November 1, 2026 – I remember “At Seventeen” one of the best, universally relatable, songs ever recorded. I heard it often in my head. I also remember “Society's Child,” but was not really aware of the major controversy about it. I knew that singer-songwriter Janis Ian was very young when she recorded her first hit, but I didn't know just how young she was, or anything else about her remarkable life.

I got caught up on all that that by watching the documentary, “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence,” directed by Varda Bar-Kar (“Big Voice”) which gives voice to her life and music. It turns out there is a lot more to the music and life of Janis Ian than I knew, and it is worth knowing. This is part of the American Masters series on PBS and is available on PBS Passport.

It turns out Janis Ian was a child prodigy, who started playing the piano at age two (at her own request) and started writing her first hit song, “Society's Child,” when she was only 13 years old. Little did she know that song, about an interracial relationship, would be so controversial no radio station would play it. I still can't believe that. It's crazy. The song finally got some playtime after Leonard Bernstein featured Ian, then 16, and her song, on a CBS musical TV documentary he was hosting in 1967.

As with many child stars, Ian became addicted to drugs, and was victimized by a corrupt money manager, causing her to go broke at one point. She had a tumultuous love life with both men and women. One of the craziest, most harrowing experiences of her life came when her husband held on gun on her for seven hours, threatening to shoot her. Ian said she could not feel safe after that, until the man finally died.

When she was broke, she went to Nashville to start over, hooking up with singer-songwriter Kye Flemming to write songs that would eventually be covered by Amy Grant and Bette Midler. Two of her most covered songs are “At Seventeen” and “Stars,” inspired by Don McLean's “Vincent (Starry Starry Night).” that song has been covered by Joan Baez, Shirley Bassey, Cher and Nina Simone. Other songs written by Ian, including “Jesse,” “In the Winter” and “Sweet Misery,” have also been covered by numerous artists.

In the documentary, Ian says song writing is a kind of therapy for her. She has been writing songs almost continuously for decades, while vocal chord scarring has curtailed her ability to sing in recent years. She came out as a lesbian with the release of her 1993 album “Breaking Silence” (hence the title of this movie) and married longtime companion Patricia Snyder in Toronto in 2003.

The documentary features numerous interviews with Ian's contemporaries, including Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Lily Tomlin and others. She was also a contemporary of Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. The movie includes a lot of archival footage, but also some reenactments, and even some animation. This is an utterly American story about a girl who grew up on a chicken farm and ended up on concert stages all over the world due to determination and an bottomless well of talent. This movie rates a B+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff (no extra charges apply). I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2026 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at