Editing At Seventeen

{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = At Seventeen
| cover      = AtSeventeenJanisIanSingleCover.jpg
| alt        = An image of a woman showing her teeth with a finger on her lips while looking to the camera. She has large, curly hair. The words "Janis Ian", "At Seventeen" and "Stars" are placed over the image in the same font and black color. Words about the record company are also included.
| caption    = Artwork for the US vinyl single
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Janis Ian]]
| album      = [[Between the Lines (Janis Ian album)|Between the Lines]]
| B-side     = {{Flat list|
* "Stars"
* "Applause"
}}
| released   = July 1975
| recorded   = September 17, 1974
| studio     = [[914 Sound Studios]]
| venue      =
| genre      = *[[Pop music|Pop]]
*[[soft rock]]
| length     = 4:43 (Album version)<br>3:56 (Remix Single version)
| label      = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| writer     = [[Janis Ian]]
| producer   = Brooks Arthur
| prev_title = When the Party's Over
| prev_year  = 1975
| next_title = In the Winter
| next_year  = 1975
}}

"'''At Seventeen'''" is a song by American singer-songwriter [[Janis Ian]] from her seventh studio album [[Between the Lines (Janis Ian album)|''Between the Lines'']]. [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] released it in July 1975 as the album's second single. Ian wrote the lyrics on the basis of a ''[[New York Times]]'' article and used a [[samba]] instrumental, and Brooks Arthur produced the final version. A [[Pop music|pop]] and [[soft rock]] ballad, the song is about a social outcast in [[High school (North America)|high school]]. Critics have regarded "At Seventeen" as a type of [[anthem]]. Despite her initial reluctance to perform the single live, Ian promoted it at various appearances and it has been included on [[Compilation album|compilation]] and [[live album]]s.

Critics praised "At Seventeen", which earned Ian the [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]], and Grammy nominations for [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record]] and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]. The single reached number three on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart, and had sold over a million copies as of August 2004. Internationally, "At Seventeen" charted in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. It is one of Ian's most commercially successful songs, considered by critics her [[signature song]]. "At Seventeen" has been used frequently in television and films, like ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and ''[[Mean Girls]]''; it has also been referenced in literature. Various recording artists and musicians, including [[Anita Kerr]], [[Jann Arden]], and [[Celine Dion]], have covered "At Seventeen". The Hong Kong [[all-female band]] [[at17]] named themselves after it in 2002.

==Background and recording==
"At Seventeen" was written by [[Janis Ian]] at the age of 23 and produced by Brooks Arthur.<ref name="Sarah3" /><ref name="Source000000" /> She was inspired to write the single after reading a ''[[New York Times]]'' article about a young woman who thought her life would improve after a [[debutante ball]] and her subsequent disappointment when it did not.<ref name="Source2" /><ref name="Book1">[[#Ian2008|Ian (2008)]]: pp. 152-155</ref> In the article the girl was 18, but Ian changed it to 17 to fit with her [[samba]] guitar instrumental.<ref name="Book1" /> She recalled feeling uncomfortable while writing "At Seventeen" as it predated the confessional song trend of the 1970s.<ref name="Source2" /> She was also uncertain about writing about [[High school (North America)|high school]] when she had never experienced a [[homecoming]] or a [[prom]].<ref name="Book1" /> She said she purposely took her time with the song to ensure it did not lose its "intensity";<ref name="Book1" /> she repeatedly stopped and started work on it over the course of three months.<ref name="Source2" /><ref name="ThreeMonths1">{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1830208-2,00.html|title=Janis Ian|last=Sachs|first=Andrea|date=August 7, 2008|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314034142/http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1830208-2,00.html|archive-date=March 14, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> At the time, she was living with her mother.<ref name="Book1" />

During the recording process, which Ian described as "very tense", she worried she had accidentally stolen the [[melody]] from a different song and consulted three friends about it. Arthur described the song as "just honest and straight from her heart", and felt it was different from [[Folk music|folk]] or [[pop music]]. He said Ian was easy to work with as she had prepared by bringing lyric sheets and arrangements to the studio sessions.<ref name="Source2" /> Arthur and Ian had worked together on her 1966 single "[[Society's Child]]", during which they formed a close friendship.<ref name="mix" /> "At Seventeen" was completed in roughly two or three days at [[914 Sound Studios]];<ref name="Source2" /><ref name="mix" /> it was recorded on September 17, 1974.<ref name="Book12">[[At Seventeen#Sullivan2013|Sullivan (2013)]]: p. 794</ref> The final version contains two combined takes, as the initial ending was deemed too weak compared to its start. [[Allen Klein]] listened in during a session and responded positively to the song.<ref name="Source2">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/may/29/how-we-made-janis-ian-at-seventeen|title=How we made Janis Ian's At Seventeen|last=Sullivan|first=Caroline|date=May 29, 2018|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017222600/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/may/29/how-we-made-janis-ian-at-seventeen|archive-date=October 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Brooks Arthur, Larry Alexander, and Russ Payne were the [[audio engineer]]s for "At Seventeen".<ref name="Source000000" />

==Composition and lyrics==
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|title = "At Seventeen"
|description = Critics have described "At Seventeen" as [[bossa nova]],<ref name="mix" /><ref name="TheNewYorkTimesSource22" /> [[pop rock]], [[jazz]], and [[blues]].<ref name="SourceAllMusic1" /> Ian originally wrote the song while playing a [[samba]] instrumental on her guitar.<ref name="Book1" />
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"At Seventeen" is composed in the [[Key (music)|key]] of [[C major]] using [[common time]] and a moderate [[tempo]] of 126&nbsp;beats per minute. Instrumentation is provided by a piano and a guitar. During the track, Ian's [[vocal range]] spans from the low note of G<sub>3</sub> to the high note of A{{music|b}}<sub>4</sub>.<ref name="Source1">{{cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0063878&intcmp=Recommended|title=Digital Sheet Music, Janis Ian 'At Seventeen'|date=March 25, 2008 |publisher=Musicnotes.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206052952/https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0063878&intcmp=Recommended|archive-date=December 6, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Some commentators connected the song to [[bossa nova]].<ref name="mix" /><ref name="TheNewYorkTimesSource22">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/07/archives/janis-iansocietys-child-grows-up.html|title=Janis Ian—Society's Child Grows Up|last=Lissner|first=John|date=December 7, 1975|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211071144/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/07/archives/janis-iansocietys-child-grows-up.html|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Mix (magazine)|''Mix'']] magazine's Gary Eskow cited Ian's style as the opposite of [[Antônio Carlos Jobim]]'s because she "explore[d] the belly of the [[Bossa nova|bossa]], the flip side of [[The Girl from Ipanema|Ipanema]]".<ref name="mix" /> John Lissner of ''The New York Times'' referred to the instrumental as having a "laid-back bossa nova beat" and [[ostinato]].<ref name="TheNewYorkTimesSource22" /> On the other hand, [[AllMusic]]{{'}}s Lindsay Planer referred to "At Seventeen" as a mixture of [[pop rock]], [[jazz]], and [[blues]],<ref name="SourceAllMusic1">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/between-the-lines-mw0000190365|title=AllMusic Review by Lindsay Planer|last=Planer|first=Lindsay|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917002650/http://www.allmusic.com/album/between-the-lines-mw0000190365|archive-date=September 17, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and music scholar James E. Perone associated it more with jazz and a "coffeehouse folksinger" approach.<ref name="Book7">[[#Perone2012|Perone (2012)]]: p. 45</ref> Perone described the song's style as more restrained compared to Ian's contemporaries.<ref name="Book7" /> A writer for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine associated "At Seventeen" with "sulk-pop".<ref name="RS2Source">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/love-me-two-times-20-greatest-two-hit-wonders-of-all-time-12752/12-janis-ian-223310/|title=Love Me Two Times: 20 Greatest Two-Hit Wonders of All Time|date=March 31, 2014|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211002049/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/love-me-two-times-20-greatest-two-hit-wonders-of-all-time-12752/12-janis-ian-223310/|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

