wow she is truely beautiful she looks kinda native..i 'd like to know what year that was performed i remember that show!! one of there songs first inspired me to play music!
Romantic love – Two humans (in this case, between a Male and a Female, the Stonewall Riots having yet to occur).
Every time I see any combination of racial coupling in this regard today, it makes think of this song. I’ve lived to see our American society make progress, and for that I am proud.
@seekandumayfind I do! I still to this day remember when they did a comedy spoof regarding the song 'Honey' and called it 'welcome to the Honey house' and they went and showed pics of what transpired during the song Honey, by Bobby Goldsboro, including the snotty, balled up tissues on the coffee table when he 'came home unexpectedly, and found her crying needlessly in the middle of the day'.. Oh boy, I loved that show!!!
Courage. Boatloads of courage here. And from an industry that rarely demonstrated anything other than safe, safe, safe. Janis and this song were a whole lot better than we deserved in the middle of the 1960s...
I saw her sing this live last night in the UK. First time I really got to know much about her and hear her perform. Got to say one hell of a performance. Love my bands and never thought I'd be that memorised by just one performer and a guitar. Highly recommended.
I still like this song after all these years. Sadly there are still people who are against people who find love across racial lines. So the words are still relevant even today.
There's some footage out there from about 1967 .... a TV prog featuring conductor Leonard Bernstein with a personal appreciation of pock/ rock of the time. Bernstein discusses the song briefly then introduces a 15 year old Janis Ian who performs it live - without an audience. Remarkable.
back then things were not as accepted as they are now. The sad part of this song is in the end, the girl in the song is persuaded by the rest of society and stops seeing the boy....
Janis Ian rocks from way back in her early youth, far out. As for the comments about america, we are the leader of the world, we saved many a nation with our blood and efforts, so those who don't like us, relax, superman exists aka the american. peace ;)
@Zippertheslipper Woah... comments like this, No wonder I have to take so much shit when I leave the US and see the world. No wonder we are so frowned upon by other societies. People like you who think we Americans are the beginning and the end of the universe makes life harder for those of us who have actually took the time to learn the facts. We would not have won our freedom if it were not for France and the American Indians. We would have lost... learn your history before you talk crap!
Thanks for posting this. Powerful song, and courageous of her at the time (and still relevant, unfortunately). So much talent and guts at such a young age. I loved Janis Ian back in the '70s, especially her albums PRESENT COMPANY, BETWEEN THE LINES, STARS, and AFTERTONES. I really haven't listened to her recent music.
I so remenber Janis Ian, amazing that she actually got this on TV, I mean at 16 years old, she was just phenomal, and thanx to Ed Sullivan that had her on, Her music did make a difference to all of us at the time.Many of us heard her before we heard Dylan, and what we heard was that she was her own person, everyone else was corporate, owned by companies, she was not, she sang her own stuff, that is the love we have for her
@fubar50cat Ed Sullivan was off the air by then. She was on the Smothers Brothers show. There's an interview around here with Bloomberg where she talks about what shows were available then and Sullivan was gone. FYI
I so remenber Janis Ian, amazing that she actually got this on TV, I mean at 16 years old, she was just phenomal, and thanx to Ed Sullivan that had her on, Her music did make a difference to all of us at the time.
@dictator54, im a white southern american, the USA is the greatest nation on this planet, weve had many things wrong in our societywhen i was growing up,in the 50s,60s 70s,but as a people ALWAYS right our WRONGS,and nations like canada england, france love to critisize us,but they wouldnt exist if it werent for theUSA, weprotect and aid these nations and only criticism in return
@stalkingwolf1954 Why do American's always think the USA is 'the greatest nation'? It really sounds very arrogant. I am well traveled and concluded that no nation on earth is the greatest, all have their pluses and minuses. All this leader of the free world stuff , as if other nations are not free.
USA may be the wealthiest (until China surpasses it) and most powerful but it doesn't make it the greatest, nor does it's history in World War 2 (Which I think you are referring to).
@murpho999 It is an unfortunate and provincial arrogance bred from a combination of ignorance and bravado. Those Americans who have traveled generally know better.
@stalkingwolf1954 I am sorry that you feel that Canada loves to criticize the United States of America. Except for the lamentable episodes circa 1812, Canada and the United States have been staunch allies. However, being Canadian, I must tell you: We would exist without Americans. I'd dearly like to know what leads you to believe that the United States aids us?
@TheSusiQ I'm trying to figure that one out too. Canada wouldn't exist without the U.S.? Makes no sense if you know the facts. I also like his saying England wouldn't exist without the U.S. Hate to break it to him but England was around way before the U.S. so I'm trying to figure that one out also. Same with France.
@fastdrive55 Watch the new movie, "The Help". You'll see the climate that she brought this song into. Then listen to the words again about "shining black as the night".
@lemurianchick To each his own. Did you live through those times or are you under 40?
What did you feel was over the top?
If you want to see over the top, IMHO, watch the PBS special on the Freedom Riders. Really. what a marvelous education of what really happened there. I'd like to hear your thoughts then about "The Help". Will you do that? Search you tube: Freedom Riders | PBS 2011
@CelebrityOutbreakers : First of all, I just finished watching a new version of "Eyes on the Prize," which is just amazing when you think about what Black people had to go through to get where they are today. Yes, I am over 40 (45) but grew up outside Chicago and never witnessed that sort of bias firsthand. My beef with "The Help" is that it was too Black and White (pardon the pun). The scene with Cicely Tyson getting thrown out was manipulative. Even the biggest bigot wouldn't have done that.
The way White women were portrayed was offensive. Always bopping around like cheerleaders. Yes, I am sure that if you have a position of privilege you carry yourself more assuredly but the noble, cowering Black women and men ("magic Negroes" as a Black essayist labelled them) is too easy, too cardboard cutout, and not subtle enough. I felt like I was being hit over the head too often. I prefer more sophisticated fare. Probably why this movie did so well, LOL!!!
@lemurianchick Thanks for your thoughtful response, 'chicka'. :)
I grew up in a small town with no African Americans (before they were called that).I was very, very young during the '60s and watched with rapt interest every move of the Civil Rights movement on the news.
