dates or boy-friends, no prom's, just feeling like the ugliest girl around....every aspect and word written in this song was so true! What a HIT!!~~~ She really knew me in this song!!
This song hit a note with me, a male. I was an "it kid" in school. It's never easy when your name is called at the end of choosing sides for gym class games.
My name was always called when choosing sides for basketball... yet I _still_ shed a tear every time I hear this song. The lyrics, phrasing & chord structure are just flawless and combined in such a unique way. All that set over an almost eerie bossa nova rhythm. Her voice is so stunning, with a clarity and depth of emotion that stirs the soul. I will go to my grave believing this is one of the most perfect ballads ever written. Thank you Janis Ian!
This song always makes me cry, even now at 57. I know the pain of never getting Valentines too. Or getting chosen for any sport. Such a personal song for so many, expressed so poignantly by Janis.
what. beautiful commented. First time i paid attention to the song. English is my second language. My sons write songs. I wish he could read your comment. I can’t copy
I’ve listened to this song hundreds of times since it was first released and it never fails to bring a tear to my eye. So many of us can relate to its powerful, heartbreaking lyrics. And Janis’ voice never seems to age, it just mellows like fine wine. As someone who’s been around for seven decades and heard some great music, this song stands out as one of the best in my opinion.
"It was long ago and far away The world was younger than today" This is the song for which all ages join in a truce to remember our common pain of growing up.
My teenage years were a reflection of this song, and any self esteem that I strive for these days is crushed by the truth and accuracy of Janis' lyrics. So happy that my only daughter will soon be 18. Unless you are lucky and perfect, it's a shit time of life.
Whoa. The talk AND performance ... so real, pure, genuine. I live for moments like that. Definitely don't have to be a girl to relate and be completely slayed by this song. It affected this boy to the core back then, as now.
That was kinda me in high school. Well liked but not for dates. Never a prom date so I can relate. Didn't ruin me for life, I'm sure, but did effect my relationships. Amazing, insightful song, written and sung from the depths of the heart.
I am happy as an old fan in Japan that she mentioned my country and her singing sounds timeless. Thank her for many wonderful songs: Seventeen, Will you dance?, You are love, etc.
I was another very lucky person in this world when I met Janis Ian. She was a performer at the Philadelphia Folk Festival and I was the Executive Chef at the hotel where all the performers stayed. First day she came to me with a special request: "I would like to have dinner when I wake up and breakfast when I get ready to go to bed." Was I going to deny this fine lady anything? You bet not. At the end of the festival she came to me and left me with a memento of the occasion. .one of her earrings. Although I have never worn it, I look at it and remember the 'Good Old Days'.
I am 66 and I have loved this song ever since I first heard it many years ago. I am finally far enough in my guitar playing to learn it. I am thrilled. It is beautiful and stands alone without a band. Janis sounds as good as ever and her songs are poetry.
I'm a guy too. This song touched me to my core. I first heard this on a plane and could not stop looking out the window fearing someone would see me tearing up at the time. Perfect song, perfect time I miss so much. I hope Janis reads these comments as this song helped me through tough and lost times in my life at that time. Happily married now and stronger down deep for a song like this forever etched in my soul! Thanks Janis!
OMG, wow Janis is brilliance personified!!!! She sings this song every bit as great now, as she did many years ago. Very emotional tune, extremely special song🙏!
The most painful part of not being "beautiful people" is thinking everyone else is. Janis took that pain away with this amazing song. One of the best ever!
I´m 53 years old Spanish man, and this voice was so special for me far away. And now in Spanish: me encanta la voz, me maravilla la música de esta mujer que llenó de amor mi corazón cuando estaba enamorado, que aún me hace temblar cuando la oigo. Oigo sus acordes en unas y otras voces femeninas de hoy. Su música creo que será eterna. Salud, Felicidad y Amor.
She makes you cry for all those girls who were not born beautiful and lucky in the lottery of life, and the many boys who experienced the same anguish.
No one writes music like this anymore. She is truly one of a kind. She makes me feel sad that I never knew her. I wish I would have, she wouldn't have sat home alone if I had!
Mellie J Heard this song in High School and felt the pain she expressed. From then on, I danced with EVERY girl at the dances. EVERY girl. When I graduated, all 236 classmates signed my yearbook. God bless you. I bet you are a lovely woman now.