"At Seventeen" is a pop<ref name="RS2Source"/> and [[soft rock]] ballad about being a social outcast in high school,<ref name="Outcast1">{{cite web|url=https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2018/04/08/review-mean-girls-at-the-august-wilson-theatre/|title=Review: 'Mean Girls' at the August Wilson Theatre|last=Miller|first=Deb|date=April 8, 2018|publisher=DC Metro Theater Arts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207035456/https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2018/04/08/review-mean-girls-at-the-august-wilson-theatre/|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="SoftRockSource1">{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Arts-and-Culture/Music/At-60-Janis-Ian-is-no-longer-lonely|title='At 60,' Janis Ian is no longer lonely|last=Brinn|first=David|date=January 4, 2012|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310205238/http://www.jpost.com/Arts-and-Culture/Music/At-60-Janis-Ian-is-no-longer-lonely|archive-date=March 10, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> particularly with respect to adolescent cruelty and rejection.<ref name="SourceLyrics">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/08/arts/music/review-janis-ian-singer-of-at-seventeen-now-at-64-and-in-solo-concert.html|title=Review: Janis Ian, Singer of 'At Seventeen,' Now at 64 and in Solo Concert|last=Holden|first=Stephen|date=February 7, 2016|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211142036/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/08/arts/music/review-janis-ian-singer-of-at-seventeen-now-at-64-and-in-solo-concert.html|archive-date=February 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="SourceBallad">{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/at-seventeen-janis-ian-had-much-to-say-she-still-does-1.1091401|title=At seventeen Janis Ian had much to say – she still does|date=August 9, 2002|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207014018/https://www.irishtimes.com/business/at-seventeen-janis-ian-had-much-to-say-she-still-does-1.1091401|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The lyrics focus on the conflict between cliques as represented by the contrast of "ravaged faces" and "clear-skinned smiles".<ref name="Media2">{{cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2014/04/30/real-janis-ian-mean-girls/#XmQZWzqvFiqk|title=Mean Girls and Beauty Queens: An Ode to the Real Janis Ian|last=Catcher|first=Jessica|date=April 30, 2014|publisher=[[Mashable]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203143232/https://mashable.com/2014/04/30/real-janis-ian-mean-girls/#XmQZWzqvFiqk|archive-date=December 3, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The song opens with the line "I learned the truth at seventeen, that love was meant for beauty queens".<ref name="Source1" /> The narrator reveals in the third [[Verse (music)|verse]] that she finds herself unattractive ("Those of us with ravaged faces"), but later provides a more hopeful outlook through an "[[The Ugly Duckling|Ugly Duckling]]" allusion ("Ugly duckling girls like me").<ref name="Source2" /> Ian said "The Ugly Duckling" lyric was partially inspired by [[Billie Holiday]], who described her music as always containing a sense of hope. Ian wrote the last verse ("To those of us who knew the pain / of valentines that never came") to connect directly with the listener.<ref name="Book1" /> Other lyrics include home-staying social outcasts' [[pastime]]s like "cheat ourselves at [[Solitaire (game)|solitaire]]/inventing lovers on the phone/[[repent]]ing our lives unknown",<ref name="PeopleSource1">{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/janis-ian-reemerges-to-sing-of-societys-other-children-the-sexually-abused-vol-26-no-12/|title=Janis Ian Reemerges to Sing of Society's Other Children—the Sexually Abused|last=Armstrong|first=Lois|date=September 22, 1986|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211184005/https://people.com/archive/janis-ian-reemerges-to-sing-of-societys-other-children-the-sexually-abused-vol-26-no-12/|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and remembering "The valentines I never knew/the Friday night charades of youth."<ref name="ValentinesDayLyricsSource1">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/feb/12/valentines-day-is-divisive-in-a-way-love-isnt-meant-to-be|title=Valentine's Day is divisive in a way love isn't meant to be|last=Lott|first=Tim|date=February 12, 2016|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228021727/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/feb/12/valentines-day-is-divisive-in-a-way-love-isnt-meant-to-be|archive-date=December 28, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Some commentators viewed "At Seventeen" as a type of [[anthem]].<ref name="SourceLesbianAnthem" /><ref name="Etheridge1" /><ref name="SourceNPR" /> [[Melissa Etheridge]] and [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']]'s Patrick Crowley interpreted the song as a [[gay anthem]].<ref name="SourceLesbianAnthem">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8462023/brandi-carlile-pride-month-playlist|title=Brandi Carlile's Pride Month Playlist: Emily Saliers, Culture Club, Janis Ian & More|last=Crowley|first=Patrick|date=June 21, 2018|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207032311/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8462023/brandi-carlile-pride-month-playlist|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Etheridge1">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n2QEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Between+the+Lines%22+%22Janis+Ian%22&pg=PT8|title=The Best Revenge|last=Etheridge|first=Melissa|date=June 13, 1995|work=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208035116/https://books.google.com/books?id=n2QEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT8&dq=%22Between+the+Lines%22+%22Janis+Ian%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGlNeJp4_fAhVvm-AKHZE4DgUQ6AEIQjAF#v=onepage&q=%22At%20Seventeen%22&f=false|archive-date=December 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Crowley equated the awkwardness described in the lyrics to the confusion over one's [[sexual orientation]].<ref name="SourceLesbianAnthem" /> Etheridge interpreted the line ("I learned the truth at seventeen") as discovering one's [[homosexuality]]. Ian has said she was initially surprised at the [[LGBT]] support given to the song.<ref name="Etheridge1" /> [[NPR]] included "At Seventeen" in its 2018 series on American anthems.<ref name="SourceNPR">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/07/03/625369721/american-anthems-the-songs-that-unite-us|title=American Anthems: The Songs That Unite Us|last1=Boilen|first1=Bob|last2=Hilton|first2=Robin|date=July 3, 2018|publisher=[[NPR]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111232556/https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/07/03/625369721/american-anthems-the-songs-that-unite-us|archive-date=November 11, 2018|url-status=live|last3=Blair|first3=Elizabeth|last4=Zhang|first4=Catherine|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Release and promotion==

===Release===
Ian's manager and [[CBS]] felt the song was too long, and CBS was uncertain how to market a song with so many lyrics.<ref name="Source2" /> Producer Herb Gart had suggested that "When the Party's Over" be released as the [[lead single]] from Ian's seventh studio album [[Between the Lines (Janis Ian album)|''Between the Lines'']] rather than "At Seventeen". He reasoned that radio personalities would choose "At Seventeen" as the better single and feel smarter than the record label.<ref name="Book2" /> Alternatively, Arthur thought "When the Party's Over" was a more appropriate choice.<ref name="mix" /> Gart asked radio stations to play only the first sixty seconds of "At Seventeen" followed by an advertisement for the song to encourage people to call in and request the rest. Ian said that Gart's promotional strategies were successful.<ref name="Book2">[[#Ian2008|Ian (2008)]]: p. 163</ref>

"At Seventeen" was first released in July 1975.<ref name="Newspaper1">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/260795725/|title=Tier Toppers|date=July 26, 1975|work=[[Press & Sun-Bulletin]]|access-date=July 28, 2019|location=[[Binghamton, New York]]|via=[[Ancestry.com#Newspapers.com|Newspapers.com]]}} {{subscription required}}</ref> It was made available as a [[7 inch|7 inch single]] on November 20, 1976, through [[Columbia Records|Columbia]];<ref name="SourceAllMusic2">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/at-seventeen-mw0000414962/releases|title=Releases|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207013443/https://www.allmusic.com/album/at-seventeen-mw0000414962/releases|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> "Stars" and "Applause" were used as [[B-side]]s on two separate single releases.<ref name="Stars1">{{cite book|title=At seventeen ; / Stars|publisher=[[WorldCat]]|oclc = 804606254|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="NewZealand1">{{cite web|url=https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Janis+Ian&titel=At+Seventeen&cat=s|title=Janis Ian|publisher=[[Official New Zealand Music Chart]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708220938/https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Janis+Ian&titel=At+Seventeen&cat=s|archive-date=July 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The album version was four minutes and forty-three seconds long,<ref name="SourceAllMusic1" /> and the single version was cut down to three minutes and fifty-six seconds.<ref name="NewZealand1" /> On February 14, 1977, ([[Valentine's Day]]), Ian was sent 461 Valentine's Day cards in reference to the lyric ("Of valentines that never came").<ref name="Book4">[[#Symons2015|Symons (2015)]]: p. 8</ref> She has subsequently included "At Seventeen" on [[compilation album]]s.<ref>
"At Seventeen" has been included on several compilation albums. Below are a few examples:
* {{cite book|title=The essential Janis Ian.|publisher=[[WorldCat]]|oclc = 429041639|df=mdy-all}}
* {{cite book|title=The very best of Janis Ian.|publisher=[[WorldCat]]|oclc = 712134629|df=mdy-all}}
* {{cite book|title=Janis Ian : through the years.|publisher=[[WorldCat]]|oclc = 589133975|df=mdy-all}}
* {{cite book|title=Souvenirs : best of Janis Ian 1972-1981.|publisher=[[WorldCat]]|oclc = 682220400|df=mdy-all}}
* {{cite book|title=Up 'til now|publisher=[[WorldCat]]|oclc = 865448212|df=mdy-all}}
</ref> A remastered version of ''Between the Lines'', including "At Seventeen", has also been made available;<ref name="Remaster1">{{cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/0bRlXo4f7P0gF30G3RACTN|title=Between The Lines|publisher=[[Spotify]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711074642/https://open.spotify.com/album/0bRlXo4f7P0gF30G3RACTN|archive-date=July 11, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> on August 4, 2014, Ian released an [[Acoustic music|acoustic]] version of "At Seventeen" through her label Rude Girl Records.<ref name="Remaster2">{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/at-seventeen-single/1223720560|title=At Seventeen – Single|publisher=[[Apple Music]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216030840/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/at-seventeen-single/1223720560|archive-date=December 16, 2018|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="SourceRudeGirlRecords">{{cite web|url=https://www.janisian.com/rudegirlrecords.php|title=Rude Girls Records, Inc.|publisher=JanisIan.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324223904/https://www.janisian.com/rudegirlrecords.php|archive-date=March 24, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Live performances===
Ian was initially hesitant to perform the single live, describing it as deeply personal and fearing public ridicule.<ref name="Book1" /> She closed her eyes while singing it for the first six months because she was afraid the audience would laugh at her.<ref name="mix" /><ref name="DecemberSource2">{{cite web|url=https://www.thejc.com/culture/music/at-17-janis-ian-was-snorting-cocaine-with-jimi-hendrix-1.15926|title=At 17, Janis Ian was snorting cocaine with Jimi Hendrix|date=June 3, 2010|work=[[The Jewish Chronicle]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211001947/https://www.thejc.com/culture/music/at-17-janis-ian-was-snorting-cocaine-with-jimi-hendrix-1.15926|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> She later said that the frank lyrics encouraged [[pathos]] from the listeners.<ref name="DecemberSource2" /> Ian went on a promotional tour for the single and performed at small shows for almost half a year. These appearances included a British [[morning show]] where [[Queen (band)|Queen]] was promoting their 1975 single "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]".<ref name="Source2" /> In the beginning, Ian toured with a drummer, bass player, and her [[tour manager]].<ref name="Book1" /> Ian said she knew the song was successful when the size of the audience grew from 100 to 800.<ref name="Source2" /> Ian sang "At Seventeen" on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''{{'}}s first episode on October 11, 1975, and the following year, she performed it on ''[[The Old Grey Whistle Test]]'' at the [[Shepherd's Bush Empire|Shepherd's Bush BBC Television Theatre]].<ref name="SourceHuffPost">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/battersby-duo/janis-ian-behind-the-muse_b_9175116.html|title=Janis Ian. Behind the Muse|last1=Battersby|first1=Tim|last2=Battersby|first2=Laura|date=February 10, 2016|work=[[HuffPost]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511215240/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/battersby-duo/janis-ian-behind-the-muse_b_9175116.html|archive-date=May 11, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> She also sang it on an episode of ''[[The Tonight Show]]'', with [[guest host]] [[Steve Lawrence]].<ref name="GrammyNominationsandSales">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1976/Billboard%201976-03-13.pdf|title=Grammy Winners Feel Sales Spurt|last=Freedland|first=Nat|date=March 13, 1976|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=December 15, 2018}}</ref>

