It's not in isolation - we're constantly surrounded by media and people telling us what is/isn't attractive, and what we need to change and ourselves to fit in/get a guy, etc, etc. Far too many of us are told or made to feel (both explicitly and implicitly) that we're ugly, when in reality - like Janis - most of us aren't.
That’s such a timeless incredible song .. & she sounds so great . I’m excited to have found this. holy smokes and of course Tommy .. master , could listen to all day .
OMG I had tears in my eyes within 10 seconds of Janis starting the verse ... I can't even see to type Tommy is awesome ... I saw him many times around the traps in Melbourne in the 70s & 80s But Janis has not lost her touch AT ALL ... I was 20 when this song was a hit and it touched me then ... I'm 68 now and it still touches me, it is still 100% relevant!!! LOVE YOU BOTH!!❤❤❤❤❤❤
At Seventeen ... I love this song! I teach this in my English 9 class as a poem at first and my students love it! Then I play the song and they love it even more1
I watched her 1976 version and then this one. Both are just beautiful - her voice is so sweet when she was younger, but this version is sung by a woman who is not only sure of herself but sings with a wisdom, a smile, and a twinkle in her eye as she recalls her 17 year old self. Loving it :)
This song gets me every time. Takes me back to days I could relate. I just saw Janis on her Final Tour performance. I was grateful to see her again and was not disappointed. I saw her once before in 1975 and have followed her since. Just finished her autobiography and love her even more. You can't get anymore real. Thank you Janis for sharing yourself and your beautiful music❤
Two of the BEST guitar teams I've heard! Both Janis & Tommy play the guitar SO clean! Their playing danced together. ♥️🎶🎶🎶 I'm SO happy I ran into this by pure accident this morning. I have forgotten what real beautiful guitar music sounds like together. But then again, as for musicians, Janis is the Best of the Best, and I've just found another guitarist who sits right up there with her. Thank you for starting off my Monday beautifully. ♥️
Janis is pure GENIUS! Tommy makes a beautiful accomplishment for her. Wish they'd go on the road and come to Canada. Maybe to *39 Days in July in DUNCAN BC.* LONG JOHN COULD HOST. I'D MAKE DINNER FOR EVERYONE!!
I recall Janis playing this in 76, she is as beautiful now as she was then. this was my younger sister's fav song as she said she could relate to it so well. she asked me to learn to play it for her. I cried so much cause to me, my sister was never ugly and it hurt to know she felt that way about herself.
Janis Ian & Tommy Emmanuel are an amazing musical couple who gel together so well. May they become musically married. Janis you are certainly no ugly duckling you are beautiful!
I'm so grateful to those who post special appearances such as this on UA-cam. I've followed Janis Ian's career since Society's Child, in the 60's. Her "Between the Lines" album in the early 70's was/is one of my favorite vinyl albums. What a treasure. Thanks!
45 year this year this song that voice still stops me dead in my tracks . Janis Ian is the reality of grace , and genus . She more magician than musician . Truly a national treasure .
She sounds the same! This song always made me cry. WHY do kids have to be so mean? I taught my sons the golden rule and they always acted like gentlemen.
I love this version. It is warm and content ( if you get my drift) almost upbeat. The other older live versions are a sad lament for a lonely girl. Very melancholy. This version reflects a life well lived. That 17 year old is but a thread in the tapestry of her existence. The pain was there but it was only a small part in a lifetime of experience. The singer now looks back with affection to her 17 year old self, not pity. 'Inventing lovers on the phone' silly girl! You will have lovers , ones that will raise you and break you and give you more pain from their absence than their nonexistence. And being that outcast gave strength and reason. Those home coming queens that married young and then retired... To a life of manufactured servitude, the role has to be filled. The "bliss" of marriage that consumerism paints with advertisements of Xmas mornings , picket fences and perfect sponge cake. That lonely girl goes on to realise that the popular girls have a predetermined destiny, and now she smiles at that 17 year olds naivety. At that vague envy she harboured for the well monied. That's how I feel about this version anyway, it makes me smile.
