Born Janis Eddy Fink on 7th April 1951 to a Jewish family in New York City, she was primarily raised in New Jersey, initially on a farm, and attended East Orange High School and the New York City High School of Music & Art. Her parents, Victor (a music teacher) and Pearl, ran a summer camp in upstate New York, and, in that Cold War era, were frequently under government surveillance because of their left-wing politics. (Ian alluded to these years later in her song "God and the FBI"). Young Janis admired the work of folk pioneers such as Joan Baez and Odetta. At the age of twelve, Ian wrote her first song, "Hair of Spun Gold", which was subsequently published in the folk publication Broadside and was later recorded for her debut album.
At the age of thirteen she legally changed her name to Janis Ian, using as her new last name her brother Eric's middle name. Also in that year, Ian wrote and sang her first hit single, "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)", about an interracial romance forbidden by a girl's mother and frowned upon by her peers and teachers; the girl ultimately decides to end the relationship, claiming the social norms of the day have left her no other choice. Produced by George "Shadow" Morton and released three times between 1965 and 1967, "Society's Child" finally became a national hit on its third release, after Leonard Bernstein featured it in a television special: Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution. The song's content was taboo for some radio stations, and they withdrew or banned it from their playlists; in her 2008 autobiography Society's Child, Ian recalls receiving hate mail and death threats as a response to the song, and mentions that a radio station in Atlanta that played it was burned down. In the summer of 1967, "Society's Child" reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her most successful single in the United States was "At Seventeen", released in 1975, a bittersweet commentary on adolescent cruelty, the illusion of popularity, and teenage angst, as reflected upon from the perspective of a twenty-four-year-old. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. It won the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female. The song's album, Between the Lines, reached number one on Billboard's Album chart. It was quickly certified gold, and later earned a platinum certification for sales of over a million copies sold in the U.S.
Ian finally became one of the first "indie artists", resurfacing in 1993, with the worldwide release of Breaking Silence and its title song about incest. She also came out as a lesbian with that release. Her most recent album, Folk Is the New Black, was released in 2006; it is the first in over twenty years for which she did all the songwriting herself.
Dance with Me
Janis Ian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I went dancing in the streets
With the corpse of my dead brother
To the sacrificial beat
The Boy Scouts and the Legionnaires
Came home from overseas
Singing Glory Hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah
I've never been
In the whole of my life
An intelligent sacrifice
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Give me a reason
To go on believing
And I'm ready
To pay the price
I heard of a plan
In the president's mansion
(High up in the sky)
It called for a sacrifice
And my brother paid the price
Sent him home in a bag,
The American flag
Was draped around the box
And the coffin lid was locked
And the note said Thanks a lot
Come and dance with me
Come and dance with me
I'm home from overseas
I'm a corpse up to my knees
Celebrate the victory
Do you want to dance
And hold me tight?
I'm feeling most diseased
And I need your company
Come and dance
Come and dance, come and dance
I'm home from overseas
And I need your company
Celebrate the victory
Would you like to dance
And hold me tight?
I'm feeling most diseased
But I'm easier to please
Come and dance, come and dance
The song "Dance With Me" by Janis Ian is a hauntingly beautiful piece that depicts the aftermath of war and the sacrifices made by those who fought in it. In the first verse, the singer is seen dancing in the streets after the war is over, holding the corpse of her dead brother to the beat of the sacrificial music. The Boy Scouts and the Legionnaires return, singing "Glory Hallelujah!" to the beat that resembles the swank Gestapo beat. The lyrics highlight the gruesome realities of war and how it leaves deep wounds that never truly heal.
In the second verse, the song talks about a plan that was made in the president's mansion. The plan called for a sacrifice and the singer's brother is the one who paid the ultimate price. He was sent home in a bag, draped in the American flag. The coffin lid was locked, and a note that says "Thanks a lot" is attached to it. The lyrics convey a deep sense of loss and heartbreak.
The refrain serves as an invitation to dance, to celebrate the victory, and to remember the sacrifices made by those who fought for it. The singer pleads with the listener to dance with her, to hold her tight, and to provide her with the company she desperately needs. The lyrics call for a sense of community and togetherness, highlighting the importance of human connection and empathy. Overall, the song is a powerful account of the horrors of war and its lasting impact on those who were involved in it.
Line by Line Meaning
And when the war was over
After the war was finished
I went dancing in the streets
I celebrated wildly
With the corpse of my dead brother
While carrying my dead younger sibling's body
To the sacrificial beat
To the beat of a heavy drum that symbolizes the sacrifices made in the war
The Boy Scouts and the Legionnaires
The military and youth organizations
Came home from overseas
Returned from serving abroad
Singing Glory Hallelujah!
Praising their victory with religious fervor
To the swank Gestapo beat
To a beat similar to the Nazi regime
Hallelujah, hallelujah
A repeated exclamation of praise
I've never been
I have not yet been
In the whole of my life
Throughout my entire existence
An intelligent sacrifice
A justified sacrifice
Give me a reason
Provide me with a just cause
To go on believing
To continue to have faith
And I'm ready
I am prepared
To pay the price
To accept the consequences
I heard of a plan
I learned of a scheme
In the president's mansion
In the home of the head of state
(High up in the sky)
(Up in the air)
It called for a sacrifice
It required a sacrifice
And my brother paid the price
And my brother made the ultimate sacrifice
Sent him home in a bag,
Sent his remains home in a bag
The American flag
The symbol of the United States
Was draped around the box
Covered the box that held his body
And the coffin lid was locked
The lid of his coffin was shut and locked
And the note said Thanks a lot
And a message expressed gratitude for his sacrifice
Come and dance with me
Dance with me
Come and dance with me
Dance with me
I'm home from overseas
I returned from abroad
I'm a corpse up to my knees
I am nearly dead
Celebrate the victory
Honor the success of our country
Do you want to dance
Do you feel like dancing
And hold me tight?
And embrace me closely
I'm feeling most diseased
I'm feeling very ill
And I need your company
And I require your presence
Come and dance
Join me in dancing
Come and dance, come and dance
Join me in dancing
Contributed by Alex Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Husam Madanat
A great and very beautiful song. It is sad that very few people know about it , or hear it.
Karen Adkins
This entire album was fabulous! I was feeling nostalgic tonight, so I looked some of my favorite songs from my youth.
Husam Madanat
A great song.
Daniel Mcdowell
The guy that wrote a comment in front of me has it right.
Scott Goldman
The guy that wrote a comment in front of me about the comment in front of him has it right as well
Husam Madanat
A great song.