I saw horrible things that a 6 year old probably shouldn't see...but I'm glad I saw them - people beaten, 14-year-old boys getting hosed down by high pressure hoses and attacked by police dogs....
@lemurianchick I'm speaking with you from an educational viewpoint, not to say how wrong you are but I beg to differ on the Cicely Tyson scene.
Watch that Freedom Riders video. Not only were the bigots of the time doing that (note that not everyone was a bigot) but, as you'll see in the news footage, to stop the FR movement, a group of locals tried to burn black and white people alive in that bus. Much worse than turning someone away who was like family. Your thoughts?
@CelebrityOutbreakers : The maid's White boss had Cicely for years and she's gonna throw her out of the house because the daughter was uppity enough to demand to enter through the front door?! It's not logical, even with the biggest racist. I am sure that most of the bosses had an emotional attachment to their "help," even if they disrespected them on a regular basis. What I say is that the depictions of prejudice should have been handled in a more sophisticated manner.
@lemurianchick Again, I see what you are referring to. You're right. YOU nor I would do that, hopefully, in this day. But the 'white boss' was a social climber. The women around her were the group she most wanted to be in. That old biaaatch at the table was staring daggers and basically saying, "If you don't get rid of her, we will NOT have you in our group!" And it was the South at that time. That doesn't make it right, only real that that would happen. Ask someone who lived that if it is real.
@CelebrityOutbreakers : I am sure that the level of abuse was unbelievable but there was something about that movie that just rang false to me. Not sugar-coating the past; I just didn't feel that it was genuine. Too many characters that were black and white (pardon the pun). Either all bad or all good. Human beings are more complicated than that. Showing virtues of the White elite and flaws in the Black characters would have made it more interesting to me.
@lemurianchick I see what you're saying about that...although, that scene with the pie certainly showed a little darker side of that maid, in more than one respect. ROTFL!!!!
On an entirely different note (Bb, I think) I would like your thoughts on this Broadway musical. We were intrigued that "The Help" came out right now and that this story has some of the same flavor. ColeAndPorter (dot) com and youtube (dot) com / ColeAndPorter It's in development so the video is a skeleton showcase.
progressive rock group.. spooky tooth.. covered this classic in 1968.. a top 5.. best covers ever !!!!!!!!! *** gary wright & mike harrison on vocals ***
this song was never banned, however there was radio station that refused to play it, that's a lot different then been banned,it's a great song sung by a very young talented singer
I find it rather funny that if were not for something as ugly as racial prejudice, then this beautiful song would not exist. Though it may not be as prevalent as it was in the sixties, it's a shame that this still goes on today.
Growin up in the 50's and bein a teenager in the 60's in Canada i really didn't know there was such a thing as rasicm, i'm so thankful i didn't live in a country like the u.s.a and i'm white it's hard to believe people can be so cruel to another human being.
@cyn118 Absolutely! Janis still rocks and folks and souls in the studio ("I Am the One," the collaboration between Janis and Sister Miriam Therese Winter) and on the road. Janis's concerts showcase her amazing guitar skills, beautiful voice and moving lyrics. As so many have noted, Ms. Ian is an American Treasure.
What the world needs now is a good Social Morals artist. Enough of this Beiber, Gaga, and Gangsta garbage. How about making a statement in plain and simple english that speaks to the masses in a way that they can understand?
I remember hearing this song on the radio, then not hearing it on the radio, and when it disappeared it wasn't because it had run it's course. I lived in Nassau County on Long Island, NY.
I remember hearing this song as a child, I never knew Janis Ian recorded it! Damm…I always loved her vocals in this tune though I never knew the true message in the song. The first i remember knowing of her was her song "Seventeen"
Nothing ordinary about this woman! I just saw her last night in concert. She was only 14 when she recorded this song. She'd written it because she went to an all black school, except for her family and 7 other white families in E. Orange, NJ. The white parents didn't want their kids dating black kids & visa versa. She wrote it to get the whole racial thing off her chest. Not bad for a 14 year old? And they wanted her to take the word "black" out. Janis is no sell out!
How the F#%K do you have the ability to write such powerful music when your only 15, " when she turned and said ,but honey he's not our kind". man what an emotion
@Hbon56 Not everyone is as precocious and verbal & gifted as this woman is. And trust me, she was scared to death when she performed this song in many venues that her life was on the line. Think about it, mid 60's. Pretty little white girl singing such powerful lyrics. I heard her sing tonight & then met her and spoke with her. I can tell you that teenage girl had learned about standing up for what is right through her parents. Should we all have such wonderful teachers in our parents.
Takes me back to that memorable and never to be forgotten Summer of 1967 when music was at its best and all was right with the world it seemed, compared to now that is.
I agree about the music, it was wonderful and I think the music of the 60's was some of the best ever. But all was not right with the world. Viet Nam. I had relatives there and friends, some didn't come back alive. Or they came back alive but their souls were so damaged. There just wasn't as much going on or we didn't have access to it like we do now--the Internet.Now we have bombed Libya. Maybe we should have, but we are in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya--and who knows where else.
@KennBurch Yeah, those were the days...11,000 American soldiers die in Vietnam...Detroit race riots...DC race riots...Newark race riots...Buffalo race riots...Tampa race riots...Minneapolis race riots...Milwaukee race riots...The Six-Day War...Israel takes Gaza, Sinai and the West Bank and displaces 300,000 Palestinians...Nigeria invades Biafra, starting a conflict that would kill 3,000,000...the Soviets and Chinese set off nukes...Oh, how I yearn for the peace and tranquility of 1967...
Variety shows were so awesome back in those days. I remember as a child the various 70s variety shows just before they started to go out of style as TV programming changed well into the 80s. I particularly liked the moving stage like the one Janis is performing on here.
When she auditioned with this song she felt the man was not listening to her so she set on fire the newspaper that was in his hand that he was reading - VERY TRUE STORY
@YoVaginaStinks1 Whats wrong with you? It's people like you that have to ruin everything. One of these days you will grow up and God forbid have children. Gee they will be so proud of your username on YouTube. Real classey guy. I bet your parents are so proud.