Wow! Well said. I was 12 when this song came out. I was writing lots of poetry, learning archery & riding motorcycles in B.C. When I wasn't sitting atop my garage roof looking up at the star filled sky - out there in the middle of nowhere. Wondering if UFO abductions were real & if so how an alien abduction might not be such a bad idea. T uning into my transistor radio, broadcasting music as far away as down East (Ontario). Loneliness was real and missing my old friends was heart-breaking. They lived 425 miles away - in my old hometown. Too far to walk. My Mom had remarriedba very strange man. I found the new place lacked warmth. The kids were mean, cold, and generally lacking in too many ways to count. The kids were all using and selling drugs. I'd never seen a drug. Rural BC is no place for an Alberta prairie girl. I was the outcast, bullied by small town kids. One even kicked my crutches out from under me when I. I had broken was hopping around the new town wondering why on Earth my Mom married this guy. Heartbroken 💔 missing my old life in Calgary and wondering if a 12 year old on crutches could safely hitchhike away. Gladys Howard ( the Wasa Lake bully challenged me to a fight) and then pushed me right into a snow bank. My crutches went flying, I snapped at her & warned her if she ever laid a hand on me again, I'd kill her. She stayed the hell away from me. Thankfully, the school buses went on strike and parents in our area had to take turns driving each other's kids 15 miles into town (Kimberley). I met my new best friend Kimberley because of the school bus strike. My stepdad knew her folks. Her Mom drove me & my brother to town. Her Mom looked like a gorgeous movie star & my brother being an adolescent (@ 14) could hardly breathe around her. You could literally see his heart pounding out of his chest when he was in her company 😅! I thought it hilariious. Everybody noticed the strange phenomenon including her when she once posed with him for a picture under a Tamarack tree in our back yard. My Mom was snapping photos of all us kids & somehow he got a hug from Sharon. She could feel his pour little heart pounding & pointed it out, much to his disconcernation. He got pretty red faced ❤ then she did also! We all got a pretty good laugh. She had two sons that hadn't hit puberty yet & she hadn't had such a reaction from a boy of fourteen in a long time. She was about 35, married with 3 kids. We all lived on our acreages in the little hamlet of TaTa Creek, approximately five miles away from each other. A lot of the time was isolated, like COVID, but without COVID. I was still suffering the loneliness of missing my Calgary friends and singing lots of Kristofferson sons. Especially, Me & Bobby Magee. Janis Joplin & Kris on an 8-track in the car. I wondered if truckers were nice & I could actually stick out my thumb and run away. Not until my leg healed, I reasoned. Maybe then. Soon enough I settled in, the school bus strike ended. I got on the bus & sat with Kim. She like me was from Alberta - another foreign outcast stuck in a strange neighborhood. She'd been there longer than me, though, and had Wasa Lake friends. She & her family skiied Kimberley's North Star Mountain. Me, I was out cross country skiing in my back yard of 7 acres & using the adjacent Crown land (2000 square miles of it) for kid's adventures. Skidoos & skis in winter. Motorcycles in summer. Me and my brother worked for our Step-Dad in his escvation business. My Mother insisted he pay "man's wages" for a man's job, so I was making $4.25 an hour at age 13. Paid for motorcycles ( I had 2 dirt;bikes ) & parts, skis, archery equipment & occasional flights back to Calgary to visit my Grandmother & my friends. This place was going to be okay after all. Kim and I got closer sharing our Alberta past and our love of schooling - reading (literacy), drawing art (charcoals) short story writing, poetry. We were both considered eggheads by most of the kids there. They were three years behind Alberta in their schooling. The Kootenays - the place that time forgot, they called it "God's country" and education wasn't much of a priority. Resources Industries, pulp mills, farming, mining, small businesses. Good paying Union wage jobs that Grade 10 was good enough to secure. Higher academia was frowned on there. The school system pushed out blue collar type kids and the school curriculum was for the learning- challenged only. Boredom was the greatest challenge to Alberta kids who new what academic matriculation meant. I wanted to become a Doctor like my Grandmother in Hungary ( my real Dad's Mom -she worked until age 82 and lived into her 90's - a fascinating woman who spoke 14 languages). At 13, I fretted how far behind I was falling in my academic studies & commiserated to myself that my career dreams were slipping away. I heard about University entrance exams at University of Calgary. I would never pass now. I had been dumbed down just like the kids here. The cool kids here. Me & Kim, the "not so cool kids"... struggling. I sang Joni Mitchell songs like " River " when I skated on the too-short TaTa Creek. I heard she skated the Rideau Canal. My river (the Colombia and Kootenay) were in Banff National Park two hours east of here. Truckers drove through daily. Maybe I could hitch a ride there, go skating on a real river, hitchhike back before nightfall. Nobody would know. Except the lonely trucker belting out BOBBY MAGEE (about a place called Baton Rouge) with me! Or if there was a lady trucker who picked me up - weeping over that "River" song. I'd never once seen a lady trucker - I wondered why not. Or a lady mechanic, either! There were no careers for women in a rural community. Kim grew up to make minimum wage at Bunsmaster Bakery. I scoffed at that idea and I left home at 15 - returned to Calgary, got a job, paid room & board, went to summer school, day school, night school. Crammed my Grade 12 in and graduated early. At 17, I was finally sick of school. But I managed to graduate high school. With an academic award, just no $. I owed $. The school board found out my Mom didn't pay taxes in Alberta since 1974 & hit her with a $425 per month bill for my Grade 10-12 years. I'd won an academic award, graduated early, (couldn't afford to even go to my graduation ceremony - which would cost $50 I didn't have), and now my Mom suddenly owed $1000's. Well, I thought, I'll just go get a job then. But "Houston we have a problem"! The oil patch wouldn't hire anybody under 18. I was 3 months shy of my 18th birthday. Crap! I had to move to Red Deer in 1979 and wait. My sister had left my brother-in-law with a 2 year old girl -:(she had run off with a trucker )& he was working at Swan Hills camp. Flying there, somewhere. 