@Mellie Back then before women's movement took full force, the beauty queens really did do that --- marry young and then retire. Of course some divorced and had to go back to work !
@@kevinhallisey5201 that's awesome, Kevin. I saw a recent interview and she gave her email and said she answers them all, so I emailed her, and she emailed me back, you should do that too, tell her that story..
After so many years I hear this song again, my English was not so good in those days, now that I listen to this song again I can understand all its beauty. Thanks Janis for this lovely song
I was in high school when this song came out and still remember our science teacher telling one girl, "If you're not careful you're going to wind up like that girl in AT SEVENTEEN whom nobody wants."
This song is so haunting and beautiful.. I think I've listened to it 30 times today! Her voice sounds as beautiful today as it did 30 years ago!! Amazing!! Thank you for this video :)
I too with the always the new kid in the middle of the school year. But I became strong from that. And I remember hearing this song when I was 17, and it moved me tremendously.
Great song. Great lyrics. I remember hearing this song back in the seventies. As I got older in my teens, I felt the pain of the song. Truly I did. That's why I feel for these teenagers who take their lives because of the stress and the peer pressure of the social media put on them from their peers. This song touches many. We live in a world where it is demanded that you look a certain way just to fit in. And it shouldn't be that way.
On hearing this song for the first time, i sunk inside of myself and felt some deeply hidden pain. knowing i caused others pain in my lifetime, and received some too, i have to wonder why we inflect such pain.
Awesome rendition of her awesome song! Like today’s poet Amanda Gorman, Janis Ian is the embodiment of the colloquial saying about having “wisdom beyond her years.” Janis and I share the same birth year. I remember how moving this song and the even earlier, Society’s Child, were to me way back when. Wanted to be the 1000th commenter to echo our thanks to her.
Janis was (is) surely one of the best songwriters of our age. She captures feelings so expertly in seemingly simple words - that go straight to the heart of the matter. I bought this album when it was released and have never tired of it.
I remember hearing this wonderful lady...talented lady...sing this song on the Merve Griffin Show....there wasnt a dry eye...you couldve heard a pin drop....l remember thinking hey ya know what...us guys have issues much the same...l then realized this isnt a "chic song"...this is an anthem to us imperfect kids that grew up kind of lonely...thank you Janice...you were our voice and we will never forget it
What an inspiration she is! Who knew that writing about your angst as a teen would reach millions...BEFORE THE INTERNET. I was that awkward adolescent that didn't fit in. This song was a comfort for me.
Janis came out of the box an absolutely wonderful writer and performer and she has never lost her magic, only multiplied it over the years. She sounds the same now as her teenage years; the voice is fresh and hypnotic and unique. To that she has overlaid the wisdom of years and experience and become a deep and rich artist the world loves.
This song still touches me....I can relate to this, being a clumsy out of the click guy in high school who made good grades and spent most of my weekends at home playing board games with my out of the click friends....I was the ugly duckling and yes I grew into a swan.....Next week will be my high school reunion and I will be bringing my beautiful wife and my 3 handsome boys with me and people that didn't give me the time of day, will talk to me like we were best friends but you can see in there eyes that they know how things were.....I know it had to be a hard reality to learn that high school is so irrelevant.
Such a hauntingly beautiful song! Such a talent! This song still moves my heart and takes me back to those painful awkward days of 17.. Thank you Janis!
Janis, if you're reading this, I want you to know that this song touched me when I was 14 - and beyond. You're emotions are contagious and melifluous. It touches me in a meloncholy -but loving way! Thank you-Paul
This song came out when I was in highschool and while I was not an ugly duckling, I was a painfully shy teen because I was abused at home, which made for low self esteem. I would always cry when I heard this song and it still makes my heart ache. I am happy now and have had a good life so far. But the pain of teenage years will always be a memory I will probably never forget. Thanks so much for posting. She is so genuine and her voice sounds so good still. Wow!!
amazing, her voice is as beautiful and pure as it was when she first recorded this years ago. I was one of those girls she sang about. thanks for sharing this!!!
I was 30 years old when I first heard this song, and 45 years later and I still cry when I listen to it. Her introduction on this video was so heartfelt.
This song is so special. It will always be a classic. People no matter what your background can relate to this song. Janis Ian was a genious. So talented and a truely gifted spirit and soul. Thanks for the post.