@tommieparch Lulu played the student and had a sort-of crush on the teacher played by Sidney Poitier but I took the the movie as more about a black man being accepted in a teacher/role-model position versus and real inter-racial love story...
I believe that this was aired Nov. 26, 1967. The Smothers Brothers were no strangers to controversy, so this song was a natural to be featured. It was originally recorded in late 1965, when she was only 14. After a few attempts at a national release, that finally in Sept. 1966. But at that time no radio station would touch it. However, over the next year attitudes got more tolerant, and the song would finally hit the top twenty in the Spring of '67. It would reach #1 in some localities.
Wooow! Gives me goospimples! I bought the record when I was 11 or 12, and listened to it every night for a very loooong time.... Here I actually see her perform for the first time, and it just brings everything back! And here I am in an old house in the Swedish woods, already a grandmother. Feels weird to feel like a teenager again!
This song is beautiful.Yes it was banned in many states at the time it was receiving airplay in Los Angeles. Ironically the banning process served to help popularize and elevate the song even more. The quickest way to make something even more popular is to ban it. The fools never learn. Madonna actually thanked the Catholic church for banning her book "Sex". She made millions after that.
@rreeves70 Hi, thanks for your reply. I know it wasn't a movie song, but I'm sure I have seen it in a movie and was curious. Fantastic voice and song. It seems that they truly don't write them like they used to. Cheers mate
@R0ckers2R0ckers It has a the whole plot line for a movie though! And I do admit in could have been used in some obscure movie but I did search and cannot find any record of one or remember any - and I see a lot of movies. Great song!
Still a beautiful song after all these years. I loved it when I was young and now I've discovered YouTube I get to revisit all the songs I loved. Thank you for posting this - you made my day.
So many songs from the 60's dealt with pointing out the ills of society and the hypocrisies of the day. They informed and enlightened the young people of that generation towards improving the world around them.
Sad to see the politics of our day promoting intolerance and violence.
Society's Child was banned in many states when it was first released. Still haunting.
@Abrown465 How perfectly stated! I was one of those "young people" who was tremendously affected by the songs of my generation to try and "improve the world"---and I still try to do so. I also completely agree with your comment on our present-day politics....
I would give anything for my generation to know great music like this but instead their infatuated with songs that are catchy but have no real worth or message. Whats wrong with the world today that crap like Ke$ha and Miley Cyrus sells!
It's not fair... people in the 60's had artists like Janis Ian and Joni Mitchell while we have Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. How things have changed.
@200povstrechnoj The artists today don't always have quality material to work with. Today its more show bizeee, and slick production than quality of music.
@200povstrechnoj cannot agree anymore i hate being affliliated to a generation that thinks that justin biber is the next "micheal jackson" its ridicules how they think that thats music? when what real music is deep and meaningfull and not just an anoying catchy track.. aka ïts friday"
@200povstrechnoj Instead of complaining, inspire and support indie artists of equivalent talent, and teach your children not to listen to the pop crap...and if you're a teen yourself, make music that matters and don't accept big dollars and auto-tune as your only way of making a statement.
@200povstrechnoj You have no idea about how good the 60's really was. I lived through it and it was without a doubt the best time of my life. I went to Nam during that time (65-6) which screwed the whole thing up. All in all, I would do it all again. My I-tunes collection from that era is outstanding.
It pains me to think that people have never heard of Janis Ian. I know she wasn't HUGE in the musical world compared to others who got a lot more play time on the radio but man, she put out some great music.
Fooking great its my first time i have hurd this song or evan this artist, the powers in the music industry needs to find this girl and give her a chance to become a star
I was about 7 when this song came out. It was a big deal then. In this day and age, the younger generation are more progressive than back in the late mid60s to the 80s. You see a lot of mixed couples now.
I remember my friend Patty Harvey had to explain this to me that Janis was singing about her boyfriend who was black ! Egads! for 1965/66 this was NOT the norm at the Jersey Shore! We loved the song, but were only kids of 11 or 12. Young and younger!
@oogaachaka Actually, the song was not something Janis personally experienced (and her sweet mother Pearl would never have turned the boy away) Janis wrote it in response to what she was seeing in the world around her during the civil rights movement, but it was not something she experienced. However, she got tons of death threats and hate mail and was boo'd off the stage by a bunch of a-holes chanting "Ni@@er Lover". But she returned to the stage and faced them down.
Great post. Thanks. The person directing the camera angle has got to be given a lot of credit for moving her behind the stage piller at the end just as the organ hits the final notes. Fracturings on many levels during the 60s.
I never heard of Janis Ian in the 60's--DH had to read her autobiography when it came out--what a musical genius! Very much lost in the crowd of the 60's and definitely should not have been!
I love Janis with all my heart she sings of realy life and speaks only truth I got to see her 2 years ago for my 17th birthday and loved her in concert.
I still have this record (45) and just about wore it out playing it. There was only AM radio back then and I remember it being banned from being played due to the content. We have come a long way from the 60's.! So happy to see that Janis received the recognition she deserved. Beautiful but such a sad song.
A very Heavy album for a 16 year old in 1967, at 15 listening to it my room, I wasn't sure about much, but I realized that THIS GIRL HAD GUTS, (and a boatload of talent.) ..that Hammond Organ puts the exclamation point on it doesn't it?
A beautiful voice, clear words
syanceardenna 3 days ago
wow she is truely beautiful she looks kinda native..i 'd like to know what year that was performed i remember that show!! one of there songs first inspired me to play music!
julia1123luv 1 week ago
@julia1123luv - 1967
CrazyGracie07 1 week ago
Amazing song, amazing voice. Damn, I miss good lyrics and actual talent.
alfredosgal 2 weeks ago
DEFinitely cute!!!!
nabbed69 2 weeks ago
Janis ian,somebody that really inspired me.
gshockaddict 2 weeks ago
IS SHE TALKING ABOUT A MAYATE.
sunlandleaonard 3 weeks ago
Society’s Child.
Sex and Love meet Social Mores.
