I bought my 1st JANIS IAN album at 12 years old, & I never picked up a Janis Ian record in order to get the party started, unless it was for my depression support group & I was severely depressed to begin with. My favorite Janis Ian tunes is- Stars. It is one of my favorites. Here is Barbara Cook doing a beautiful cover that I first heard her do in her cabaret act in 1977 (Fuck, I am so damn old!):
In 1966 at age 15, Janis Ian released her 1st album. Her controversial song of interracial love- Society's Child, topped the charts & set in motion, a long recording career.
Now at almost 60, Janis Ian continues to record. Her 2008 album- Billie's Bones is a tribute to Billie Holiday with whom she shares a birthday today. Billie's Bones is a collection of whispered meditations, sparsely arranged & hauntingly sad. In an eerily slow jazz tune- Matthew, Ian pays tribute Matthew Shephard:
What makes a man a man?
It's not who you love, but whether you can
What makes a man a man?
My favorite on this album is My Tennessee Hills, written & performed with Dolly Parton. The women's voices compliment each other like moonshine & a porch, full of twang & heart. Janis Ian is a musical icon who happens to be gay. For more than 45 years she's been making very special music.
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