3 weeks in & 1 week out. He needed a free babysitter - I needed a place to live until February 20, 1980. Deal! I had one box of record albums,some books, some clothes & 1 dresser. He picked me up in Calgary that day. He left for camp the next day. Me & my niece settled in for a 3 week visit. She didn't really know me, she was pissed off at her Mom, and Dad. I didn't even know my sister was unhappy with Gary. Or that they were having marital problems. That she planned to leave & did?! My niece cast a wary eye at me every single day and went about her childhood. Playing with toys - generally making a mess Changing her clothes 15 times a day and leaving clothes anywhere & everywhere. Just being a kid. Me doing her laundry, cleaning the house and trying desperately to organize her room, separating out her clothes from her toys. Cooking her favourite soups and baked goods. Killing time. She took afternoon naps in her Dad's big bed. In fact, she sneaked in there at night times too! Going through his things. It led to a very scary incident one day. I thought she was napping in her own room. But she was missing Daddy & was in his room. I was watching TV way down the hall & got a weird gut feeling. Went to check on her. She wasn't in her room. His door was closed. I opened the door to find the curtains on fire, leaping up the wall to the ceiling! With Renee frozen standing on the bed leaning against the wall- looking at the fire in horror. But frozen. I just leaped in & grabbed her. Threw her out into the hall away from the 🔥🚒. Ran to the kitchen for a pot of water. There was no fire extinguisher and no smoke detectors in the basement suite. It was winter, roads bad, 6 feet of snow. Calling 9-11 wasn't even an option. The house would be gone before 🚒 could arrive. I just ran up and down the hall from the kitchen to the bedroom - back and forth pot after pot of water. Renee went to the living room by the front door.I knew about back draft enough not to open the door and fan the flames. I just kept the bedroom door closed. The curtains & carpet were both on fire. The carpet literally melted into the cement floor. I ran back & forth like I was on Canada's Olympic sprint team, determined to put out that damn fire. Finally it was out, I kept the door closed and thought where the hell did she find matches in there?! She was in shock and shuddering at what she had witnessed. She was two years old. I checked the gutted room while she calmed down. I found the culprit offending tool lying there. Gary's gas lighter. She had found it in his jeans pocket & mistakenly put the curtains! We could have both been curtains! Jesus, Gary was going to be pissed off tomorrow when he got home to see his bedroom, or what was left of it! I had no phone number to reach him - to give him a heads up. Who knew where my sister was. Probably Ontario or in the states by now! I wasn't going to call my Mom in Kimberley either! She'd just give me shit!
Stunning pergormance. I Love her Love her voice ❤️ She says it all how I felt at 17. This song is Gold n her voice soo beautiful n soulful. Love this with Tommy xx🥰🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Utter bliss. Janis has carried the song through her life, taken care of it for the gem that it is and still pulls at memories. And Mr Emmanuel is out on his own. Superb.
Janis and I are exactly the same age; I remember how much I love "Society's Child" as a high school student, and nearly a decade later I fell in love with her magnificent LP "Between the Lines," which contains a collection of beautiful songs of which every one is a winner. Thank you for this.
I agree Peter - every stinkin' song on the Between The Lines album was a pearl in the ocean...a collection of little masterpieces. Still in my Top 10 favorite albums of all time. Have seen her live twice. I don't know why I bothered to put on eyeliner -...I wept thru it all. She just kills me.
What a performance - Janis Ian her most beautifully understated as always and Tommy a lesson in sympathetic accompaniment. He graces the performance as if with angels' wings.
Loved the 70's esp because of great music like this. Times now are soooo complicated with all the crap in life, but listengin to Janis makes it much , much more enjoyable. Thanks for this..
I don't know exactly which part of this great video I love most: the beauty of the music (At Seventeen has been a favorite of mine since I was a little guy not getting picked for basketball), the interplay between you and Tommy when you're calling out the song structure while he's soloing, or the absolute joy the two of you obviously had while playing! Thank you so much for posting!! The beauty of this brought a tear to my eye. Thanks, Janis! Thanks, Tommy!
Well said. I struggled trying to focus on the totality of this performance as I was drawn into Janis’s beautiful voice and personal grace while returning to the magic of Tommy’s accompanying skill. If only we could all age like these two.
No musician has more control and mastery of his instrument than Tommy Emmanuel. Always a pleasure to hear him demonstrate that. Ian is his equal in her own right. A great combination here.