Ian and [[Howard Stern]] performed a parody of the single to spoof then 38-year-old [[Jerry Seinfeld]]'s relationship with high school senior [[Shoshana Lonstein]] at the ''Miss Howard Stern New Year’s Eve Pageant'' on December 31, 1993.<ref name="Stern1">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/miss-howard-stern-new-year-s-eve-pageant-1200435431/|title=Miss Howard Stern New Year's Eve Pageant|last=O'Connell|first=Patricia|date=January 2, 1994|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222023404/http://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/miss-howard-stern-new-year-s-eve-pageant-1200435431/|archive-date=February 22, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Book6" /> Revised lyrics included "can't he get an older girl".<ref name="Book6">[[#Lucaire1997|Lucaire (1997)]]: p. 191</ref> She performed the song as part of the Women in Music: 1960-1999 concert, aired by [[MTV]] in 1999.<ref name="WomenInMusicSource1">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/511700/women-in-music-show-features-jewel-paula-cole/|title='Women In Music' Show Featuring Jewel, Paula Cole|last=Tortorici|first=Frank|date=January 26, 1999|publisher=[[MTV News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211184005/http://www.mtv.com/news/511700/women-in-music-show-features-jewel-paula-cole/|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>  Ian performed a [[science fiction]] version of the song, entitled "Welcome Home (The Nebulous Song)," at a banquet for the 2008 [[Nebula Award]]s.<ref name="SciFi">{{cite web|url=https://nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/2008/|title=2008 Nebula Awards|publisher=[[Nebula Award]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321134251/https://nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/2008/|archive-date=March 21, 2019|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="SciFi2">{{cite web|url=https://www.janisian.com/lyrics/welcomehomedeconstructed.php|title=Welcome Home (The Nebulous Song) – Breakdown|last=Ian|first=Janis|publisher=JanisIan.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221205249/http://www.janisian.com/lyrics/welcomehomedeconstructed.php|archive-date=December 21, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Welcome Home (The Nebulas Song)| date=March 28, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmD7gDPRYIM|language=en|access-date=2021-12-05}}</ref> The version included references to science fiction authors and publications.<ref name="SciFi2" /> Ian sang "At Seventeen" for the 2016 [[Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts]]' American Songbook series and the 2018 [[Cambridge Folk Festival]].<ref name="SourceLyrics" /><ref name="Folk1">{{cite web|url=https://theartsdesk.com/new-music/cambridge-folk-festival-review-women-rule-roost|title=Cambridge Folk Festival review – women rule the roost|last=Thomson|first=Liz|date=August 8, 2018|publisher=[[The Arts Desk]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808140854/https://theartsdesk.com/new-music/cambridge-folk-festival-review-women-rule-roost|archive-date=August 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The same year, she recorded an acoustic version to include on the [[App (computing)|app]] for [[Wally Lamb]]'s novel ''I'll Take You There''; it included a soundtrack containing eight songs, including "At Seventeen".<ref name="AustinSource">{{cite web|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2016-12-02/ill-take-you-there/|title=Book Review: I'll Take You There|last=Faires|first=Robert|date=December 2, 2016|work=[[The Austin Chronicle]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211002041/https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2016-12-02/ill-take-you-there/|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Some of Ian's performances have been released on [[live album]]s.<ref>
"At Seventeen" has been included on several live albums. Below are a few examples:
* {{cite book|title=Janis Ian : live at Club Cafe.|publisher=[[WorldCat]]|oclc = 489487326|df=mdy-all}}
* {{cite book|title=Janis Ian live '79.|publisher=[[WorldCat]]|oclc = 556066809|df=mdy-all}}
* {{cite book|title=Janis Ian : live from Grand Center|publisher=[[WorldCat]]|oclc = 589077827|df=mdy-all}}
* {{cite book|title=Janis Ian live : working without a net.|publisher=[[WorldCat]]|oclc = 185058191|df=mdy-all}}
</ref>