Could identify with this song, and even at 76 still remember crushes on boys that never liked me. It changes so much after high school, but at 17 you really feel the pain. So sad now that some of these kids are so depressed they take their own lives. Janice hit home with this, and her voice is still beautiful.
Janis, A huge fan of yours from Day One...so thrilled you're still performing. The words of 'At Seventeen' are incredibly thought-provoking...very touching lyrics. I'm so teary-eyed. Thank you.
Janis Ian - AT SEVENTEEN - *** What an amazing woman ! Her voice is timeless! Listened to this in my teens & some! Like many of teens, I felt like she was singing about me! All these years later & she still sounds wonderful! She is such an amazing writer! Ty for sharing!
I was an introvert as a child as I was born with club feet and crossed eyes. While the kids as they called it back then "teased me",which is now called "bullying". I can identify with this song. I was also I was painfully timid. Now,I am a positive person who worked with the intellectual handicapped for 30 years. Now,I am a Caregiver/Companion. I love my job and clients . ....From Canada, thank you Janis Ian. God Bless you. 🙏🇨🇦🌈🦋🌟🌟❤🌹
I loved this song "At Seventeen" back in the 1960's & I love it now in 2018! The lyrics & melody are absolutely beautiful. It tells a story of how it was back then. Thank you Janis Ian for such a beautiful song.
Loved Janis's original version, but wow how good was that. This song says so much to so many people. The really good thing is that Janis has done so much more than just this song, yet has had this song to get us all to listen. She must be one of the most beautiful people ever put on earth.
was driving my wife home last week & listening to the local radio....all of sudden, she shouted....My God ! this song ! this song ! ...I sang it during college talentime.....wow that was 26 years ago....& now we are 17 all over again !
She's a saint for the sad, the forlorn, the rejected. I've always admired her from when she was a kid who wrote and performed "Society's Child." She always nailed it for the thoughtful, hurting person who felt a kinship with her sad songs of being an outcast. Bless you, Janis. And thank you. You made one's pain spread out across the universe and more bearable. That's quite a feat.
I was just 12 when this song came out. And I immediately identified with it. I was a chubby girl who was horribly picked on most of my life. It probably didn't help matters any that we moved every year. I attended a different school every year of both middle and high school. So I never made long term friends. Teenage life sucked. This is a beautiful song and to this day she sings it perfectly. Love her!
What a fine walk down memory lane. I had the pleasure to hear her at a college event in the 60's. Fantastic, gut-wrenching performance. I remember she played a Gibson 12-string guitar for this song. It was larger than she but matched her melodious voice. Never forget the day. I bought my own 1963 Gibson 12-string that summer, 1968, because of her performance. Thanks.
I know this video has been out there forever, but I have to say thank you again. When this song was released in 1975, I turned 17. I may be a guy, and have no idea of life as a beauty queen, but 17… well, this song takes me there.
i was 27 years old when i first heard this song. i am now 62. i like it just as much today as i did when i first heard it. never dreamed i would ever see live video, ahhhhh technology. and even more ahhhhhh janis.
Fantastic! Janis sounds just as wonderful as she did when she first introduced this heart touching song. She is still such a beautiful person! Thanks so much for sharing this great video!!
Has anyone else noticed how beautifully she has aged? I swear the song sounds even better sung by her at an older age. Beautiful voice still. Hauntingly evocative.
Yes. Beautiful writer, beautiful singer, beautiful person!
Yes she is beautiful and her voice is still the same as when I first heard her sing in my teenage years, so many many years ago now.
Yes, totally agree even better now
Saw her play this live in Adelaide South Australia in 1980. My personal view is that her voice as lost nothing, neither has her beauty. She was a knockout then, and she is a knockout now.
I'm a very old man now. This song still sends chills up my spine. Janis Ian is a genius.
Bless you Michael.
Please don't t think of yourself as very old.....Just vintage at your very best.😉
Janis has gotten better with age and so have you.
Peace and love.
I was 16 with 17 was released. That song cuts both ways; I wasn't on the football or hockey teams.
This may well be one of the best songs ever written.
Agree
I hear this song on tv back in the 70 's understanding how it goes at 60 I've made it through thank you too.
This is absolutely a beautifully written song! One of the greatest ever!
I'm not so sure that there is a girl out there who can't identify with this song. She has such an incredibly beautiful voice. I was born the same year as Janis Ian, and this song is still as meaningful today as it was years ago.