Wow! This song hits hard. I remember feeling like this in high school. It was heartbreaking. What a beautiful, relatable song. Glad I found it... them. Theyre wonderful.
Janice looks utterly amazing amd her voice is still perfect. This song and many others of hers held me up during many dark years. Now they bring a smile to my face knowing that I survived a lot in my life. I loved Tommy's playing.
Late to the party. Both of these artists are beautiful people and enormously talented. What a pleasure to hear two beautiful songs by these folks. Outstanding!
Que dulce es esta mujer...la amo y este tema me llego tan al alma en mi adolescencia que la letra la hizo para mi.es lo que vivi de joven.bravo Janis!!!!❤
Just found this beauty this morng, I am a fan of both players and seen them live several times. It would have been wonderfull to have been there to see it in person but still loved watching this. We met Janis several times after her shows and she was simply a warm and gracious person.
It amazes me how critical of themselves young women are, you were and still are quite lovely.
It's not in isolation - we're constantly surrounded by media and people telling us what is/isn't attractive, and what we need to change and ourselves to fit in/get a guy, etc, etc. Far too many of us are told or made to feel (both explicitly and implicitly) that we're ugly, when in reality - like Janis - most of us aren't.
amazes?? for being human and having doubts?? it amazes me people would be critical of those who have self doubt
It's lovely to see Janis Ian fully comfortable with herself, her instrument, and her guitar. She looks happy!. Really delightful!
I'm 62. I waited a while for Janis to catch up to me. She's awesome! Before and now!
I'm crying because I'm drinking and you can still do it at our age.
Put that drink down, Richard. Just listen to music instead.
I'm so glad Janis met Tommy Emmanuel! She is gold and he is a diamond. The sparkle together.
Well said!
Oh my this is pure gold
That’s such a timeless incredible song .. & she sounds so great . I’m excited to have found this. holy smokes
and of course Tommy .. master , could listen to all day .
OMG I had tears in my eyes within 10 seconds of Janis starting the verse ... I can't even see to type
Tommy is awesome ... I saw him many times around the traps in Melbourne in the 70s & 80s
But Janis has not lost her touch AT ALL ...
I was 20 when this song was a hit and it touched me then ... I'm 68 now and it still touches me, it is still 100% relevant!!!
LOVE YOU BOTH!!❤❤❤❤❤❤
The best of both!!❤❤
At Seventeen ... I love this song! I teach this in my English 9 class as a poem at first and my students love it! Then I play the song and they love it even more1
Please, teach them what I have learned between then and now. Teach them it is those that judge on the superficial are the ones that are truely ugly.
How long does this unit take to teach?
@@flinthillsdad me, it took a couple decades buuuuuut I'm a little thick when it comes to human nature.
@@LambentLark "... _truly_ ..."
@@manofiske3318 About being thick or superficial fools? 🙃
Thanks Janis...you saved me in my teen years...
Very few can maintain their voices for half a century. She and Judy Collins are among only a handful.
absolutely true!!!!
A true icon ❤
I watched her 1976 version and then this one. Both are just beautiful - her voice is so sweet when she was younger, but this version is sung by a woman who is not only sure of herself but sings with a wisdom, a smile, and a twinkle in her eye as she recalls her 17 year old self. Loving it :)
AT17私の大好きな曲です😘中学の頃に日本のTV dramaでバックで使われていました。どうしてもこの曲が知りたくてTV局に手紙を書いてましたが、誰の曲かも分からず十数年たった時に偶然radioから流れて涙が出ました。聞いていた当時の自分が蘇り、ポロポロと泣いてました。メロディーといい、声といい、ギターの音色といい、大好きです❤️
やっと出逢えた時の、貴方の嬉しさ懐かしさ✨を想像して私もホロっときました💕良かったですね。
This song gets me every time. Takes me back to days I could relate. I just saw Janis on her Final Tour performance. I was grateful to see her again and was not disappointed. I saw her once before in 1975 and have followed her since. Just finished her autobiography and love her even more. You can't get anymore real. Thank you Janis for sharing yourself and your beautiful music❤
It seemed time stands still when you hear her sing it AT 17 ♥️
I saw her in concert in Ottawa when she was promoting her "Between The Lines" album, in 1975 IIRC.
I'm 62 and missed all her concerts. I was too busy working. Thank God for UA-cam!! Thank God for Janis!❤
Tommy is simply the best of the best. Wish he was only 40 so we'd have him around for a LOT more years to come.
I want to see and hear this forever.what a collaboration! Am in tears, so fab.!
A perfect song and and master musician ….and a beautiful performance…..this made my day. Thank you 🙏
Well said. A master!
A wonderful artist!!!!!!!!!!
Two of the BEST guitar teams I've heard! Both Janis & Tommy play the guitar SO clean! Their playing danced together. ♥️🎶🎶🎶
I'm SO happy I ran into this by pure accident this morning. I have forgotten what real beautiful guitar music sounds like together. But then again, as for musicians, Janis is the Best of the Best, and I've just found another guitarist who sits right up there with her.