==Critical reception and accolades==
"At Seventeen" received a positive response from critics. A contributor for ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]'' praised it as "a moving and memorable appraisal of teenage loneliness".<ref name="DecemberSource2" /> [[Twiggy]] commended the song for perfectly representing the awkwardness of being a teenager, and compared it to her own experiences growing up.<ref name="VogueSource">{{cite web|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/twiggy-on-kate-moss-and-her-teenage-years|title=Supermodel Secrets|last=Alexander|first=Ella|date=November 21, 2011|work=[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211002050/https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/twiggy-on-kate-moss-and-her-teenage-years|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|''The Advocate'']]'s Gina Vivinetto summed up "At Seventeen" as "the best song about growing up female ever written".<ref name="AdvocateSource">{{cite web|url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/music/2015/04/30/22-queer-one-hit-wonders-yesteryear|title=22 Queer One-Hit Wonders From Yesteryear|last=Vivinetto|first=Gina|date=April 30, 2015|work=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211002041/https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/music/2015/04/30/22-queer-one-hit-wonders-yesteryear|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Brittany Spanos, writing for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', attributed the song's success to Ian's intimate delivery of its subject, likening it to [[Joni Mitchell]]'s fourth studio album [[Blue (Joni Mitchell album)|''Blue'']] (1971).<ref name="VVSource">{{cite web|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2015/01/13/the-comfort-in-being-sad-how-nicki-taylor-sia-and-lana-transcended-melancholy-in-2014/|title=The Comfort in Being Sad: How Nicki, Taylor, Sia, and Lana Transcended Melancholy in 2014|last=Spanos|first=Brittany|date=January 13, 2015|work=[[The Village Voice]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211002042/https://www.villagevoice.com/2015/01/13/the-comfort-in-being-sad-how-nicki-taylor-sia-and-lana-transcended-melancholy-in-2014/|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Jeff and [[Don Breithaupt]] wrote that the song was "lifted above the level of generic moping by a sharply detailed lyric".<ref name="Book11">[[At Seventeen#Breithaupt2014|Breithaupt & Breithaupt (2014)]]: p. 156</ref> John Lissner described "At Seventeen" as "mellow [and] improve[d] with each hearing", along with the songs "When the Party's Over", "From Me to You", and "Bright Lights and Promises".<ref name="TheNewYorkTimesSource22" /> Alternatively, [[Idolator (website)|Idolator]]'s Mike Wass criticized "At Seventeen" as a "self-pitying and usually annoying single girl anthem".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.idolator.com/7491927/celine-dion-loved-me-back-to-life-album-review?chrome=1|title=Celine Dion's 'Loved Me Back To Life': Album Review|last=Wass|first=Mike|date=November 5, 2013|publisher=[[Idolator (website)|Idolator]]|df=mdy-all|access-date=February 6, 2019|archive-date=April 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402080718/https://www.idolator.com/7491927/celine-dion-loved-me-back-to-life-album-review?chrome=1|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Ian received the [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]] for "At Seventeen" at the [[18th Annual Grammy Awards]],<ref name="mix">{{cite web|url=http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_janis_ians_seventeen/|title=Janis Ian's 'At Seventeen'|last=Eskow|first=Gary|date=June 1, 2005|work=[[Mix (magazine)|Mix]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505093333/http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_janis_ians_seventeen/|archive-date=May 5, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the song was nominated for [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|record]] and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|song of the year]].<ref name="Book10">[[At Seventeen#Breithaupt2014|Breithaupt & Breithaupt (2014)]]: pp. 197-198</ref> She performed the song as part of the ceremony.<ref name="Grammys">{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/janis-ian|title=Janis Ian|publisher=[[Grammy.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207014702/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/janis-ian|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> "At Seventeen" was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]] in 2008,<ref name="SourceHuffPost" /> and is considered Ian's [[signature song]].<ref name="SourceSignatureSong">{{cite web|url=https://www-cdn.npr.org/series/mountain-stage/archive?date=10-31-2008|title=Janis Ian On Mountain Stage|date=October 27, 2008|publisher=[[NPR Music]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216073811/https://www-cdn.npr.org/series/mountain-stage/archive?date=10-31-2008|archive-date=December 16, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="SourceSignatureSong2">{{cite web|url=https://glreview.org/article/janis-ian-brings-a-lesbian-classic-to-life/|title=Janis Ian Brings a Lesbian Classic to Life|last=Killacky|first=John R.|date=April 30, 2016|work=[[The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510024738/http://www.glreview.org/article/janis-ian-brings-a-lesbian-classic-to-life/|archive-date=May 10, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> According to Mike McPadden of [[VH1]], the single had made Ian a "major mainstream folk-rock performer".<ref name="VH1NewsSource">{{cite web|url=https://www.vh1.com/news/kchclg/10-songs-about-how-it-sucks-to-be-a-rock-star|title=10 Songs By Rock Stars About How Bad It Sucks to Be a Rock Star|last=McPadden|first=Mike|date=June 27, 2015|publisher=[[VH1]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211002041/http://www.vh1.com/news/31317/10-songs-about-how-it-sucks-to-be-a-rock-star/|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Commercial performance==
"At Seventeen" peaked at number three on the September 13, 1975 on [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart, and remained on it for twenty weeks.<ref name="Billboard1">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/janis-ian/chart-history/hsi/|title=Hot 100|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208031121/https://www.billboard.com/music/janis-ian/chart-history/hot-100/song/338191|archive-date=December 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It reached number one on the [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]] [[Billboard charts|''Billboard'' chart]] for two weeks in August 1975, and stayed on the chart for fifteen weeks.<ref name="Billboard2">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/janis-ian/chart-history/asi/|title=Adult Contemporary|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208220107/https://www.billboard.com/music/janis-ian/chart-history/adult-contemporary/song/338191|archive-date=December 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It also peaked at number one on the [[Cashbox (magazine)|''Cashbox'']] top 100 chart,<ref name="America1">{{cite web|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19750920.html|title=Cash Box Top 100 9/20/75|publisher=Tropicalglen.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620133706/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19750920.html|archive-date=June 20, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and number six on its year-end pop singles chart.<ref name="Cashbox2">{{cite web|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1975YESP.html|title=The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1975|publisher=Tropicalglen.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022180746/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1975YESP.html|archive-date=October 22, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> On the [[Billboard Year-End|''Billboard'' Year-End]] chart, "At Seventeen" ranked number nineteen.<ref name="DelawareSource1">{{cite web|url=https://www.delawareonline.com/story/pulpculture/2015/02/19/shine-1975/23677895/|title=The Queen's Shine a Light concert tackles '75|last=Cormier|first=Ryan|date=February 19, 2015|publisher=[[DelawareOnline]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211184005/https://www.delawareonline.com/story/pulpculture/2015/02/19/shine-1975/23677895/|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It also reached number twenty for pop and number two for [[easy listening]].<ref name="Billboard3">{{cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1975/Billboard-1975-12-27.pdf|title=Billboard|date=December 27, 1975|access-date=December 8, 2018}}</ref> According to ''Billboard'', the song enjoyed a resurgence in sales after the Grammy Awards in 1976.<ref name="GrammyNominationsandSales" />

"At Seventeen" also appeared on international charts. In Canada, the single peaked at number one on the [[RPM (magazine)|''RPM'']] pop music playlist and number six on the ''RPM'' Top Singles chart.<ref name="Australia1">{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4035a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4035a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4035a|title=RPM Weekly|date=July 17, 2013 |publisher=Library and Archives Canada|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917125540/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4035a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4035a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4035a|archive-date=September 17, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Australia2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4020&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4020.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4020|title=RPM Weekly|date=July 17, 2013 |publisher=Library and Archives Canada|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917125447/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4020&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4020.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4020|archive-date=September 17, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> On ''RPM''<nowiki/>'s top two-hundred songs of 1975, it ranked number seventy-one.<ref name="YearEnd1">{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4057a&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062|title=Top Singles – Volume 24, No. 14, December 27 1975|date=December 27, 1975|publisher=Library and Archives Canada|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020224446/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4057a&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062|archive-date=October 20, 2012}}</ref> "At Seventeen" reached number thirty-seven on the [[Official New Zealand Music Chart|New Zealand Singles Chart]] for the week of October 10, 1975.<ref name="NewZealand1" /> In Australia, it peaked at number eighteen on the [[Kent Music Report]],<ref name="Book9">[[#Kent1993|Kent (1993)]]</ref> and was included at number eighty on the year-end chart.<ref name="Australia3">{{cite web|url=http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092|title=Top 25 Singles of 1970|date=January 31, 2011|publisher=Australian-charts.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602084720/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092|archive-date=June 2, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Ian cited the song's commercial success as making her an example of the [[American Dream|American dream]].<ref name="Source2" /> It was her first successful single since "Society's Child",<ref name="mix" /> and her biggest success overall.<ref name="SourceAllMusic1" /><ref name="SourceHit">{{cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/music/index.ssf/2018/06/feisty_janis_ian_remains_socie.html|title=Feisty Janis Ian remains 'Society's Child' decades later, headed to Cain Park|date=June 18, 2018|last=Yarborough|first=Chuck|work=[[The Plain Dealer]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618231335/https://www.cleveland.com/music/index.ssf/2018/06/feisty_janis_ian_remains_socie.html|archive-date=June 18, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''[[The Register-Guard]]''{{'}}s Lewis Taylor referred to a 1970s release of "At Seventeen" when Ian was broke, and music critics deemed her music not commercially viable, as the first of many comebacks. As of August 2004, the song has sold over a million copies.<ref name="Comeback1">{{cite web|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+life+and+hard+times+of+Janis+Ian.-a0120417272|title=The life and hard times of Janis Ian|last=Taylor|first=Lewis|date=August 6, 2004|work=[[The Register-Guard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209124426/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+life+and+hard+times+of+Janis+Ian.-a0120417272|archive-date=December 9, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Usage in media==
[[File:Tina Fey by David Shankbone.jpg|alt=A photo of a woman looking to her right. Her hair is tied up and she is wearing a black dress.|right|thumb|[[Tina Fey]] covered the song for a ''[[30 Rock]]'' episode; the original version was included in her film ''[[Mean Girls]]''.]]