Romantic love – Two humans (in this case, between a Male and a Female, the Stonewall Riots having yet to occur).
Every time I see any combination of racial coupling in this regard today, it makes think of this song. I’ve lived to see our American society make progress, and for that I am proud.
jaegerkreig 1 month ago
My, my; how times have changed! Now the girls mom would be living with a black guy and lovin' it!
jeepster4u2003 1 month ago
janis was a cute young lady back in them days.
SIGNALSTAT 1 month ago
Does anyone remember what an incredible show the Smother Brothers had back then?
seekandumayfind 1 month ago
@seekandumayfind I do! I still to this day remember when they did a comedy spoof regarding the song 'Honey' and called it 'welcome to the Honey house' and they went and showed pics of what transpired during the song Honey, by Bobby Goldsboro, including the snotty, balled up tissues on the coffee table when he 'came home unexpectedly, and found her crying needlessly in the middle of the day'.. Oh boy, I loved that show!!!
19111ellyc 3 weeks ago
Courage. Boatloads of courage here. And from an industry that rarely demonstrated anything other than safe, safe, safe. Janis and this song were a whole lot better than we deserved in the middle of the 1960s...
hbailen 2 months ago
@hbailen
Amen
alfredosgal 2 weeks ago
Comment removed
hbailen 2 months ago
You don't list reactions like: "grateful", "proud", or "inspired" for us to respond to, do you?
I was.
__
We should ALL be so courageous -- every day -- and (if only!) talented.
BalioLDean 2 months ago
I saw her sing this live last night in the UK. First time I really got to know much about her and hear her perform. Got to say one hell of a performance. Love my bands and never thought I'd be that memorised by just one performer and a guitar. Highly recommended.
MrEunuch 2 months ago
I still like this song after all these years. Sadly there are still people who are against people who find love across racial lines. So the words are still relevant even today.
choosing2lookeast 3 months ago 3
There's some footage out there from about 1967 .... a TV prog featuring conductor Leonard Bernstein with a personal appreciation of pock/ rock of the time. Bernstein discusses the song briefly then introduces a 15 year old Janis Ian who performs it live - without an audience. Remarkable.
MrPoupard 3 months ago
listening to this and our time music just make me wanna puke my fucking liver, what a fucked generation we live in
love187punk 3 months ago
from listening to this song.... is it just me, or was the general public alot more judgemental in the past?
EasternMerchant 3 months ago
@EasternMerchant Some folks are as judgmental even now.
choosing2lookeast 3 months ago
janis sure was a pretty lady back in the day.
SIGNALSTAT 3 months ago
back then things were not as accepted as they are now. The sad part of this song is in the end, the girl in the song is persuaded by the rest of society and stops seeing the boy....
valeriemci1 3 months ago
isnt this on the digitally remastered dvd set???
MichaelHansenFUN 4 months ago
Good song , lyrics a bit dated.
It is ironic that all those ideals we fought for hav blown up in our faces.
Volunteer28 4 months ago
@Volunteer28 Yes dated now but back then some radio stations did not want to play, to contraversal, But a great song by a great artist
robertk6ha 4 months ago
Probs girl.
xuphoriaa 4 months ago
Janis Ian rocks from way back in her early youth, far out. As for the comments about america, we are the leader of the world, we saved many a nation with our blood and efforts, so those who don't like us, relax, superman exists aka the american. peace ;)
Zippertheslipper 5 months ago
@Zippertheslipper Woah... comments like this, No wonder I have to take so much shit when I leave the US and see the world. No wonder we are so frowned upon by other societies. People like you who think we Americans are the beginning and the end of the universe makes life harder for those of us who have actually took the time to learn the facts. We would not have won our freedom if it were not for France and the American Indians. We would have lost... learn your history before you talk crap!
Ashantay 3 months ago
Thanks for posting this. Powerful song, and courageous of her at the time (and still relevant, unfortunately). So much talent and guts at such a young age. I loved Janis Ian back in the '70s, especially her albums PRESENT COMPANY, BETWEEN THE LINES, STARS, and AFTERTONES. I really haven't listened to her recent music.
gracemga 5 months ago
I so remenber Janis Ian, amazing that she actually got this on TV, I mean at 16 years old, she was just phenomal, and thanx to Ed Sullivan that had her on, Her music did make a difference to all of us at the time.Many of us heard her before we heard Dylan, and what we heard was that she was her own person, everyone else was corporate, owned by companies, she was not, she sang her own stuff, that is the love we have for her
fubar50cat 5 months ago
@fubar50cat Ed Sullivan was off the air by then. She was on the Smothers Brothers show. There's an interview around here with Bloomberg where she talks about what shows were available then and Sullivan was gone. FYI
CelebrityOutbreakers 5 months ago
I so remenber Janis Ian, amazing that she actually got this on TV, I mean at 16 years old, she was just phenomal, and thanx to Ed Sullivan that had her on, Her music did make a difference to all of us at the time.
fubar50cat 5 months ago
@dictator54, im a white southern american, the USA is the greatest nation on this planet, weve had many things wrong in our societywhen i was growing up,in the 50s,60s 70s,but as a people ALWAYS right our WRONGS,and nations like canada england, france love to critisize us,but they wouldnt exist if it werent for theUSA, weprotect and aid these nations and only criticism in return
stalkingwolf1954 5 months ago
@stalkingwolf1954 Why do American's always think the USA is 'the greatest nation'? It really sounds very arrogant. I am well traveled and concluded that no nation on earth is the greatest, all have their pluses and minuses. All this leader of the free world stuff , as if other nations are not free.
USA may be the wealthiest (until China surpasses it) and most powerful but it doesn't make it the greatest, nor does it's history in World War 2 (Which I think you are referring to).
murpho999 5 months ago 2
@murpho999 It is an unfortunate and provincial arrogance bred from a combination of ignorance and bravado. Those Americans who have traveled generally know better.
HickysBoy 5 months ago 2
@stalkingwolf1954 I am sorry that you feel that Canada loves to criticize the United States of America. Except for the lamentable episodes circa 1812, Canada and the United States have been staunch allies. However, being Canadian, I must tell you: We would exist without Americans. I'd dearly like to know what leads you to believe that the United States aids us?