Thank you for starting off my Monday beautifully. ♥️
Janis is pure GENIUS! Tommy makes a beautiful accomplishment for her. Wish they'd go on the road and come to Canada. Maybe to *39 Days in July in DUNCAN BC.* LONG JOHN COULD HOST. I'D MAKE DINNER FOR EVERYONE!!
I recall Janis playing this in 76, she is as beautiful now as she was then. this was my younger sister's fav song as she said she could relate to it so well. she asked me to learn to play it for her. I cried so much cause to me, my sister was never ugly and it hurt to know she felt that way about herself.
I was pregnant at the age of 17….in 1971. This song is so beautiful…still. Bought the album…the tape…the CD….& still on my favorite playlist! 💓
@@juliedeyoung6158 ❤️
I don’t know how you don’t cry every time..man…
@@mikedubs9940 ❤️🙏
Wow that brings me to tears 😥
二十歳の頃、ジャニスの曲に癒やされていました。tank youジャニス🎉💕
Janis Ian & Tommy Emmanuel are an amazing musical couple who gel together so well. May they become musically married. Janis you are certainly no ugly duckling you are beautiful!
Janis, the years have gone so fast and yet you had no idea I took you everywhere with me. You still have the magic voice.
Just fabulous, Tommy's playing added beautifully to the song. Been a Janis fan for 40 years and still listen to her music
That's so freaking gorgeous. They have so much respect for each other and so gracious...love them.
I'm so grateful to those who post special appearances such as this on UA-cam. I've followed Janis Ian's career since Society's Child, in the 60's. Her "Between the Lines" album in the early 70's was/is one of my favorite vinyl albums. What a treasure. Thanks!
Luv u then & i luv u still Janis❗❗😘😘😘❤️❤️❤️
45 year this year this song that voice still stops me dead in my tracks . Janis Ian is the reality of grace , and genus . She more magician than musician . Truly a national treasure .
Thank you, Janis Ian, for sharing this with the world. Love you!
Tommy`s Solo?? Simply World Class!!!!!! A great song performed perfectly! x
She sounds the same! This song always made me cry. WHY do kids have to be so mean? I taught my sons the golden rule and they always acted like gentlemen.
This is delightful! I met Janis year at Caffe Lena, such a treat.
how do you miss these gems
AMO ESTA CANCIÓN,,,, ME HA ACOMPAÑADO DESDE MI ADOLESCENCIA,,, 17 AÑOS
AHORA TENGO 67 AÑOS Y LA SIGO ADORANDO,,,, MI CANCIÓN FAVORITA,,,,, ❤😢❤
I love this version. It is warm and content ( if you get my drift) almost upbeat.
The other older live versions are a sad lament for a lonely girl. Very melancholy.
This version reflects a life well lived. That 17 year old is but a thread in the tapestry of her existence. The pain was there but it was only a small part in a lifetime of experience.
The singer now looks back with affection to her 17 year old self, not pity.
'Inventing lovers on the phone' silly girl!
You will have lovers , ones that will raise you and break you and give you more pain from their absence than their nonexistence.
And being that outcast gave strength and reason. Those home coming queens that married young and then retired...
To a life of manufactured servitude, the role has to be filled. The "bliss" of marriage that consumerism paints with advertisements of Xmas mornings , picket fences and perfect sponge cake.
That lonely girl goes on to realise that the popular girls have a predetermined destiny, and now she smiles at that 17 year olds naivety. At that vague envy she harboured for the well monied.
That's how I feel about this version anyway, it makes me smile.
