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.
The Come On
Janis Ian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know it ain't easy making me smile
Friends have their lovers, men on a string
There must be something terribly wrong with me
How do you do? Would you like to be friends?
No, I just want a bed for the night
Someone to tell me they care
You can fake it, that's all right
In the morning I won't be here
It's a sacrificial alter and I'm laying down my head
And I'm telling you upfront I haven't much to give
Is that how it's done or shall I sing and dance?
Give me a chance
How do you do? Do you want to be friends?
Yes, that might be very nice, maybe we'll fall in love
Everybody has it's price
Mine is yours for free if you'll be in love with me
I haven't been loved by a man in quite a while
You know it ain't easy making me smile
All my friends have their lovers, they've got men on a string
There must be something terribly wrong with me
How do you do? Would you like to be friends?
The lyrics of Janis Ian's "The Come On" express a sense of loneliness and longing for connection. The singer of the song seems to be struggling with the fact that she hasn't been in a relationship for a while and is feeling left behind as her friends have found love. The repetition of the line "There must be something terribly wrong with me" suggests a deep-seated insecurity and lack of self-worth.
The singer's approach to finding a connection is decidedly pragmatic and transactional. She proposes a simple exchange: she just wants someone to spend the night with and tell her they care, even if it's not genuine. She acknowledges that her offer is not much, and wonders whether it's enough to attract someone. The repeated refrain of "How do you do? Would you like to be friends?" and the shifting between first and third person ("No, I just want a bed for the night" and "Give me a chance") suggest that she is trying on different personas and approaches to find the right way to connect with someone.
In the end, the singer seems to settle for the possibility of falling in love, even if it's not entirely genuine or authentic. The line "Everybody has its price / Mine is yours for free if you'll be in love with me" suggests that she's willing to give up something (perhaps her sense of self or autonomy) to find the connection she's craving.
Line by Line Meaning
I haven't been loved by a man in quite a while
I haven't been in a romantic relationship with a man for a long time
You know it ain't easy making me smile
It's difficult to make me happy or bring me joy
Friends have their lovers, men on a string
My female friends have men who are devoted to them and always available
There must be something terribly wrong with me
I feel like there's something unappealing or imperfect about me that makes me unlovable
Sometimes I feel like I haven't learned anything
I feel like I haven't grown or developed as a person despite my experiences
How do you do? Would you like to be friends?
Hello, would you like to hang out and get to know each other?
No, I just want a bed for the night
No thanks, I'm only interested in a place to sleep
Someone to tell me they care
I want someone to express affection and concern for me
You can fake it, that's all right
It's okay if you don't truly care, just pretend to make me feel better
In the morning I won't be here
I won't stick around, this is a one-night-only deal
It's a sacrificial alter and I'm laying down my head
This situation feels like a sacrifice on my part, I'm giving up something to be here
And I'm telling you upfront I haven't much to give
I'm being honest that I don't have much to offer in this situation
Is that how it's done or shall I sing and dance?
Is this how casual hookups work or do I need to put on a show to make it happen?
Give me a chance
Please consider spending time with me and getting to know me
Yes, that might be very nice, maybe we'll fall in love
Sure, that sounds pleasant, perhaps we'll develop romantic feelings for each other
Everybody has it's price
Everyone has certain things they desire or want in exchange for something else
Mine is yours for free if you'll be in love with me
If you're willing to love me, I'll happily give you what you want without expecting anything in return
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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