Really - no girl out there who couldn't identify with this? So there are no beautiful home coming queens, with golden hair and breasts like melons, who think they are invincible because of their beauty? Not completely trashed at 17 like me.
But yes, a fantastic song and singer!
That gives me chills to hear her talk about how so many people all over the world that knows your words, your song... WOW!
Bixby A song by Kool and the gang on TH-cam
What a gracious Lady !THANK YOU
I just watched her performance of this song from 1976
And like fine wine- it’s even better this time around
Gosh I love her ❤️
Exactly.
Wow, she still sounds absolutely beautiful and her performance is so moving. And she doesn't have to wear a skimpy outfit and dance like a stripper to get your attention. She just sings with her emotions and brings me to goosebumps.
I agree. The skimpy outfits and the whorish dancing are not needed if the song is true. Janis was my hero bc she captured how I felt at 15 with at 17. I love her to death. Thanks. Janis
It saddens me that Paul McCartney sounds like an old man when he sings, and that Frankie Valli will never hit his high notes again. So I was expecting to see a performance from a woman who probably would no longer sound like the songs I've listened to for over 40 years. Oh my goodness, was I wrong. The years have only been good to her artistry, giving her the experiences to be able to reach even further into our heart and soul, moving us to tears with the beauty, and sadness, of her songs. Thank you, Janis Ian for giving me the opportunity to watch your live performance.
Well, Paul McCartney is in his 70's now. He is an old man!
Then why doesn't he stop preforming? He's tarnishing his and the Beatles legacy. His performance on SNL was HORRIBLE. And I'm a HUGE Beatles fan. Never liked Wings though.
i thought the exact thing, and this is not the first person ive thought that about to be proven wrong. some seem to sound better with age.
It's unfair to EXPECT folk in their 70's to sound like they're in their 30's. Paul McCartney has EARNED the right to sing anywhere he wants on the earth. He's not trying to sell records. He likely does it out of love of music, love for his fans, and his long time fans just like to see him on stage. We only live once.
Leticia Gonzalez Venzor She is not the only one.Listen to Ann Wilson of HEART singing Crazy on You....
Her voice never ages. What a beautiful lady! :)
SHE WAS NEVER UGLY! NOT A BEAUTY QUEEN BUT FAR FROM UGLY!
Sincere feeling does not change with age, remains dormant, causing stirs deeper within, it resurfaces at some turns. A moving, melancholic feeling that has remained with me, words & music, for 50 years. Janis, is one of us, still vibrant, perceptive, caring. A generation of 🌟 stars so very bright.
@@PitiMiami Thank you Diana, and thank you Janis Ian. I can't help being moved to tears sometimes by this song and "In the Winter"
She was a tiny woman but powerful singing at Wow hall in Eugene OR.
The entire world relates to this song , and she still sounds amazing.
Okay, I'm crying now. I was in high school when this came out. A small, skinny, pimply-faced kid who couldn't find a date. Boy, did this song hit me.
You know what's funny? I thought Janis was really pretty. She didn't seem like an "ugly duckling" to me. And she is more beautiful now than ever. A beautiful, humble, talented woman.
Thank you Janis. You made an impact on this life. . .
Yep. I was the ugly girl no one wanted to date.
Probably still am. I was also in high school then.
You're correct, Janis is and was beautiful. I also learned the truth at 17...
@@AintNoFool no Janis, you're beautiful. Find your strength and you will shine. Appearance is transitory and superficial, it is the inner qualities that will be remembered.
Weren't we all, my darling Critical Path!
No Sara Taylor...I think you're beautiful!
Doing anything tonight?,,
There is a Club that I know, exclusive, but my brother is the bouncer!
No pressure?
I include this song in my English classes for junior high-aged kids. They hear it; they know it; they feel it. I believe they take some solace and wisdom from it. Thank you for writing a "universal."
Pure genius and pure beauty. Janis, you're no ugly duckling and never were. Thank you for this song. I've been listening to it and crying along to it for some 40 years now.
I am a 66 year old man and I am crying. Janis you touch the heart so well. Thank you so much.
She has more talent in one finger than all the present day divas put together, what a remarkable lady and a remarkable performance, I am old enough to remember it on release, man she sounds terrific..............
Thank you Janis.........