Well said 😊 thank you very much
Wow! Well said. I was 12 when this song came out. I was writing lots of poetry, learning archery & riding motorcycles in B.C. When I wasn't sitting atop my garage roof looking up at the star filled sky - out there in the middle of nowhere. Wondering if UFO abductions were real & if so how an alien abduction might not be such a bad idea. T uning into my transistor radio, broadcasting music as far away as down East (Ontario). Loneliness was real and missing my old friends was heart-breaking. They lived 425 miles away - in my old hometown. Too far to walk. My Mom had remarriedba very strange man. I found the new place lacked warmth. The kids were mean, cold, and generally lacking in too many ways to count. The kids were all using and selling drugs. I'd never seen a drug. Rural BC is no place for an Alberta prairie girl. I was the outcast, bullied by small town kids. One even kicked my crutches out from under me when I. I had broken was hopping around the new town wondering why on Earth my Mom married this guy. Heartbroken 💔 missing my old life in Calgary and wondering if a 12 year old on crutches could safely hitchhike away. Gladys Howard ( the Wasa Lake bully challenged me to a fight) and then pushed me right into a snow bank. My crutches went flying, I snapped at her & warned her if she ever laid a hand on me again, I'd kill her. She stayed the hell away from me. Thankfully, the school buses went on strike and parents in our area had to take turns driving each other's kids 15 miles into town (Kimberley). I met my new best friend Kimberley because of the school bus strike. My stepdad knew her folks. Her Mom drove me & my brother to town. Her Mom looked like a gorgeous movie star & my brother being an adolescent (@ 14) could hardly breathe around her. You could literally see his heart pounding out of his chest when he was in her company 😅! I thought it hilariious. Everybody noticed the strange phenomenon including her when she once posed with him for a picture under a Tamarack tree in our back yard. My Mom was snapping photos of all us kids & somehow he got a hug from Sharon. She could feel his pour little heart pounding & pointed it out, much to his disconcernation. He got pretty red faced ❤ then she did also! We all got a pretty good laugh. She had two sons that hadn't hit puberty yet & she hadn't had such a reaction from a boy of fourteen in a long time. She was about 35, married with 3 kids. We all lived on our acreages in the little hamlet of TaTa Creek, approximately five miles away from each other. A lot of the time was isolated, like COVID, but without COVID. I was still suffering the loneliness of missing my Calgary friends and singing lots of Kristofferson sons. Especially, Me & Bobby Magee. Janis Joplin & Kris on an 8-track in the car. I wondered if truckers were nice & I could actually stick out my thumb and run away. Not until my leg healed, I reasoned. Maybe then. Soon enough I settled in, the school bus strike ended. I got on the bus & sat with Kim. She like me was from Alberta - another foreign outcast stuck in a strange neighborhood. She'd been there longer than me, though, and had Wasa Lake friends. She & her family skiied Kimberley's North Star Mountain. Me, I was out cross country skiing in my back yard of 7 acres & using the adjacent Crown land (2000 square miles of it) for kid's adventures. Skidoos & skis in winter. Motorcycles in summer. Me and my brother worked for our Step-Dad in his escvation business. My Mother insisted he pay "man's wages" for a man's job, so I was making $4.25 an hour at age 13. Paid for motorcycles ( I had 2 dirt;bikes ) & parts, skis, archery equipment & occasional flights back to Calgary to visit my Grandmother & my friends. This place was going to be okay after all. Kim and I got closer sharing our Alberta past and our love of schooling - reading (literacy), drawing art (charcoals) short story writing, poetry. We were both considered eggheads by most of the kids there. They were three years behind Alberta in their schooling. The Kootenays - the place that time forgot, they called it "God's country" and education wasn't much of a priority. Resources Industries, pulp mills, farming, mining, small businesses. Good paying Union wage jobs that Grade 10 was good enough to secure. Higher academia was frowned on there. The school system pushed out blue collar type kids and the school curriculum was for the learning- challenged only. Boredom was the greatest challenge to Alberta kids who new what academic matriculation meant. I wanted to become a Doctor like my Grandmother in Hungary ( my real Dad's Mom -she worked until age 82 and lived into her 90's - a fascinating woman who spoke 14 languages). At 13, I fretted how far behind I was falling in my academic studies & commiserated to myself that my career dreams were slipping away. I heard about University entrance exams at University of Calgary. I would never pass now. I had been dumbed down just like the kids here. The cool kids here. Me & Kim, the "not so cool kids"... struggling. I sang Joni Mitchell songs like " River " when I skated on the too-short TaTa Creek. I heard she skated the Rideau Canal. My river (the Colombia and Kootenay) were in Banff National Park two hours east of here. Truckers drove through daily. Maybe I could hitch a ride there, go skating on a real river, hitchhike back before nightfall. Nobody would know. Except the lonely trucker belting out BOBBY MAGEE (about a place called Baton Rouge) with me! Or if there was a lady trucker who picked me up - weeping over that "River" song. I'd never once seen a lady trucker - I wondered why not. Or a lady mechanic, either! There were no careers for women in a rural community. Kim grew up to make minimum wage at Bunsmaster Bakery. I scoffed at that idea and I left home at 15 - returned to Calgary, got a job, paid room & board, went to summer school, day school, night school. Crammed my Grade 12 in and graduated early. At 17, I was finally sick of school. But I managed to graduate high school. With an academic award, just no $. I owed $. The school board found out my Mom didn't pay taxes in Alberta since 1974 & hit her with a $425 per month bill for my Grade 10-12 years. I'd won an academic award, graduated early, (couldn't afford to even go to my graduation ceremony - which would cost $50 I didn't have), and now my Mom suddenly owed $1000's. Well, I thought, I'll just go get a job then. But "Houston we have a problem"! The oil patch wouldn't hire anybody under 18. I was 3 months shy of my 18th birthday. Crap! I had to move to Red Deer in 1979 and wait. My sister had left my brother-in-law with a 2 year old girl -:(she had run off with a trucker )& he was working at Swan Hills camp. Flying there, somewhere. 