TheSusiQ 5 months ago
@TheSusiQ I'm trying to figure that one out too. Canada wouldn't exist without the U.S.? Makes no sense if you know the facts. I also like his saying England wouldn't exist without the U.S. Hate to break it to him but England was around way before the U.S. so I'm trying to figure that one out also. Same with France.
lasktguy 4 months ago
Why this song was banned?
fastdrive55 6 months ago
@fastdrive55 Watch the new movie, "The Help". You'll see the climate that she brought this song into. Then listen to the words again about "shining black as the night".
CelebrityOutbreakers 5 months ago
@CelebrityOutbreakers : I thought "The Help" was lame. It was totally over the top.
lemurianchick 5 months ago
@lemurianchick To each his own. Did you live through those times or are you under 40?
What did you feel was over the top?
If you want to see over the top, IMHO, watch the PBS special on the Freedom Riders. Really. what a marvelous education of what really happened there. I'd like to hear your thoughts then about "The Help". Will you do that? Search you tube: Freedom Riders | PBS 2011
CelebrityOutbreakers 5 months ago
@CelebrityOutbreakers : First of all, I just finished watching a new version of "Eyes on the Prize," which is just amazing when you think about what Black people had to go through to get where they are today. Yes, I am over 40 (45) but grew up outside Chicago and never witnessed that sort of bias firsthand. My beef with "The Help" is that it was too Black and White (pardon the pun). The scene with Cicely Tyson getting thrown out was manipulative. Even the biggest bigot wouldn't have done that.
lemurianchick 5 months ago
The way White women were portrayed was offensive. Always bopping around like cheerleaders. Yes, I am sure that if you have a position of privilege you carry yourself more assuredly but the noble, cowering Black women and men ("magic Negroes" as a Black essayist labelled them) is too easy, too cardboard cutout, and not subtle enough. I felt like I was being hit over the head too often. I prefer more sophisticated fare. Probably why this movie did so well, LOL!!!
lemurianchick 5 months ago
@lemurianchick Thanks for your thoughtful response, 'chicka'. :)
I grew up in a small town with no African Americans (before they were called that).I was very, very young during the '60s and watched with rapt interest every move of the Civil Rights movement on the news.
I saw horrible things that a 6 year old probably shouldn't see...but I'm glad I saw them - people beaten, 14-year-old boys getting hosed down by high pressure hoses and attacked by police dogs....
CelebrityOutbreakers 5 months ago
@lemurianchick I'm speaking with you from an educational viewpoint, not to say how wrong you are but I beg to differ on the Cicely Tyson scene.
Watch that Freedom Riders video. Not only were the bigots of the time doing that (note that not everyone was a bigot) but, as you'll see in the news footage, to stop the FR movement, a group of locals tried to burn black and white people alive in that bus. Much worse than turning someone away who was like family. Your thoughts?
CelebrityOutbreakers 5 months ago
@CelebrityOutbreakers : The maid's White boss had Cicely for years and she's gonna throw her out of the house because the daughter was uppity enough to demand to enter through the front door?! It's not logical, even with the biggest racist. I am sure that most of the bosses had an emotional attachment to their "help," even if they disrespected them on a regular basis. What I say is that the depictions of prejudice should have been handled in a more sophisticated manner.
lemurianchick 5 months ago
@lemurianchick Again, I see what you are referring to. You're right. YOU nor I would do that, hopefully, in this day. But the 'white boss' was a social climber. The women around her were the group she most wanted to be in. That old biaaatch at the table was staring daggers and basically saying, "If you don't get rid of her, we will NOT have you in our group!" And it was the South at that time. That doesn't make it right, only real that that would happen. Ask someone who lived that if it is real.
CelebrityOutbreakers 5 months ago
@CelebrityOutbreakers : I am sure that the level of abuse was unbelievable but there was something about that movie that just rang false to me. Not sugar-coating the past; I just didn't feel that it was genuine. Too many characters that were black and white (pardon the pun). Either all bad or all good. Human beings are more complicated than that. Showing virtues of the White elite and flaws in the Black characters would have made it more interesting to me.
lemurianchick 5 months ago
@lemurianchick I see what you're saying about that...although, that scene with the pie certainly showed a little darker side of that maid, in more than one respect. ROTFL!!!!
On an entirely different note (Bb, I think) I would like your thoughts on this Broadway musical. We were intrigued that "The Help" came out right now and that this story has some of the same flavor. ColeAndPorter (dot) com and youtube (dot) com / ColeAndPorter It's in development so the video is a skeleton showcase.
CelebrityOutbreakers 5 months ago
@fastdrive55 : The rednecks.
lemurianchick 5 months ago
Releasing this song in the middle of the 1960s required boatloads of courage. Bravo, Janis.
hbailen 6 months ago 2
progressive rock group.. spooky tooth.. covered this classic in 1968.. a top 5.. best covers ever !!!!!!!!! *** gary wright & mike harrison on vocals ***
Ezwider109 6 months ago
this song was never banned, however there was radio station that refused to play it, that's a lot different then been banned,it's a great song sung by a very young talented singer
dictator54 6 months ago in playlist GARY MOORE
singers fascinate me...
m1kewithaone 6 months ago
Very under rated singer
lcolby11 6 months ago
I find it rather funny that if were not for something as ugly as racial prejudice, then this beautiful song would not exist. Though it may not be as prevalent as it was in the sixties, it's a shame that this still goes on today.
Killerauri1 6 months ago
Growin up in the 50's and bein a teenager in the 60's in Canada i really didn't know there was such a thing as rasicm, i'm so thankful i didn't live in a country like the u.s.a and i'm white it's hard to believe people can be so cruel to another human being.
dictator54 6 months ago
Now that she is a gay rights advocate this song finally makes sense! you go Janis! you go New York!
bgfischer565 7 months ago 2
200povstrechnoj...I feel your pain! LOL! The oldies tell great stories.
lilacbirman 7 months ago
What a special talent. Her book of the same name as the song is also great. People like Janice set the standard for all of us.
ode2you 8 months ago
Janis is a very special and lovely singer. Great vocals.