"At Seventeen" has been a popular choice for film and television soundtracks.<ref name="DecemberSource3">{{cite web|url=https://parade.com/228551/nancyberk/showbiz-analysis-with-grammy-winner-janis-ian/|title=Showbiz Analysis with Grammy Winner Janis Ian|last=Berk|first=Nancy|date=November 12, 2013|work=[[Parade (magazine)|Parade]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326022332/http://parade.com/228551/nancyberk/showbiz-analysis-with-grammy-winner-janis-ian/|archive-date=March 26, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It was played in the 2001 film ''[[Scotland, PA]]'', an adaptation of the [[Shakespeare]] play ''[[Macbeth]]''. The character Donald Duncan, portrayed by Geoff Dunsworth, is shown listening to the single in a scene Professor Jennifer Drouin interpreted as indicative of his [[queer]] identity.<ref name="Book13">[[At Seventeen#Drouin2013|Drouin (2013)]]</ref> The song can be heard in the background of a scene in the 2004 film ''[[Mean Girls]]''.<ref name="Media1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/42352-this-obscure-mean-girls-fact-about-janis-ian-goes-all-the-way-back-to-1975|title=This Obscure 'Mean Girls' Fact About Janis Ian Goes All the Way Back to 1975|last=Ghahremani|first=Tanya|date=October 3, 2014|work=[[Bustle (magazine)|Bustle]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207035456/https://www.bustle.com/articles/42352-this-obscure-mean-girls-fact-about-janis-ian-goes-all-the-way-back-to-1975|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Some critics felt it represented the [[Janis Ian (Mean Girls)|character named Janis Ian]].<ref name="Media2" /><ref name="Media1" /> [[Liz Lemon]] (portrayed by [[Tina Fey]]) performed a [[karaoke]] version of "At Seventeen" in a [[30 Rock (season 1)|season one]] episode of ''[[30 Rock]]''.<ref name="Media2" /><ref name="30Rock1">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/30-rock-the-break-up-the-baby-show-1798181750|title=30 Rock: 'The Break-Up'/'The Baby Show'|last=Adams|first=Erik|date=September 16, 2014|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208013524/https://tv.avclub.com/30-rock-the-break-up-the-baby-show-1798181750|archive-date=December 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''[[The A.V. Club]]''<nowiki/>'s Erik Adams described the scene as a callback to Fey's work on ''Mean Girls''.<ref name="30Rock1" /> "At Seventeen" was included in the 2013 film [[Blood Ties (2013 film)|''Blood Ties'']]. [[Stephen Holden]], writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'', criticized the song's placement in the film, and believed it belonged in "a softer and gentler movie" instead.<ref name="TheNewYorkTimesSource">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/movies/blood-ties-ignores-rules-of-the-gangster-genre.html|title=The Cop and the Crook, Brothers at Odds|last=Holden|first=Stephen|date=March 20, 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211002041/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/movies/blood-ties-ignores-rules-of-the-gangster-genre.html|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It is also featured in the first season of ''[[The End of the F***ing World]]'',<ref name="Netflix1">{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/culture/2018/02/netflixs-the-end-of-the-f-ing-world-and-tvs-romance-with-dead-women.html|title=TV Shows Love Dead Women. The End of the F***ing World Actually Treats Them Like Human Beings.|last=Farmer|first=Shelley|date=February 14, 2018|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222113434/https://slate.com/culture/2018/02/netflixs-the-end-of-the-f-ing-world-and-tvs-romance-with-dead-women.html|archive-date=February 22, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> the [[The Blacklist (season 5)|fifth season]] of [[The Blacklist (TV series)|''The Blacklist'']],<ref name="TheBlacklist1">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/recap/the-blacklist-season-5-episode-17/|title=The Blacklist recap: 'Anna-Gracia Duerte'|last=Walker|first=Jodi|date=April 4, 2018|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408144410/http://ew.com/recap/the-blacklist-season-5-episode-17/|archive-date=April 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and in anti-bullying advertisements.<ref name="Commercials">{{cite web|url=http://touring.apa-agency.com/rosters/janis-ian/|title=Janis Ian|publisher=[[Agency for the Performing Arts]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217023602/http://touring.apa-agency.com/rosters/janis-ian/|archive-date=December 17, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The single was featured in three episodes of ''[[The Simpsons]]'': "[[A Streetcar Named Marge]]", "[[El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)|El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer]]", and "[[Chief of Hearts]]".<ref name="Simpsons1">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-el-viaje-misterioso-de-nostro-jomer-1798182137|title=The Simpsons: 'El Viaje Misterioso De Nostro Jomer'|last=Sava|first=Oliver|date=December 7, 2014|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019174104/https://tv.avclub.com/the-simpsons-el-viaje-misterioso-de-nostro-jomer-1798182137|archive-date=October 19, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Simpsons2">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-a-streetcar-named-marge-1798172291|title=The Simpsons (Classic): 'A Streetcar Named Marge'|last=Rabin|first=Nathan|date=April 8, 2012|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108073215/https://tv.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-a-streetcar-named-marge-1798172291|archive-date=January 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="ep">{{cite episode|title=[[Chief of Hearts]]|series=[[The Simpsons]]|network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company]]|season=[[The Simpsons (season 21)|21]]|credits=Writer: [[Carolyn Omine]] & William Wright. Director: [[Chris Clements (animation director)|Chris Clements]]|airdate=April 18, 2010}}</ref> In "A Streetcar Named Marge", the lyrics are changed to describe the contestants of a [[beauty pageant]]. ''The A.V. Club''{{'}}s Nathan Rabin cited the scene as representative of the episode's satire on "loneliness and despair [transformed] into crowd-pleasing entertainment through wildly inappropriate showmanship".<ref name="Simpsons2" /> In "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer", the song is used during [[Homer Simpson]]'s search for a soulmate. Sarah Oliver of ''The A.V. Club'' felt it reflected the character's melancholy.<ref name="Simpsons1" />

"At Seventeen" has also been referenced in literature.<ref name="Book3">[[At Seventeen#Eugenides1993|Eugenides (1993)]]: pp. 190-191</ref><ref name="Card1" /> It was named in [[Jeffrey Eugenides]]' 1993 novel ''[[The Virgin Suicides]]'', where four girls imprisoned in their own homes use it and other songs to communicate with the narrator and his friends.<ref name="Book3" /> [[Orson Scott Card]] titled his short story "Inventing Lovers on the Phone" from a line of "At Seventeen". Ian said that Card's work had inspired her own music, specifically the track "This House" from her 1993 studio album ''[[Breaking Silence]]''.<ref name="Card1">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OREEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22cash+box%22+%22Janis+Ian%22+%22At+Seventeen%22&pg=PA38|title=Ian is Muse for Sci-Fi Collection|last=Bessman|first=Jim|date=August 16, 2003|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208220107/https://books.google.com/books?id=OREEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38&dq=%22cash+box%22+%22Janis+Ian%22+%22At+Seventeen%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjniY3znJHfAhXJx1kKHTujA-AQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=%22cash%20box%22%20%22Janis%20Ian%22%20%22At%20Seventeen%22&f=false|archive-date=December 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Formats and track listings==
* '''7" single 1'''<ref name="NewZealand1" />
# "At Seventeen"&nbsp;–3:56
* '''7" single 2'''<ref name="NewZealand1" />
# "At Seventeen"&nbsp;–3:56
# "Stars"&nbsp;– 4:41
* '''7" single 3'''<ref name="NewZealand1" />
# "At Seventeen"&nbsp;–4:41
# "Applause"&nbsp;– 4:00
* '''Digital download'''<ref name="Remaster2" />
# "At Seventeen"&nbsp;–4:19

== Credits and personnel ==
Credits adapted from the [[liner notes]] of ''Between the Lines''.<ref name="Source000000">{{cite AV media notes|title=[[Between the Lines (Janis Ian album)|Between the Lines]]|date=1975|others=[[Janis Ian]]|type=Inlay cover|publisher=[[Columbia Records|Columbia]]}}</ref>
{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}
* Acoustic bass&nbsp;– Richard Davis
* Acoustic (steel string) guitar&nbsp;– Janis Ian, Al Gorgoni, David Snider
* Vocals, Arrangement (horns)&nbsp;– Janis Ian
* Drums&nbsp;– Barry Lazarowitz
* Engineer&nbsp;– Brooks Arthur, Larry Alexander, Russ Payne
* Flugelhorn&nbsp;– Burt Collins
* Guitar (nylon)&nbsp;– Sal DeTroia, Janis Ian. Single version also featured Bucky Pizzarelli 
* Percussion&nbsp;– Barry Lazarowitz
* Producer&nbsp;– Brooks Arthur
* Trombone&nbsp;– Alan Raph
* Written by&nbsp;– Janis Ian
{{Div col end}}

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!Chart (1975)
!Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name="Book9" /><ref name="aus75"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|18
|-
!scope="row"|Canada ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Top Singles<ref name="Australia1" />
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
!scope="row"|Canada ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Adult Contemporary<ref name="Australia2" />
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
!scope="row"|[[Official New Zealand Music Chart|New Zealand]]<ref name="NewZealand1" />
| style="text-align:center;"|37
|-
!scope="row"|US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref name="Billboard1" />
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
!scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]]<ref name="Billboard2" />
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
!scope="row"|US [[Cash Box (magazine)|''Cash Box'']] Top 100<ref name="America1" />
|align="center"|1
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!Chart (1975)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="Australia3" /><ref name="aus75">{{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/8a2fnGs|title= National Top 100 Singles for 1975|publisher= [[Kent Music Report]] |issue= 79 |via= [[Imgur]] |date= December 29, 1975 |access-date=  January 15, 2022 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|80
|-
!scope="row"|Canada ''RPM'' Top Singles<ref name="YearEnd1" />
| style="text-align:center;"|71
|-
!scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Easy Listening<ref name="Billboard3" />
| style="text-align:center;"|19
|-
!scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref name="DelawareSource1" />
| style="text-align:center;"|20
|-
!scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Pop<ref name="Billboard3" />
| style="text-align:center;"|20
|-
!scope="row"|US ''Cash Box''<ref name="Cashbox2" />
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|}
{{col-end}}