3 weeks in & 1 week out. He needed a free babysitter - I needed a place to live until February 20, 1980. Deal! I had one box of record albums,some books, some clothes & 1 dresser. He picked me up in Calgary that day. He left for camp the next day. Me & my niece settled in for a 3 week visit. She didn't really know me, she was pissed off at her Mom, and Dad. I didn't even know my sister was unhappy with Gary. Or that they were having marital problems. That she planned to leave & did?! My niece cast a wary eye at me every single day and went about her childhood. Playing with toys - generally making a mess Changing her clothes 15 times a day and leaving clothes anywhere & everywhere. Just being a kid. Me doing her laundry, cleaning the house and trying desperately to organize her room, separating out her clothes from her toys. Cooking her favourite soups and baked goods. Killing time. She took afternoon naps in her Dad's big bed. In fact, she sneaked in there at night times too! Going through his things. It led to a very scary incident one day. I thought she was napping in her own room. But she was missing Daddy & was in his room. I was watching TV way down the hall & got a weird gut feeling. Went to check on her. She wasn't in her room. His door was closed. I opened the door to find the curtains on fire, leaping up the wall to the ceiling! With Renee frozen standing on the bed leaning against the wall- looking at the fire in horror. But frozen. I just leaped in & grabbed her. Threw her out into the hall away from the 🔥🚒. Ran to the kitchen for a pot of water. There was no fire extinguisher and no smoke detectors in the basement suite. It was winter, roads bad, 6 feet of snow. Calling 9-11 wasn't even an option. The house would be gone before 🚒 could arrive. I just ran up and down the hall from the kitchen to the bedroom - back and forth pot after pot of water. Renee went to the living room by the front door.I knew about back draft enough not to open the door and fan the flames. I just kept the bedroom door closed. The curtains & carpet were both on fire. The carpet literally melted into the cement floor. I ran back & forth like I was on Canada's Olympic sprint team, determined to put out that damn fire. Finally it was out, I kept the door closed and thought where the hell did she find matches in there?! She was in shock and shuddering at what she had witnessed. She was two years old. I checked the gutted room while she calmed down. I found the culprit offending tool lying there. Gary's gas lighter. She had found it in his jeans pocket & mistakenly put the curtains! We could have both been curtains! Jesus, Gary was going to be pissed off tomorrow when he got home to see his bedroom, or what was left of it! I had no phone number to reach him - to give him a heads up. Who knew where my sister was. Probably Ontario or in the states by now! I wasn't going to call my Mom in Kimberley either! She'd just give me shit!
This is the beginning of a book, such a special writer
Stunning pergormance. I Love her Love her voice ❤️ She says it all how I felt at 17. This song is Gold n her voice soo beautiful n soulful.
Love this with Tommy xx🥰🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Utter bliss. Janis has carried the song through her life, taken care of it for the gem that it is and still pulls at memories. And Mr Emmanuel is out on his own. Superb.
I love her song at seventeen during my heyday as a disc jockey
she breaks my heart, every time.
A gorgeous, vulnerable, heartfelt moment in time. Yep, you made my mom cry. Love you, Janis.
Janis and I are exactly the same age; I remember how much I love "Society's Child" as a high school student, and nearly a decade later I fell in love with her magnificent LP "Between the Lines," which contains a collection of beautiful songs of which every one is a winner. Thank you for this.
I agree Peter - every stinkin' song on the Between The Lines album was a pearl in the ocean...a collection of little masterpieces. Still in my Top 10 favorite albums of all time. Have seen her live twice. I don't know why I bothered to put on eyeliner -...I wept thru it all. She just kills me.
Two beautiful virtuosos…two absolute musical treasures…
Wonderful , words are so moving.
What a performance - Janis Ian her most beautifully understated as always and Tommy a lesson in sympathetic accompaniment. He graces the performance as if with angels' wings.
What a great performance by both.
Aww goosies straight up! Its such a brilliant &: beautiful song. I remember listening to the lyrics intensely when I was young. Beautiful thankyou 💜🙏
Two of my all time favorite artists playing two of the best songs.
Loved the 70's esp because of great music like this. Times now are soooo complicated with all the crap in life, but listengin to Janis makes it much , much more enjoyable. Thanks for this..
Goodbye to love the carpenters
Yeah---back to much more innocent and simpler times.
Ifell the same about our life nowaday
2 great guitarists and a fantastic song by Janis and what a vocal she's never lost her voice - good chemistry here between the two of them.
This is the good side of UA-cam
Yes it is!!🎉❤
"Some people play a fine guitar
I could listen to them play all day"
I played this song last Friday night alone in my childhood bedroom looking at old posters of70 s bands and faded photographs
today I'm 60, but one day I was 17
I’ll be 61 in two days, an older man, and she is amazing to me still.
Happy birthday, your amongst your family of great listeners.