I am 22 now and I saw her play in a small town in Ohio when I had just turned 18. I had never heard her music but was content to go with my mother and aunt to see the show as I had nothing else to do. I was, to put it lightly, shook to my core. I cried openly during this song because as a short, awkward looking girl with glasses and chopped hair, I felt what she felt at that age. I knew nothing about this woman going into that music venue, but when she mentioned her marriage to her wife, I stood and applauded though much of the audience did not clap. She knew then, in her 60's, that love is for everybody and through her wisdom I learned that lesson too.
That is beautiful.
Love is a fearsome thing pays no find to the colour of your skin or your gender, oh love is a fearsome thing.
Good God she can still sing it with the intensity she did back in the 70s plus her voice is still so smooth and melodic - great live performance
this really was my life...never called for the team, no dates or boy-friends, no prom's, just feeling like the ugliest girl around....every aspect and word written in this song was so true! What a HIT!!~~~ She really knew me in this song!!
but Lady you look very nice
This song hit a note with me, a male. I was an "it kid" in school. It's never easy when your name is called at the end of choosing sides for gym class games.
But remember... YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL !! It's the heart that matters...
The beautiful songs like this really stir powerful ,melancholy and emotions in us and always bring tears to me .
Ditto- She nailed it for me.
My name was always called when choosing sides for basketball... yet I _still_ shed a tear every time I hear this song.
The lyrics, phrasing & chord structure are just flawless and combined in such a unique way. All that set over an almost eerie bossa nova rhythm. Her voice is so stunning, with a clarity and depth of emotion that stirs the soul. I will go to my grave believing this is one of the most perfect ballads ever written.
Thank you Janis Ian!
well said...
This song always makes me cry, even now at 57. I know the pain of never getting Valentines too. Or getting chosen for any sport. Such a personal song for so many, expressed so poignantly by Janis.
Agree
what. beautiful commented. First time i paid attention to the song. English is my second language.
My sons write songs. I wish he could read your comment. I can’t copy
As a 60year old man who bought this album and lent it to about 20 people ..Thanks Janis. Might be the best song ever written!! Thank you
The best and saddest lyrics I have ever heard
Still one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs ever written and performed . . . 40 years later, it still moves me.
Your voice still gives me chills after all these years. Just beautiful!
This song will always be timeless. God must of whispered it into her ear. What a sensitive soul:)
I’ve listened to this song hundreds of times since it was first released and it never fails to bring a tear to my eye. So many of us can relate to its powerful, heartbreaking lyrics. And Janis’ voice never seems to age, it just mellows like fine wine. As someone who’s been around for seven decades and heard some great music, this song stands out as one of the best in my opinion.
"It was long ago and far away The world was younger than today"
This is the song for which all ages join in a truce to remember our common pain of growing up.
hey I reckon where lucky to get this far - and attain wisdom along the way - just look after the body to keep ya going
My teenage years were a reflection of this song, and any self esteem that I strive for these days is crushed by the truth and accuracy of Janis' lyrics. So happy that my only daughter will soon be 18. Unless you are lucky and perfect, it's a shit time of life.
Whoa. The talk AND performance ... so real, pure, genuine. I live for moments like that.
Definitely don't have to be a girl to relate and be completely slayed by this song. It affected this boy to the core back then, as now.
That was kinda me in high school. Well liked but not for dates. Never a prom date so I can relate. Didn't ruin me for life, I'm sure, but did effect my relationships. Amazing, insightful song, written and sung from the depths of the heart.
100% agree with you , could not have put it better myself. Absolute class Janice
ooops Janis......dohhhh
@@roberthustus6442 am in your position now, not disliked but never liked romantically
I am happy as an old fan in Japan that she mentioned my country and her singing sounds timeless. Thank her for many wonderful songs: Seventeen, Will you dance?, You are love, etc.
I was another very lucky person in this world when I met Janis Ian. She was a performer at the Philadelphia Folk Festival and I was the Executive Chef at the hotel where all the performers stayed. First day she came to me with a special request: "I would like to have dinner when I wake up and breakfast when I get ready to go to bed." Was I going to deny this fine lady anything? You bet not. At the end of the festival she came to me and left me with a memento of the occasion. .one of her earrings. Although I have never worn it, I look at it and remember the 'Good Old Days'.
Love the lyrics.
Cool story...
Nice!