Kumtekmeon 8 months ago
What a brave girl at the time, and thanks to the Smother's Brothers for having her on. Miss Ian, you still rock, Lady.
cyn118 8 months ago 12
@cyn118 Absolutely! Janis still rocks and folks and souls in the studio ("I Am the One," the collaboration between Janis and Sister Miriam Therese Winter) and on the road. Janis's concerts showcase her amazing guitar skills, beautiful voice and moving lyrics. As so many have noted, Ms. Ian is an American Treasure.
goneatlast 3 months ago
This was censored in New York City in the 60's....You had to go to Fm underground stations to get Ian and the "hippie" music
redonionsauce 8 months ago 2
What the world needs now is a good Social Morals artist. Enough of this Beiber, Gaga, and Gangsta garbage. How about making a statement in plain and simple english that speaks to the masses in a way that they can understand?
kthinsa 8 months ago 2
I remember hearing this song on the radio, then not hearing it on the radio, and when it disappeared it wasn't because it had run it's course. I lived in Nassau County on Long Island, NY.
usacookie 8 months ago
Such a beautiful song. I'm surprised it made it to television when it was banned from the radio. Thank you for posting it!
vonniegirl11 8 months ago 2
A beautiful woman & a great song that puts shivers on my spine.
kenbefound 9 months ago
my new love...:-)))))
guppycup 9 months ago
A REAL AMERICAN IDOL..... Period !
seekatree 9 months ago
this was her at 16?...but she is very pretty! years later when she sung at seventeen,she makes out she was a bit of a dog and it's not true at all!
jamierourketen 9 months ago 2
@tommieparch You and Janis Ian both learned the sad truth at 17,both of you = lifetime Anal Queens!!!
GeorgeCarlinAtePussy 9 months ago
@GeorgeCarlinAtePussy I'm saddened that such a low life as yourself can dessicrate a great artist as George Carlins name.
thedoorsareblue 8 months ago
I remember hearing this song as a child, I never knew Janis Ian recorded it! Damm…I always loved her vocals in this tune though I never knew the true message in the song. The first i remember knowing of her was her song "Seventeen"
FullMoonVideo 9 months ago
This song simply tries too hard to make a point. Became popular because of its polarizing message, but kind of an ordinary tune.
bailinnumberguy 9 months ago
@bailinnumberguy
Nothing ordinary about this woman! I just saw her last night in concert. She was only 14 when she recorded this song. She'd written it because she went to an all black school, except for her family and 7 other white families in E. Orange, NJ. The white parents didn't want their kids dating black kids & visa versa. She wrote it to get the whole racial thing off her chest. Not bad for a 14 year old? And they wanted her to take the word "black" out. Janis is no sell out!
pocuddm2 9 months ago
@bailinnumberguy I'll make one correction here. She was 13 when she wrote this song.
pocuddm2 9 months ago
@bailinnumberguy : This song didn't try too hard to make a point. At the time that was the point.
usacookie 8 months ago
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@bailinnumberguy : This song doesn't simply try too hard to make a point. At the time that was the point.
usacookie 8 months ago
shes beautiful and her voice is amazing!
anniew90 9 months ago 2
This is my one of my all time favorites, when those days, come back into my mind...Dan O'Niallain
oldiesbutgoodies67 9 months ago
How the F#%K do you have the ability to write such powerful music when your only 15, " when she turned and said ,but honey he's not our kind". man what an emotion
Hbon56 9 months ago
@Hbon56 Not everyone is as precocious and verbal & gifted as this woman is. And trust me, she was scared to death when she performed this song in many venues that her life was on the line. Think about it, mid 60's. Pretty little white girl singing such powerful lyrics. I heard her sing tonight & then met her and spoke with her. I can tell you that teenage girl had learned about standing up for what is right through her parents. Should we all have such wonderful teachers in our parents.
pocuddm2 9 months ago 15
wow..rare, thanks for the post, there are no words for the passion of the folk song.
so cute she is at 16..looks like a little "J- LO"
jillysworld 10 months ago
wow..rare, thanks for the post, there are no words for the passion of the folk song.
jillysworld 10 months ago
Emanon-What you live for
jeffperry420 10 months ago
#123 best songs of the 60s Janis Ian - Society's Child
zynjan 10 months ago
Takes me back to that memorable and never to be forgotten Summer of 1967 when music was at its best and all was right with the world it seemed, compared to now that is.
trinitylancer 10 months ago
@trinitylancer
I agree about the music, it was wonderful and I think the music of the 60's was some of the best ever. But all was not right with the world. Viet Nam. I had relatives there and friends, some didn't come back alive. Or they came back alive but their souls were so damaged. There just wasn't as much going on or we didn't have access to it like we do now--the Internet.Now we have bombed Libya. Maybe we should have, but we are in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya--and who knows where else.
ohthemoonandstars 10 months ago
Way ahead of it's time! Great song!
bluejazz51 10 months ago
@mtaylor848 In Janis' case, it's probably down to homophobia(she's been "out" since the Eighties or so).
KennBurch 10 months ago
@KennBurch Yeah, those were the days...11,000 American soldiers die in Vietnam...Detroit race riots...DC race riots...Newark race riots...Buffalo race riots...Tampa race riots...Minneapolis race riots...Milwaukee race riots...The Six-Day War...Israel takes Gaza, Sinai and the West Bank and displaces 300,000 Palestinians...Nigeria invades Biafra, starting a conflict that would kill 3,000,000...the Soviets and Chinese set off nukes...Oh, how I yearn for the peace and tranquility of 1967...
iknownussing 10 months ago 3
@iknownussing. Let's not forget the murder of 37 US sailors on the USS Liberty by "The Light Unto Nations"
Uncle99B 9 months ago
Variety shows were so awesome back in those days. I remember as a child the various 70s variety shows just before they started to go out of style as TV programming changed well into the 80s. I particularly liked the moving stage like the one Janis is performing on here.