Happy Birthday 🎉
He probably sees you as a hero too. You two are like brother and sister.
At 17.. a fabulous, complex and meaningful song! Thank you.
Wow!! Look at that crowd 🤩 and, sounds so beautiful
I don't know exactly which part of this great video I love most: the beauty of the music (At Seventeen has been a favorite of mine since I was a little guy not getting picked for basketball), the interplay between you and Tommy when you're calling out the song structure while he's soloing, or the absolute joy the two of you obviously had while playing! Thank you so much for posting!! The beauty of this brought a tear to my eye. Thanks, Janis! Thanks, Tommy!
Well said. I struggled trying to focus on the totality of this performance as I was drawn into Janis’s beautiful voice and personal grace while returning to the magic of Tommy’s accompanying skill. If only we could all age like these two.
Tommy can make his guitar speak as clearly as the human voice . . which he demonstrates so well in this video.
No musician has more control and mastery of his instrument than Tommy Emmanuel. Always a pleasure to hear him demonstrate that. Ian is his equal in her own right. A great combination here.
@@olliebear9256 . . No one is Tommy Emmanuel's equal. Janis is good for sure, but Tommy is from another planet!
She's trying to get some gain on her mic... finally does... ))) Her and Tommy are really feeling each other in their playing - incredible!
You touch my hearts innermost
I must have heard this song a thousand times and still I get a feeling of such mixed emotions.
Where are all the cheerleaders now....? Janis you are now an immortal LOVE
All I can I say is that she has has the most honest voices in music history X
I didn't think that song could be made more beautiful - Tommy Emmanuel proved me wrong!
Yes, her voice is still so wonderful to hear.
That's a musical marriage made in heaven
Wow! This song hits hard. I remember feeling like this in high school. It was heartbreaking. What a beautiful, relatable song. Glad I found it... them. Theyre wonderful.
This is nuts! So wonderful.
Janice looks utterly amazing amd her voice is still perfect. This song and many others of hers held me up during many dark years. Now they bring a smile to my face knowing that I survived a lot in my life. I loved Tommy's playing.
Saw Tommy the previous night. A true freak of nature. Amazing what he can do on a simple 6 string acoustic guitar!!
A classic tune and meaningful message...pure talent from Janis and Tommy!!!
AMAZING! The two super guitars.
Special kudos tp Tommy Emmanuel. What an artist... and what a gentleman!
Awesome in the true meaning of the word.
At 17: Tommy shines, no doubt. But not without Janis and her song. And I believe he knows and respects that.
Beautiful Janis, Listening to that takes me back 40 years. Your still freakin cool.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful and special moment!
Still fabulous! I love this song. I have every album you spoke to me as a young woman.
So sweet the way he sarenades her with his guitar. Love it and love this song.❤
Late to the party. Both of these artists are beautiful people and enormously talented. What a pleasure to hear two beautiful songs by these folks. Outstanding!
I still think SHE has always been a beauty queen
I see Janice Ian you're no longer a brunette. You never were ugly.
Saw Janis at Ruth Eckard Hall and it was life changing . What also amazed us is her guitar playing a virtual Clapton level!!
Tommy was sensational here!!! Janis really appreciated Tommy they enjoy each other!
"At Seventeen" is just great - I didn't think you could ever improve on it, but Tommy Emmanuel's solo bits are ace.
Beyond beautiful !! Happy tears here. Thank you - always!
Que dulce es esta mujer...la amo y este tema me llego tan al alma en mi adolescencia que la letra la hizo para mi.es lo que vivi de joven.bravo Janis!!!!❤
I love how Tommy is not too overpowering , he payed flawlessly as usual!
Her smile has gotten brighter and infectious.
This song bring me back my school time memories in 60's, thanks Janis!
Your voice brings a tear to my eye. One of joy, maybe a little envy.
Holding back the tears. Lucky to see her twice. Tower Theater, Academy of music.
Making beautiful, and haunting, song, "At Seventeen" even more beautiful. I love seeing great artists perform together.
My god, this is jaw dropping, gorgeous stuff.
Janis you touch my hart
I first heard her in 1967 and I feel in love with Janis, I was 13. So many good memories and the best music for sure.Peace to all.
Tommy's accompaniment is amazing.
talk about clear skin smiles!
Just found this beauty this morng, I am a fan of both players and seen them live several times. It would have been wonderfull to have been there to see it in person but still loved watching this. We met Janis several times after her shows and she was simply a warm and gracious person.
This song is for all of us who were left behind, for every reason.
Good to see Janis is is performing and what a treat to see her playing together with Tommy, many thanks for the upload !!!
That song was me (I was 18) when it came out. I felt like someone understood. Thank you, Janis!
I love you Janis Ian !! From México 🇲🇽 👍👏👏👏👏
Magnificent and Beautiful!
Goosebumps you two! Wow! ❤️