I am 66 and I have loved this song ever since I first heard it many years ago. I am finally far enough in my guitar playing to learn it. I am thrilled. It is beautiful and stands alone without a band. Janis sounds as good as ever and her songs are poetry.
I'm a guy too. This song touched me to my core. I first heard this on a plane and could not stop looking out the window fearing someone would see me tearing up at the time. Perfect song, perfect time I miss so much. I hope Janis reads these comments as this song helped me through tough and lost times in my life at that time. Happily married now and stronger down deep for a song like this forever etched in my soul! Thanks Janis!
OMG, wow Janis is brilliance personified!!!! She sings this song every bit as great now, as she did many years ago. Very emotional tune, extremely special song🙏!
A gift from God above to write an absolute classic song that touches the heart of anyone who will admit they have one. 💕❤️🌹
The most painful part of not being "beautiful people" is thinking everyone else is. Janis took that pain away with this amazing song. One of the best ever!
I´m 53 years old Spanish man, and this voice was so special for me far away. And now in Spanish: me encanta la voz, me maravilla la música de esta mujer que llenó de amor mi corazón cuando estaba enamorado, que aún me hace temblar cuando la oigo.
Oigo sus acordes en unas y otras voces femeninas de hoy.
Su música creo que será eterna.
Salud, Felicidad y Amor.
She makes you cry for all those girls who were not born beautiful and lucky in the lottery of life, and the many boys who experienced the same anguish.
The older the fiddle the sweeter the tune. This is the finest version of countless versions I have heard down the years. Thanks.
Her voice is just as beautiful now as it was 40 years ago. I still get teary eyed when I hear it. Thanks for posting.
In 76, I was a 16 yes old AA male with a severe acne problem, oh how I related to this song.
No one writes music like this anymore. She is truly one of a kind. She makes me feel sad that I never knew her. I wish I would have, she wouldn't have sat home alone if I had!
"high school girls with clear skin smiles..who married young and then retired" (tear rolls)
Mellie J Heard this song in High School and felt the pain she expressed. From then on, I danced with EVERY girl at the dances. EVERY girl. When I graduated, all 236 classmates signed my yearbook. God bless you. I bet you are a lovely woman now.
@Mellie Back then before women's movement took full force, the beauty queens really did do that --- marry young and then retire. Of course some divorced and had to go back to work !
Me too 😢
@@kevinhallisey5201 that's awesome, Kevin. I saw a recent interview and she gave her email and said she answers them all, so I emailed her, and she emailed me back, you should do that too, tell her that story..
Vinnie, I will email her.
After so many years I hear this song again, my English was not so good in those days, now that I listen to this song again I can understand all its beauty. Thanks Janis for this lovely song
A voice like honey, a song like a Summer breeze... there's no better.
One of the most beautiful songs ever written and sung. Thank you 👏
This song came out when I was 17. Tears every time. It hits men too.
I was in high school when this song came out and still remember our science teacher telling one girl, "If you're not careful you're going to wind up like that girl in AT SEVENTEEN whom nobody wants."
This song is so haunting and beautiful.. I think I've listened to it 30 times today!
Her voice sounds as beautiful today as it did 30 years ago!! Amazing!!
Thank you for this video :)
I too with the always the new kid in the middle of the school year. But I became strong from that. And I remember hearing this song when I was 17, and it moved me tremendously.
Her voice is still very good. Clear, colorful. She's pretty awesome to this day.
Great song. Great lyrics. I remember hearing this song back in the seventies. As I got older in my teens, I felt the pain of the song. Truly I did. That's why I feel for these teenagers who take their lives because of the stress and the peer pressure of the social media put on them from their peers. This song touches many. We live in a world where it is demanded that you look a certain way just to fit in. And it shouldn't be that way.
Agree
The lyric runs deep into every girls' vulnerable heart and she sings painfully beautiful.
Her singing brings tears every time even after 50 years.
Even as a guy I know this too. God bless you for such a beautiful, tender song and performance.
I'm thrilled to see Janis Ian singing this wonderful song in her Wisdom Years. Go Janis!
a profound song that i just dont tire from
Poet Mountain The heart and love of feelings of a beautiful woman
Love this song. This is me
This song still touches my heart!
Without a doubt, totally amazing and clever lyrics with such a powerful message of teenage years. Classic.
On hearing this song for the first time, i sunk inside of myself and felt some deeply hidden pain. knowing i caused others pain in my lifetime, and received some too, i have to wonder why we inflect such pain.
