"At Seventeen" by Janis Ian is one of those old songs I used to hear all the time growing up but never really paid a lot of attention to. I had always heard that Janis Ian was a great songwriter. I listened to her sing this song this morning and realized how beautiful her voice is, too.
I decided to try it today and I think it turned out fairly nicely.
While I have always had blonde hair and blue eyes, I can relate to this song. I wasn't one of the popular girls in school. I didn't really date until I was seventeen and even then, you could almost not even call it dating. I didn't get serious with a man until I met Bill when I was almost 29. He wasn't my first boyfriend, but he was my first serious relationship. Luckily, I hit the jackpot the first time.
I definitely recall the lonely Valentine's Days and watching my friends and contemporaries plan to go to the homecoming dance or prom. I only managed one prom myself, and it was with my then ex boyfriend. It wasn't a great experience. I thought I was going to die a virgin. This is a pretty poignant song for anyone who can't really enjoy being young because of severe appearance deficits. I don't think I had them... I just had a personality that people thought was odd.
Anyway, this song really resonates with me.
I decided to try it today and I think it turned out fairly nicely.