Malocosa 10 months ago
Well golly. Experiencing some 60s style conflict are we?
crawfoot1 11 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
When she auditioned with this song she felt the man was not listening to her so she set on fire the newspaper that was in his hand that he was reading - VERY TRUE STORY
klekota57 11 months ago
I believe she wrote and released this song when she was 14
L1S91 11 months ago
@tommieparch You and Janis ian both "learned the truth at seventeen,that both of you would become anal queens".
YoVaginaStinks1 11 months ago
@YoVaginaStinks1 Whats wrong with you? It's people like you that have to ruin everything. One of these days you will grow up and God forbid have children. Gee they will be so proud of your username on YouTube. Real classey guy. I bet your parents are so proud.
brightchance1 11 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
@tommieparch call me again asshole the number is not disconected.
BobLemkeSuxDix 11 months ago
@BobLemkeSuxDix the pone number you left, says, wont recieve calls! liar
tommieparch 11 months ago
@rreeves70 Dont forget Brother Louie by the Stories, or Lady Marmalade .. by patti labelle
vinnieagogo 11 months ago
@rreeves70 Dont forget Brother Louie by the Stories, or Lady Marmalade ..
vinnieagogo 11 months ago
@tommieparch Lulu played the student and had a sort-of crush on the teacher played by Sidney Poitier but I took the the movie as more about a black man being accepted in a teacher/role-model position versus and real inter-racial love story...
rreeves70 11 months ago
what year was this?
EJBIII 11 months ago
My mistake - found origijnal Verve Records release date of .August 3, 1966.
billdescoteaux 11 months ago
I believe that this was aired Nov. 26, 1967. The Smothers Brothers were no strangers to controversy, so this song was a natural to be featured. It was originally recorded in late 1965, when she was only 14. After a few attempts at a national release, that finally in Sept. 1966. But at that time no radio station would touch it. However, over the next year attitudes got more tolerant, and the song would finally hit the top twenty in the Spring of '67. It would reach #1 in some localities.
billdescoteaux 11 months ago
Wooow! Gives me goospimples! I bought the record when I was 11 or 12, and listened to it every night for a very loooong time.... Here I actually see her perform for the first time, and it just brings everything back! And here I am in an old house in the Swedish woods, already a grandmother. Feels weird to feel like a teenager again!
renvaja 11 months ago
This song is beautiful.Yes it was banned in many states at the time it was receiving airplay in Los Angeles. Ironically the banning process served to help popularize and elevate the song even more. The quickest way to make something even more popular is to ban it. The fools never learn. Madonna actually thanked the Catholic church for banning her book "Sex". She made millions after that.
valleyofgalon 11 months ago
@rreeves70 Hi, thanks for your reply. I know it wasn't a movie song, but I'm sure I have seen it in a movie and was curious. Fantastic voice and song. It seems that they truly don't write them like they used to. Cheers mate
R0ckers2R0ckers 11 months ago
@R0ckers2R0ckers It has a the whole plot line for a movie though! And I do admit in could have been used in some obscure movie but I did search and cannot find any record of one or remember any - and I see a lot of movies. Great song!
rreeves70 11 months ago
Still a beautiful song after all these years. I loved it when I was young and now I've discovered YouTube I get to revisit all the songs I loved. Thank you for posting this - you made my day.
TheGingerbelle 1 year ago
This song brought tears to my eyes when it first came out and after all these years my eyes still get misty.
iamtalamox 1 year ago
she was ahead of her time , blacks were poor back then, now all famous black guys have white gals & no,one complains. wat race is obama!
tommieparch 1 year ago
@tommieparch You're BEHIND your time. And you have no reason to be that obsessed with what Obama's race is.
You lost in 1964. Get over it and move on already. It's a Rainbow world and we're better for that.
KennBurch 10 months ago
what a gorgeous voice
R0ckers2R0ckers 1 year ago
So many songs from the 60's dealt with pointing out the ills of society and the hypocrisies of the day. They informed and enlightened the young people of that generation towards improving the world around them.
Sad to see the politics of our day promoting intolerance and violence.
Society's Child was banned in many states when it was first released. Still haunting.
Abrown465 1 year ago 24
@Abrown465 How perfectly stated! I was one of those "young people" who was tremendously affected by the songs of my generation to try and "improve the world"---and I still try to do so. I also completely agree with your comment on our present-day politics....
mph611 1 year ago 3
@Abrown465 Not only banned, but, in at least one state, a disc jockey was beaten just for PLAYING it.
KennBurch 10 months ago
@Abrown465 I remember this song so well...I was that girl in the song....but it never stopped me.
msrew53 8 months ago
Simply stunning.
ModGirl1967 1 year ago
incredible performance
Rawego 1 year ago
I would give anything for my generation to know great music like this but instead their infatuated with songs that are catchy but have no real worth or message. Whats wrong with the world today that crap like Ke$ha and Miley Cyrus sells!
EmeraldRain13 1 year ago 6
this is amazing. what a text, what a melody, what a look......
cathrinerainbow 1 year ago
It's not fair... people in the 60's had artists like Janis Ian and Joni Mitchell while we have Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. How things have changed.
200povstrechnoj 1 year ago 123
@200povstrechnoj Yeh there's no honesty in any of the performers.
capablemachine 1 year ago
@200povstrechnoj The artists today don't always have quality material to work with. Today its more show bizeee, and slick production than quality of music.
bandibreath 1 year ago 2
@200povstrechnoj
We still have WONDERFUL musicians nowadays... you just have to search for them!
