Janice Ian at age 72. Photo by Peter Cunningham
Singer/songwriter Janis Ian was famous before age 16 by composing and singing her hit song “Society’s Child” as a young teen. That success led to a meandering journey of ups and downs in her career and personal life that will be showcased on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m.at O Cinema in Miami Beach in the documentary “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence.”. The film is part of the ongoing 28th annual Miami Jewish Festival that will conclude on Thursday, Jan. 23.
Written and directed by Varda Bar-Kar, the documentary traces Ian’s life from her childhood and early recording success with“Society’s Child” , written by Ian at age 13, through the ups and downs of a 60-plus year music career.
What stands out in the 111-minute documentary is the candor of Janis Ian as she expresses her optimism about her life and career, despite many personal and professional setbacks.
“I wanted to do a documentary on a female artist whom I identify with. Janis Ian popped into my mind because of her masterful album ‘Between The Lines’ which resided deeply in my mind. When I was in high school, I listened to the album over and over again because it made me feel in a way that I desperately yearned for. Her music has been a prominent presence in my life,” said Bar-Kar.
The film begins by tracing Ian’s life, born Janis Fink in 1951, to her roots in New Jersey. Ian was raised by liberal Jewish parents on a chicken farm... Ian’s father guided young Janis on her journey by introducing her to the piano and guitar as a young child.
“I loved to write and sing and one day I saw on the bus a young interracial couple who were in love and I thought ‘Will they grow old and love each other?’ and I did not think so, because of society back in the early 1960s. So, I wrote about what I thought in music and recorded “Society’s Child” and the song became popular after some pushback,” said Ian in the film.
Janice Ian performing in the 1970s. Photo by Greenwich Entertainment
“Society’s Child” recorded in 1965, did not become a hit song until 1967. As Ian discussed in the film, the song’s theme of interracial relationships was considered taboo by some radio stations, who banned the song from their playlists.
“I received hate mail and a lot of death threats for recording “Society’s Child,” but I was encouraged by my peers in the music world, especially from folk music legends like Joan Baez, so I continued to pursue my love of singing and writing songs that touched me deeply,” said Ian in the documentary.
Bar-Kar filmed quotes from famed musicians and celebrities, such as Joan Baez and comedian Lily Tomlin that praised Ian for the song.
“‘Society’s Child’ started a national debate about race relationships and Janis’s song had people standing up for what they believe to be just and right,” said Tomlin in the film..
The tide turned for a favorable reaction to “Society’s Child” when composer Leonard Bernstein both praised the song and featured Ian singing and talking about the impact of the song in a 1967 television special. As a result of the television show, “Society’s Child” sold over 600,000 copies as the song reached number 14 on the Billboard Top Songs of 1967.
Bar -Kar showcased footage from the television show as well as Ian’s revelations about the fears she had of performing the song in the late 1960s.
As revealed on film, Ian’s candid comments strengthened her resolve to perform “Society’s Child.”
“I am proud that I never stopped performing because of any negative comments,” said Ian.
A young Janice Ian in center flanked by Bruce Springsteen on left and Billy Joel on right. Photo by Greenwich Entertainment.
Along with “Society’s Child,” Ian recorded her most popular song in the United States “At Seventeen” in 1975. The song became Ian’s one and only top ten hit as well as the song she is most identified with.
Bar- Kar spent 30 minutes in the documentary video of Ian detailing and performing the song as well as analyzing its impact.
“The song was based on an 18-year-old girl who was not the beautiful cheerleader and was bullied by her peers in high school. I changed her age in the song to seventeen to fit into the music and it just clicked for everyone. It’s a song about the agony and heartbreak of being rejected as a person which is not right,” said Ian.
Footage of Ian performing the song on the “Saturday Night Live’ television show in 1975, and clips of her interviews on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” enhanced the impact of “At Seventeen” as well as testimonies from celebrities on how they identified with the high school misfit in “At Seventeen.”
Ian won the 1976 Grammy Award for “At Seventeen” for best vocal performance of a song as the song also was ranked third in the Billboard Music charts.. “At Seventeen” is from her album “Between The Lines” which was ranked among the top ten albums of 1976.
After the songs “At Seventeen” and “Society’s Child” made Ian famous, her later songs were popular in Ireland, Japan and other countries, but not as much in the United States.
Janice Ian in 1975 with her music producer Brooks Arthur, Photo by Greenwich Entertainment.
Bar-Kar used both quotes from Ian and many of her peers to reveal highlights from her career following her early success on record in the 1970s and the positive and negative consequences in her life.
For example, the documentary showcases some little-known facts about Ian’s career and personal life such as:
- Footage of Ian revealing how comedian Bill Cosby in the 1960s tried to have her banned from performing on television in the belief that Janis Ian is a lesbian.
- Ian’s song “Stars” revealed the tragedy of the life of music stars, particularly regarding the widespread use of drugs by music stars.
- Ian was a victim of domestic abuse, being attacked by her husband Tino Sargo whom she divorced in 1983.
- Ian’s mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and was encouraged by Ian to pursue her dream of finishing colleague and graduated with a Masters degree
- Ian came out as a lesbian in 1993 and married her partner Patricia Snyder in 2003.
- Ian won the 2013 Grammy Award for the best spoken album, an audio version of her autobiography “Society’s Child”.
To supplement the archival footage from Ian’s early life, Bar-Kar and her creative team used “mood shots” to capture highlights of Ian’s life as if the viewer was on hand to witness the events in Janis Ian’s life.
“Mood shots are my imagined fragments of Janis’s memories meticulously drawn from archival imagery and actual collection,” said Bar-Kar.
Bar-Kar’s use of animation, combined with archived video collections of Janis Ian’s interviews and song recordings and mood shots create an intimate look at the life and career of Janis Ian.
Janis Ian is 73, and resides in Anna Maria Island FL with her spouse Patricia Snyder.
For more information on Janis Ian, go to janisian.com
WHAT: Miami Jewish Film Festival presents the 110 minute documentary “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence”, directed by Varda Bar-Kar
WHEN: 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18
WHERE: O Cinema, 1130 Washington Ave.in Miami Beach.
TICKETS AND INFORMATION: miamijewishfilmfestival.org
The 28th Miami Jewish Film Festival is running now through Jan. 23.