==Release history==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col"|Country
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Format
!scope="col"|Label
|-
!scope="row" rowspan="3"|United States
|August&nbsp;1975<ref name="DecemberSource1">{{cite web|url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/new-york-new-york-1975-oh-what-year-425753|title=New York, New York 1975: Oh What a Year!|last=Kennedy|first=Lori|date=September 30, 2015|work=[[Mix (magazine)|Mix]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117190409/https://www.mixonline.com/recording/new-york-new-york-1975-oh-what-year-425753|archive-date=January 17, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="NewZealand1" />
|rowspan="2"|7 inch
|rowspan="2"|Columbia
|-
|November&nbsp;20&nbsp;1976<ref name="SourceAllMusic2" />
|-
|August&nbsp;4&nbsp;2014<ref name="Remaster2" />
|Digital download
|Rude Girl Records
|-
|}

== Cover versions ==
[[File:Anita Kerr (1974).jpg|alt=A black-and-white image of a woman with short hair singing into a microphone.|left|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Anita Kerr]] helped to popularize the song through her 1975 cover.]]

"At Seventeen" has been covered by various recording artists and musicians. [[Anita Kerr]] covered it for her 1975 album ''The Anita Kerr Singers'',<ref name="Kerr1">{{cite magazine|date=September 13, 1975|title=Billboard's Top Music Picks|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TygEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Anita+Kerr%22+%22At+Seventeen%22&pg=RA1-PA68|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208030532/https://books.google.com/books?id=TygEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA68&dq=%22Anita+Kerr%22+%22At+Seventeen%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjVmaXdlo_fAhUmTd8KHcckAIYQ6AEISjAH#v=onepage&q=%22Anita%20Kerr%22%20%22At%20Seventeen%22&f=false|archive-date=December 8, 2018|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|df=mdy-all}}</ref> which [[anthropologist]] Mary A. Bufwack and music reporter Robert K. Oermann attributed to popularizing the song.<ref name="Book5">[[At Seventeen#Bufwack2003|Bufwack & Oermann (2003)]]: p. 248</ref> [[Claude Francois]] recorded a French version of the song, titled "17 ans", in 1975, Mireille Mathieu too in 1977 with French lyrics by Eddy Marnay (LP "Sentimentalement vôtre" disque d'or)
<ref name="Book8">[[At Seventeen#Lecoeuvre2017|Lecoeuvre (2017)]]</ref> In 1988, [[cabaret]] singer Judith Cohen performed a cover of "At Seventeen" in her shows. Stephen Holden said that her performances of the song [[Bruce Roberts (singer)|Bruce Roberts]]' "I Don't Break Easily" were "built to strong dramatic climaxes in which a key line abruptly changed the narrative perspective".<ref name="CohenSource1">{{cite web|last=Holden|first=Stephen|date=January 11, 1988|title=Cabaret: Judith Cohen Returns to the Ballroom|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/11/arts/cabaret-judith-cohen-returns-to-the-ballroom.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525083535/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/11/arts/cabaret-judith-cohen-returns-to-the-ballroom.html|archive-date=May 25, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Tara MacLean]] recorded the song for the 1999 movie ''[[Teaching Mrs. Tingle]]'',<ref name="Tingle1">{{cite magazine|last=Olson|first=Catherine Applefeld|date=August 14, 1999|title=Soundtracks and Film Score News|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mggEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Tara+MacLean%22+%22At+Seventeen%22&pg=PA14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208035807/https://books.google.com/books?id=mggEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14&dq=%22Tara+MacLean%22+%22At+Seventeen%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9_tj4qo_fAhXkRt8KHapbCnwQ6AEIMDAB#v=onepage&q=%22Tara%20MacLean%22%20%22At%20Seventeen%22&f=false|archive-date=December 8, 2018|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and Paul Clinton believed the film's soundtrack added "energy and pacing to the story".<ref name="CNNSource1">{{cite web|last=Clinton|first=Paul|date=August 20, 1999|title=Review: 'Teaching Mrs. Tingle' is from the teen curriculum|url=http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9908/20/review.teaching.tingle/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007063948/http://cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9908/20/review.teaching.tingle/|archive-date=October 7, 2008|publisher=[[CNN]]|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Chocolat (singer)|Chocolat]] covered a [[Yoshinori Sunahara]]-produced "At Seventeen" for her 1999 second studio album ''Hamster'', which ''Billboard''<nowiki/>'s Steve McClure described as having a "dark, ambient feel".<ref name="Chocolat1">{{cite magazine|last=McClure|first=Steve|date=September 9, 2000|title=Critic's Choice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aREEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Chocolat%22+%22At+Seventeen%22&pg=PA68|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208210420/https://books.google.com/books?id=aREEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=%22Chocolat%22+%22At+Seventeen%22&source=bl&ots=K34vB8Y5vf&sig=Uhr4OSeTf96vGvT7mtjGRFXZ51Y&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiF1de_ipHfAhUowlkKHeFSBf4Q6AEwCHoECAMQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Chocolat%22%20%22At%20Seventeen%22&f=false|archive-date=December 8, 2018|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Ringo Sheena]] recorded the track "Seventeen" as a tribute to the Janis Ian song; Sheena cited Ian as one of her major influences, particularly for her voice.<ref name="RingoSource1">{{cite web|title=Sheena Ringo|url=http://top40-charts.com/artist.php?aid=16827|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222204053/http://top40-charts.com/artist.php?aid=16827|archive-date=December 22, 2016|publisher=[[Top40-Charts]]|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="RingoSource2">{{cite web|last=Lambert|first=Molly|date=January 31, 2012|title=This Week's Charts: The Japan Hot 100 and the Wistful Pleasures of "Bump of Chicken"|url=http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/this-weeks-charts-the-japan-hot-100-and-the-wistful-pleasures-of-bump-of-chicken/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105204449/https://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/this-weeks-charts-the-japan-hot-100-and-the-wistful-pleasures-of-bump-of-chicken/|archive-date=November 5, 2015|work=[[Grantland]]|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The [[all-female band]] [[at17]] chose their name partially based on the Janis Ian song.<ref name="At171">{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2158582/pop-star-ellen-joyce-loo-was-trail-blazer-hong-kongs-lgbt-community|title=Pop star Ellen Joyce Loo was trailblazer for Hong Kong's LGBT community and broke down stigma around mental illness|last=Chow|first=Vivienne|date=August 7, 2018|work=[[South China Morning Post]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008204131/https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2158582/pop-star-ellen-joyce-loo-was-trail-blazer-hong-kongs-lgbt-community|archive-date=October 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> They did a [[Cantonese]] version for their 2002 studio album ''Meow Meow Meow''.<ref name="Source0000">{{cite AV media notes|title=Meow Meow Meow|date=December 19, 2002|others=[[at17]]|type=Inlay cover|publisher=[[People Mountain People Sea (label)|People Mountain People Sea]] and [[Pathé Records (China)|Pathé Records]]}}</ref> New Zealand singer [[Amber Claire]] released her version of "At Seventeen" as the second single from her 2004 debut album ''Love and Such''.<ref name="Amber1">{{cite web|date=May 16, 2004|title=Amber Claire's debut sails into charts|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=3566688|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208053358/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=3566688|archive-date=December 8, 2018|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It debuted and peaked at number twenty-eight on the [[Official New Zealand Music Chart]].<ref name="Amber2">{{cite web|title=Official Top 40 Singles|url=https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/index?chart=1274|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208053359/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/index?chart=1274|archive-date=December 8, 2018|publisher=[[Official New Zealand Music Chart]]|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The same year, [[Gwyneth Herbert]] included her rendition on her second studio album ''[[Bittersweet and Blue]]''; a reviewer from ''[[The Times]]'' described the version as "pop angst".<ref name="GwynSource">{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/gwyneth-herbert-3g6clnxnjvv|title=Gwyneth Herbert|date=September 18, 2004|work=[[The Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214065226/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gwyneth-herbert-3g6clnxnjvv|archive-date=December 14, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[DHT (band)|DHT]] covered the song with [[Edmée Daenen]] for their debut studio album [[Listen to Your Heart (album)|''Listen to Your Heart'']] (2005).<ref name="DHT1">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/listen-to-your-heart-mw0000190802|title=AllMusic Review by David Jeffries|last=Jeffries|first=David|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029174722/https://www.allmusic.com/album/listen-to-your-heart-mw0000190802|archive-date=October 29, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="DHT2">{{cite web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20050811005609/en/New-Artist-D.H.T.-Jumps-8-Billboard-Hot|title=New Artist D.H.T. Jumps to #8 On Billboard Hot 100 Chart!; Takes #5 spot on Billboard Pop 100!|last=Miller|first=Tracey|date=August 11, 2005|publisher=[[Business Wire]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208053358/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20050811005609/en/New-Artist-D.H.T.-Jumps-8-Billboard-Hot|archive-date=December 8, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> AllMusic's David Jeffries enjoyed their cover, and described it as lacking the [[Camp (style)|camp]] style previously used by the band.<ref name="DHT1" /> [[Sitti]] did a cover for her debut studio album ''[[Café Bossa]]'' (2006),<ref name="Sitti2">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cafe-bossa-mw0001452562|title=Sitti Navarro: Cafe Bossa|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225080908/https://www.allmusic.com/album/cafe-bossa-mw0001452562|archive-date=December 25, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and her live album ''[[My Bossa Nova Live!]]'' (2008).<ref name="Sitti1">{{cite web|url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2006/10/25/365004/bossa-nova-update|title=Bossa nova update|last=Gil|first=Baby A.|date=October 25, 2006|work=[[The Philippine Star]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402080718/https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2006/10/25/365004/bossa-nova-update|archive-date=April 2, 2019|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