JeanVe 10 months ago 3
@200povstrechnoj yeah, these days' songs have their own feelings but they're too funky to touch your heart
ReminiscenceS2 10 months ago
@200povstrechnoj I feel for you:) I was there and we had Otis Redding, Beatles, sweet baby James Taylor ..
oh yeah then those Aretha/Gladlys alien people..Motown It was the best and we had no idea it would go away. but..the pendulum swings
1233rosie 9 months ago
@200povstrechnoj cannot agree anymore i hate being affliliated to a generation that thinks that justin biber is the next "micheal jackson" its ridicules how they think that thats music? when what real music is deep and meaningfull and not just an anoying catchy track.. aka ïts friday"
chessnuts101 9 months ago 2
@200povstrechnoj I think it's because the star-maker machinery operates much better now.
chantalbernard 9 months ago
@200povstrechnoj Instead of complaining, inspire and support indie artists of equivalent talent, and teach your children not to listen to the pop crap...and if you're a teen yourself, make music that matters and don't accept big dollars and auto-tune as your only way of making a statement.
ryanexpress34 9 months ago
@200povstrechnoj there is and has been always crap in every generation!
hippojuice23 8 months ago
@200povstrechnoj You have no idea about how good the 60's really was. I lived through it and it was without a doubt the best time of my life. I went to Nam during that time (65-6) which screwed the whole thing up. All in all, I would do it all again. My I-tunes collection from that era is outstanding.
Hipshot60 7 months ago
@Hipshot60
Glad you made it out of there, hipshot.
BetamaxBabe 7 months ago
@200povstrechnoj The difference between the 60s and now is like the difference between night and day.
ronnyl2 6 months ago
that look down thing kills me.........
swishersweetz 1 year ago
I would play this song over and over and over ! my mother finally lost it !! lol
jodester123 1 year ago
She was so ahead of her time, Ed Sullivan was reluctant to put her on his show, for political reasons !
She was only 16 and Awesome !
TheFishMiester 1 year ago
Fifty billion points of white hot light........
swishersweetz 1 year ago
It pains me to think that people have never heard of Janis Ian. I know she wasn't HUGE in the musical world compared to others who got a lot more play time on the radio but man, she put out some great music.
msonj 1 year ago
I can`t believe she wrote this at the age of 13.
flescum 1 year ago 3
Fooking great its my first time i have hurd this song or evan this artist, the powers in the music industry needs to find this girl and give her a chance to become a star
MrDillonDog69ER 1 year ago
@MrDillonDog69ER Trust me, they did. She was HUGE in early 70's . .see "At Seventeen" It was a 'fooking' anthem for some .. .. .
crazycrow76 1 year ago
@MrDillonDog69ER she was a star when this song was out. She's an old lady now.
lasktguy 1 year ago
@lasktguy she's 62. That's not old.
KennBurch 10 months ago
@KennBurch you're absolutely right. Iwas just thinking of it as in that's a good 20 or 30 years older then a whole lot of the people who come here.
lasktguy 10 months ago
May race one day be a non-existent four-letter word.
JosephDillon57 1 year ago
I cannot understand the Racist in the world....
Guess, I was very lucky to have good and loving parents...
Welcomed my Indian wife with open arms...
Dad saying, "Ripper great, I now have a Daughter"...
Ken69a 1 year ago 2
@Ken69a You've seen that episode of star trek with the half white and black people. It's the same everywhere.
capablemachine 1 year ago
@capablemachine Yes, I have seen it. The sad thing is, you are right.
Ken69a 1 year ago
I was about 7 when this song came out. It was a big deal then. In this day and age, the younger generation are more progressive than back in the late mid60s to the 80s. You see a lot of mixed couples now.
StreetCornerMemories 1 year ago
FUCK the 16 who dislike this song!
KrisHoppz88 1 year ago 5
MY FATHER BOUGHT ME A GUITAR AFTER SEEING HER...HE HAD SUCH HOPES. EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE I NEED TO LISTEN TO THIS. LOVE IT.
evonneaccristo 1 year ago
God I love this song. Not only the words but the way they are presented is beautiful.
Fas6pa 1 year ago 26
Boatloads of courage to record/release this in the middle of the 1960s. Bravo, Janis!
hbailen 1 year ago 3
I haven't heard this song in seveal years, I wasn't sure who did it but I'v always loved it.
skin5011 1 year ago
I remember my friend Patty Harvey had to explain this to me that Janis was singing about her boyfriend who was black ! Egads! for 1965/66 this was NOT the norm at the Jersey Shore! We loved the song, but were only kids of 11 or 12. Young and younger!
oogaachaka 1 year ago
@oogaachaka Actually, the song was not something Janis personally experienced (and her sweet mother Pearl would never have turned the boy away) Janis wrote it in response to what she was seeing in the world around her during the civil rights movement, but it was not something she experienced. However, she got tons of death threats and hate mail and was boo'd off the stage by a bunch of a-holes chanting "Ni@@er Lover". But she returned to the stage and faced them down.
She was & is amazing.
hotheadpaisen 1 year ago 6
16 southies watched this!
simouny 1 year ago
One of the best songs ever recorded...period!!!!
ansonia1976 1 year ago
This was heavy stuff back then
Joeyland 1 year ago
@Joeyland heavy stuff ? you mean beautiful
makaveli237 1 year ago
@Joeyland heavy stuff ? you mean beautiful ?
makaveli237 1 year ago
This song changed my outlook on alot of things when I was young
xcellant 1 year ago
Great post. Thanks. The person directing the camera angle has got to be given a lot of credit for moving her behind the stage piller at the end just as the organ hits the final notes. Fracturings on many levels during the 60s.
poundandeliot 1 year ago
I never heard of Janis Ian in the 60's--DH had to read her autobiography when it came out--what a musical genius! Very much lost in the crowd of the 60's and definitely should not have been!
ladyeulailia 1 year ago
Interesting lyrics but I never really liked the tune.
DURound 1 year ago
I love Janis with all my heart she sings of realy life and speaks only truth I got to see her 2 years ago for my 17th birthday and loved her in concert.
penguinokelsey 1 year ago
I still have this record (45) and just about wore it out playing it. There was only AM radio back then and I remember it being banned from being played due to the content. We have come a long way from the 60's.! So happy to see that Janis received the recognition she deserved. Beautiful but such a sad song.
cattrac 1 year ago
A very Heavy album for a 16 year old in 1967, at 15 listening to it my room, I wasn't sure about much, but I realized that THIS GIRL HAD GUTS, (and a boatload of talent.) ..that Hammond Organ puts the exclamation point on it doesn't it?
thanksforthemusic 1 year ago 3
This really is the saddest song and SO beautiful! Amazing job!
Dasprite222 1 year ago