Awesome rendition of her awesome song! Like today’s poet Amanda Gorman, Janis Ian is the embodiment of the colloquial saying about having “wisdom beyond her years.” Janis and I share the same birth year. I remember how moving this song and the even earlier, Society’s Child, were to me way back when. Wanted to be the 1000th commenter to echo our thanks to her.
Janis was (is) surely one of the best songwriters of our age. She captures feelings so expertly in seemingly simple words - that go straight to the heart of the matter. I bought this album when it was released and have never tired of it.
I remember hearing this wonderful lady...talented lady...sing this song on the Merve Griffin Show....there wasnt a dry eye...you couldve heard a pin drop....l remember thinking hey ya know what...us guys have issues much the same...l then realized this isnt a "chic song"...this is an anthem to us imperfect kids that grew up kind of lonely...thank you Janice...you were our voice and we will never forget it
What an inspiration she is! Who knew that writing about your angst as a teen would reach millions...BEFORE THE INTERNET.
I was that awkward adolescent that didn't fit in. This song was a comfort for me.
Janis came out of the box an absolutely wonderful writer and performer and she has never lost her magic, only multiplied it over the years. She sounds the same now as her teenage years; the voice is fresh and hypnotic and unique. To that she has overlaid the wisdom of years and experience and become a deep and rich artist the world loves.
This song still touches me....I can relate to this, being a clumsy out of the click guy in high school who made good grades and spent most of my weekends at home playing board games with my out of the click friends....I was the ugly duckling and yes I grew into a swan.....Next week will be my high school reunion and I will be bringing my beautiful wife and my 3 handsome boys with me and people that didn't give me the time of day, will talk to me like we were best friends but you can see in there eyes that they know how things were.....I know it had to be a hard reality to learn that high school is so irrelevant.
I hope you had a good time. I never want to see those assholes again, and I am sure they are still that way at 65
Imagine since 1976 til this time, the voice never changed, so inspiring. Thanks so much for posting!
I BET SHE IS BEAUTIFUL ON THE INSIDE TOO!
Such a hauntingly beautiful song! Such a talent! This song still moves my heart and takes me back to those painful awkward days of 17.. Thank you Janis!
She can still nail it down as good as she did back when the world was younger than today,,,,
Janis, if you're reading this, I want you to know that this song touched me when I was 14 - and beyond. You're emotions are contagious and melifluous. It touches me in a meloncholy -but loving way! Thank you-Paul
This song came out when I was in highschool and while I was not an ugly duckling, I was a painfully shy teen because I was abused at home, which made for low self esteem. I would always cry when I heard this song and it still makes my heart ache. I am happy now and have had a good life so far. But the pain of teenage years will always be a memory I will probably never forget. Thanks so much for posting. She is so genuine and her voice sounds so good still. Wow!!
amazing, her voice is as beautiful and pure as it was when she first recorded this years ago. I was one of those girls she sang about. thanks for sharing this!!!
I was 30 years old when I first heard this song, and 45 years later and I still cry when I listen to it. Her introduction on this video was so heartfelt.
What a glas-clear voice! After so many years! Wow!
I am dedicating this whole evening to watching every video I can on this beautifully written and performed song.
I felt she was singing about my life "At Seventeen" I'm no longer the ugly duckling. Awesome Janis!!!
This song is so special. It will always be a classic. People no matter what your background can relate to this song. Janis Ian was a genious. So talented and a truely gifted spirit and soul. Thanks for the post.
Could identify with this song, and even at 76 still remember crushes on boys that never liked me. It changes so much after high school, but at 17 you really feel the pain. So sad now that some of these kids are so depressed they take their own lives. Janice hit home with this, and her voice is still beautiful.
This song is one of my favorites, and miracle row is one of the most under-appreciated albums of all time. janis is a world treasure.
... inventing lovers on the phone... thanks Janis for his beautiful song!
Janis, A huge fan of yours from Day One...so thrilled you're still performing. The words of 'At Seventeen' are incredibly thought-provoking...very touching lyrics. I'm so teary-eyed. Thank you.
Sums up perfectly...being 17. Beautiful song.
Janis Ian - AT SEVENTEEN - *** What an amazing woman ! Her voice is timeless! Listened to this in my teens & some! Like many of teens, I felt like she was singing about me! All these years later & she still sounds wonderful! She is such an amazing writer! Ty for sharing!