[[File:Celine Dion 2000.jpg|upright=0.8|alt=Young female singer with long dark hair is smiling toward the camera|right|thumb|[[Celine Dion]] covered "At Seventeen" for her album ''[[Loved Me Back to Life]]'' and performed it live on multiple occasions.]]

Producer [[Kenneth Ehrlich]] requested [[Celine Dion]] perform the song as part of a 2008 Grammy Nominations TV special. For her rendition, Dion sang it with only her band on stage. She included it on her Las Vegas residency show ''[[Celine (residency show)|Céline]]'',<ref name="Dion1">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/music/news/ken-erhlichs-ideas-made-celine-dion-cry-1201412209/|title=Making Celine Dion Cry: How Ken Ehrlich Impacted Her Performance|last=Waller|first=Don|date=January 28, 2015|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207164351/http://variety.com/2015/music/news/ken-erhlichs-ideas-made-celine-dion-cry-1201412209/|archive-date=February 7, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and recorded a [[Babyface (musician)|Babyface]]-produced cover for her eleventh English-language studio album ''[[Loved Me Back to Life]]'' (2013).<ref name="AtSeventeen">{{cite web|url=http://www.celinedion.com/ca/news/celine-recording-%E2%80%9C-seventeen%E2%80%9D|title=Celine Recording "At Seventeen"|date=April 28, 2013|publisher=Celinedion.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501071734/http://www.celinedion.com/ca/news/celine-recording-%E2%80%9C-seventeen%E2%80%9D|archive-date=May 1, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> According to Steve Morse of the ''[[Boston Globe]]'', the album version contains "a light Brazilian feel".<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/11/04/album-review-celine-dion-loved-back-life/87LH106Iii2PKV2Jf4bs4K/story.html|title=Review: Celine Dion, 'Loved Me Back to Life'|last=Morse|first=Steve|date=November 4, 2013|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907134652/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/11/04/album-review-celine-dion-loved-back-life/87LH106Iii2PKV2Jf4bs4K/story.html|archive-date=September 7, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Some critics praised Dion's performance,<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/14/celine-dion-loved-back-life-review|title=Celine Dion: Loved Me Back to Life|last=Sullivan|first=Caroline|date=November 14, 2013|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112024415/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/14/celine-dion-loved-back-life-review|archive-date=November 12, 2014|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/celine-dion-loved-me-back-to-life|title=Celine Dion: Loved Me Back to Life – Album Review|last=Henderson|first=Eric|date=November 4, 2013|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924143445/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/celine-dion-loved-me-back-to-life|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> with ''[[Slant Magazine]]''<nowiki/>'s Eric Henderson writing it perfectly represents the singer as a "manic, Hallmark card-brandishing guru of schmaltz".<ref name=":1" /> On the other hand, [[Stephen Erlewine]] of AllMusic called the cover "thoroughly colorless adult contemporary."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/loved-me-back-to-life-mw0002580809|title=Loved Me Back to Life – Celine Dion|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423135642/http://www.allmusic.com/album/loved-me-back-to-life-mw0002580809|archive-date=April 23, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Dion also performed "At Seventeen" as part of a [[Medley (music)|medley]] with her singles "[[A New Day Has Come (song)|A New Day Has Come]]" (2002) and "[[Unison (song)|Unison]]" (1990) for her tour [[Celine Dion Live 2018]].<ref name="2018Tour1">{{cite web|url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/music/celine-dion-raises-the-roof-at-perth-arena-ng-b88918104z|title=Celine Dion raises the roof at Perth Arena|last=McRae|first=Ross|date=August 4, 2018|work=[[The West Australian]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809215757/https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/music/celine-dion-raises-the-roof-at-perth-arena-ng-b88918104z|archive-date=August 9, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

[[Carly Rae Jepsen]] sang "At Seventeen" during the top three of the [[Canadian Idol (season 5)|fifth season]] of ''[[Canadian Idol]]''.<ref name="Jepson2">{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/163192-carly-rae-jepsen-kiss-2495816198.html|title=Carly Rae Jepsen: Kiss|last=Sawdey|first=Evan|date=September 17, 2012|work=[[PopMatters]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207054207/https://www.popmatters.com/163192-carly-rae-jepsen-kiss-2495816198.html|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''<nowiki/>'s Grady Smith praised her rendition for showcasing her [[Breathy voice|breathy vocals]],<ref name="Jepson1">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2012/06/15/every-carly-rae-jepsen-canadian-idol-performance/|title=Every 'Canadian Idol' performance by Carly Rae Jepsen, compiled for your viewing pleasure|last=Smith|first=Grady|date=June 15, 2012|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106145132/https://ew.com/article/2012/06/15/every-carly-rae-jepsen-canadian-idol-performance/|archive-date=November 6, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> while Evan Sawdey of ''[[PopMatters]]'' found it to be unoriginal and [[tone-deaf]].<ref name="Jepson2" /> [[Jann Arden]] released her cover of "At Seventeen" as a single from her seventh studio album ''[[Uncover Me]]''. Arden said that it was the first song she learned to play on the guitar, and identified it as a "perfect coming of age song".<ref name="Arden5">{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/arden-s-new-cd-a-tribute-to-personal-favourites-1.227962|title=Arden's new CD a tribute to personal favourites|date=February 6, 2007|publisher=[[CTV News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209205410/https://www.ctvnews.ca/arden-s-new-cd-a-tribute-to-personal-favourites-1.227962|archive-date=December 9, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> AllMusic's Stewart Mason described Arden's take as "downright spooky".<ref name="Arden1">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/uncover-me-mw0000478590|title=AllMusic Review by Stewart Mason|last=Mason|first=Stewart|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921083644/http://www.allmusic.com/album/uncover-me-mw0000478590|archive-date=September 21, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The cover peaked at eighty-four on the [[Canadian Hot 100]] ''Billboard'' chart on May 5, 2007, and remained on the chart for six weeks.<ref name="Arden2">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/jann-arden/chart-history/can/|title=Billboard Canadian Hot 100|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210080628/https://www.billboard.com/music/Jann-Arden/chart-history/canadian-hot-100/song/520931|archive-date=December 10, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Arden performed "At Seventeen" on her Uncover Me Tour in 2007.<ref name="Arden4">{{cite web|url=https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/jann-ardens-uncover-me-tour-to-stop-in-the-bay-52908|title=Jann Arden's 'Uncover Me Tour' to stop in the Bay|last=Adams|first=Kate|date=January 29, 2007|publisher=[[BayToday.ca]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210110756/https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/jann-ardens-uncover-me-tour-to-stop-in-the-bay-52908|archive-date=December 10, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> She included the live version on her [[iTunes]] exclusive [[extended play]] (EP) ''Live Session'', released in 2007.<ref name="Arden3">{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/live-session-itunes-exclusive-ep/252529869|title=Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) – EP|publisher=[[Apple Music]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209205425/https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/live-session-itunes-exclusive-ep/252529869|archive-date=December 9, 2018|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 2008, [[Regine Velasquez]] recorded a cover of the song on her fifth [[cover album]] ''[[Low Key (album)|Low Key]]''. For the album, she included songs that she wanted to sing since childhood.<ref name="Regine1">{{cite web|url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2008/12/10/422335/regine-lani-divas-soft-mood|title=Regine & Lani: Divas in soft mood|last=Gil|first=Baby A.|date=December 10, 2008|work=[[The Philippine Star]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402082216/https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2008/12/10/422335/regine-lani-divas-soft-mood|archive-date=April 2, 2019|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The same year, [[Rhonda Burchmore]] included her rendition of "At Seventeen" on her studio album ''Pure Imagination''.<ref name="Rhonda1">{{cite web|url=https://www.pressreader.com/australia/herald-sun/20080430/282604553576237|title=The reel me|last=Fraser|first=Jill|date=April 30, 2008|work=[[Herald Sun]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214114443/https://www.pressreader.com/australia/herald-sun/20080430/282604553576237|archive-date=December 14, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Rhonda2">{{cite web|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/31371018?q&versionId=38048078|title=Pure imagination [sound recording] / Rhonda Burchmore|publisher=[[Trove]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214070141/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/31371018?q&versionId=38048078|archive-date=December 14, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Burchmore chose the song based on what the ''[[Herald Sun]]''<nowiki/>'s Jill Fraser referred to as "a deliberate move to more popstyle songs".<ref name="Rhonda1" />