Love this song
Ty for the likes & comments : :D
Mattie Webb
Yui Sung
Barb Wilcox
Such a beautiful song...really didn't like it 40 years ago. It's a wonder now. Thanks Janis...I finally caught up!
still aint too late, Love this song and Janis!
damn it took u 40 years u must have smoked a lot of pot daily 2 realise it now that u are 24 /7 super duper ugly, free at last lockwpa free at last
I was an introvert as a child as I was born with club feet and crossed eyes. While the kids as they called it back then "teased me",which is now called "bullying". I can identify with this song. I was also I was painfully timid.
Now,I am a positive person who worked with the intellectual handicapped for 30 years. Now,I am a Caregiver/Companion. I love my job and clients .
....From Canada, thank you Janis Ian. God Bless you.
🙏🇨🇦🌈🦋🌟🌟❤🌹
Love your comment Kim.
I loved this song "At Seventeen" back in the 1960's & I love it now in 2018! The lyrics & melody are absolutely beautiful. It tells a story of how it was back then. Thank you Janis Ian for such a beautiful song.
Came out in 1975 😊
this song hits a nerve within me all the time, i love this song reminds me of my youth
114 dislikes. Wow, what did you ever do that still resonates 50 years later as much as this legendary song and artist?
Loved Janis's original version, but wow how good was that. This song says so much to so many people. The really good thing is that Janis has done so much more than just this song, yet has had this song to get us all to listen. She must be one of the most beautiful people ever put on earth.
wow, after all these years she still sounds just as good as she did! bravo!
OMG SHE STILL SOUNDS AS IF SHE NEVER AGED BEAUTIFUL SONG FOR A BEAUTIFUL SOUL. AT 17 I TOO LEARNED THE TRUTH
Beautiful - inside and out. Thank you Janis Ian.
She still has her beautiful voice and still looks absolutely fabulous! Wow!!
was driving my wife home last week & listening to the local radio....all of sudden, she shouted....My God ! this song ! this song ! ...I sang it during college talentime.....wow that was 26 years ago....& now we are 17 all over again !
She's a saint for the sad, the forlorn, the rejected. I've always admired her from when she was a kid who wrote and performed "Society's Child." She always nailed it for the thoughtful, hurting person who felt a kinship with her sad songs of being an outcast. Bless you, Janis. And thank you. You made one's pain spread out across the universe and more bearable. That's quite a feat.
Thank you. Now can I take a dump?
I was just 12 when this song came out. And I immediately identified with it. I was a chubby girl who was horribly picked on most of my life. It probably didn't help matters any that we moved every year. I attended a different school every year of both middle and high school. So I never made long term friends. Teenage life sucked. This is a beautiful song and to this day she sings it perfectly. Love her!
What a fine walk down memory lane. I had the pleasure to hear her at a college event in the 60's. Fantastic, gut-wrenching performance. I remember she played a Gibson 12-string guitar for this song. It was larger than she but matched her melodious voice. Never forget the day. I bought my own 1963 Gibson 12-string that summer, 1968, because of her performance. Thanks.
Greatest song ever written....PERIOD!!
Janis, that song was one of the reasons the 70s were the best time to live in...and this performance took me right back there, like we never left!
Still beautiful 40 years on... and the song is pretty good too. :)
My early life's reflection of this song still crushes any self esteem that I strive for. Janis Ian summed it up perfectly.
I know this video has been out there forever, but I have to say thank you again.
When this song was released in 1975, I turned 17. I may be a guy, and have no idea of life as a beauty queen, but 17… well, this song takes me there.
It's 2019, this song first came came out in 1976, when I was 20, and it's message still holds true. A truly timeless song and message.
From the days when music was beautiful, meaningful, elegant, artistic, spontaneous, natural... When music was...MUSIC!!
And now it;s not.Too bad she sounds like a flaming lib.
Stfu rose tinted glasses delusional fool. Go fucking explore man theres more music now than there ever has been
i was 27 years old when i first heard this song. i am now 62. i like it just as much today as i did when i first heard it. never dreamed i would ever see live video, ahhhhh technology. and even more ahhhhhh janis.
Fantastic! Janis sounds just as wonderful as she did when she first introduced this heart touching song. She is still such a beautiful person! Thanks so much for sharing this great video!!