"At Seventeen" is performed as part of the musical [[I Dreamed a Dream (musical)|''I Dreamed a Dream'']].<ref name="TelegraphSource">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/9164818/The-Susan-Boyle-Musical-I-Dreamed-a-Dream-Theatre-Royal-Newcastle-review.html|title=The Susan Boyle Musical: I Dreamed a Dream, Theatre Royal, Newcastle, review|date=March 24, 2012|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211002041/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/9164818/The-Susan-Boyle-Musical-I-Dreamed-a-Dream-Theatre-Royal-Newcastle-review.html|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="SusanBoyleSource">{{cite web|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/leisure/tatheatre/theatrereviews/9641009.Life_of_Susan_Boyle_makes_for_dream_of_a_show_at_The_Alhambra/?ref=la|title=Life of Susan Boyle makes for dream of a show at The Alhambra|last=Clayton|first=Emma|date=April 10, 2012|work=[[Telegraph & Argus]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211002043/https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/leisure/tatheatre/theatrereviews/9641009.Life_of_Susan_Boyle_makes_for_dream_of_a_show_at_The_Alhambra/?ref=la|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It was one of several pop covers used to tell the life of [[Susan Boyle]],<ref name="TelegraphSource" /> which Emma Clayton of ''[[Telegraph & Argus]]'' praised as a smart idea.<ref name="SusanBoyleSource" /> [[Maureen McGovern]] performed the song at the [[Feinstein's/54 Below]] as part of a 2015 event celebrating female singer-songwriters.<ref name="McGovern1">{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/54-Below-to-Welcome-Maureen-McGovern-310-14-20150224|title=54 Below to Welcome Maureen McGovern, 3/10-14|date=February 24, 2015|publisher=BroadwayWorld.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017024323/http://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/54-Below-to-Welcome-Maureen-McGovern-310-14-20150224|archive-date=October 17, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="McGovern2">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/11/maureen-mcgovern-54-below_n_6849974.html|title=Maureen McGovern Celebrates Female Singer-Songwriters At New York's 54 Below|last=Wong|first=Curtis M.|date=March 11, 2015|work=[[HuffPost]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025031016/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/11/maureen-mcgovern-54-below_n_6849974.html|archive-date=October 25, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The same year, [[Alessia Cara]] included a song entitled "Seventeen" on her EP ''[[Four Pink Walls]]'', which the ''Rolling Stone''<nowiki/>'s Brittany Spanos called a "savvy update" of the Ian original.<ref name="RollingStoneSource">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/four-pink-walls-126616/|title=Four Pink Walls|last=Spanos|first=Brittany|date=September 10, 2015|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211002041/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/four-pink-walls-126616/|archive-date=December 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Saffron Monsoon (portrayed by [[Julia Sawalha]]) did a karaoke version of "At Seventeen" in the 2016 film ''[[Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie]]'' in a bar with [[drag queen]]s.<ref name="Fabulous1">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2016/07/21/486926684/the-enduring-abfab-picks-up-right-where-it-boozily-left-off|title=The Enduring 'AbFab' Picks Up Right Where It Boozily Left Off|last=Tobias|first=Scott|date=July 21, 2016|publisher=[[NPR]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102075217/http://www.npr.org/2016/07/21/486926684/the-enduring-abfab-picks-up-right-where-it-boozily-left-off|archive-date=November 2, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The version was included on the film's official soundtrack.<ref name="Fabulous2">{{cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2016/06/10/kylie-minogue-is-singing-the-theme-song-for-absolutely-fabulous-the-movie-5935519/|title=Kylie Minogue is singing the theme song for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie|last=Hardingham-Gill|first=Tamara|date=June 10, 2016|work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727024643/http://metro.co.uk/2016/06/10/kylie-minogue-is-singing-the-theme-song-for-absolutely-fabulous-the-movie-5935519/|archive-date=July 27, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Rachael Yamagata]] recorded "At Seventeen", along with other covers, to finance her fourth studio album [[Tightrope Walker (album)|''Tightrope Walker'']] (2016).<ref name="DecemberSourceSF">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/rachael-yamagata-gets-experimental-creative/|title=Rachael Yamagata gets more experimental and creative|last=Lanham|first=Tom|date=October 18, 2016|work=[[The San Francisco Examiner]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103082659/http://www.sfexaminer.com/rachael-yamagata-gets-experimental-creative/|archive-date=November 3, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 2018, American singer [[Sarah Partridge]] covered "At Seventeen" for her album ''Bright Lights and Promises: Redefining Janis Ian.''<ref name="Sarah1">{{cite web|url=https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/holdingsInfo?searchId=13001&recCount=25&recPointer=14&bibId=20385621|title=Bright lights and promises : redefining Janis Ian|publisher=[[Library of Congress]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209125539/https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/holdingsInfo?searchId=13001&recCount=25&recPointer=14&bibId=20385621|archive-date=December 9, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Sarah2">{{cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2018/11/jazz-singer-sarah-partridge-brings-reimagined-music-of-janis-ian-other-tunes-to-nighttown.html|title=Jazz singer Sarah Partridge brings reimagined music of Janis Ian, other tunes to Nighttown|date=November 23, 2018|last=Yarborough|first=Chuck|publisher=[[Cleveland.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123193251/https://www.cleveland.com//entertainment/2018/11/jazz-singer-sarah-partridge-brings-reimagined-music-of-janis-ian-other-tunes-to-nighttown.html|archive-date=November 23, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Partridge recorded her version with a [[septuple meter]].<ref name="Sarah3">{{cite web|url=http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2017/05/reviews/shows/sarah-partridge-sings-janis-ian|title=Sarah Partridge sings Janis Ian|last=Dinerman|first=Annie|date=May 25, 2017|work=[[Elmore Magazine]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707075238/http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2017/05/reviews/shows/sarah-partridge-sings-janis-ian|archive-date=July 7, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1975]]
* [[List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1975 (U.S.)]]

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Book sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last1=Breithaupt|first1=Don|last2=Breithaupt|first2=Jeff|title=Precious and Few: Pop Music of the Early '70s|year=2014|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-312-14704-4|ref=Breithaupt2014}}
* {{cite book|last1=Bufwack|first1=Mary A.|last2=Oermann|first2=Robert K.|title=Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music, 1800-2000|year=2003|publisher=[[Country Music Foundation|Country Music Foundation Press]]|location=Nashville|isbn=0-8265-1432-4|ref=Bufwack2003|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/findinghervoicew0000bufw}}
* {{cite book |last1=Drouin|first1=Jennifer|chapter='Get a Look at Your Wife's Beautiful Cones': Lady Macbeth's Stone Butch Blues and Rural Second-Wave Feminism in Scotland, PA|title=Shakespeare on screen : Macbeth|editor-last1=Hatchuel|editor-first1=Sarah|editor-last2=Vienne-Guerrin|editor-first2=Nathalie|editor-last3=Bladen|editor-first3=Victoria|year=2013|publisher=Publication Univ Rouen Havre|location=Rue Lavoisier|isbn =979-10-240-0040-4|ref=Drouin2013}}
* {{cite book|last1=Eugenides|first1=Jeffrey|title=The Virgin Suicides|year=1993|publisher=[[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-312-42881-5|ref=Eugenides1993}}
* {{cite book|last1=Kent|first1=David|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|year=1993|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St. Ives|isbn=0-646-11917-6|ref=Kent1993}}
* {{cite book|last1=Perone|first1=James E.|title=The Golden Age of the Singer-Songwriter, 1970-1973|year=2012|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|location=Santa Barbara|isbn=978-0-313-37906-2|ref=Perone2012}}
* {{cite book|last1=Ian|first1=Janis|title=Society's Child: My Autobiography|year=2008|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|location=London|isbn=978-1-58542-675-1|ref=Ian2008}}
* {{cite book|last1=Lecoeuvre|first1=Fabien|title=1001 histoires secrètes de chansons|year=2017|publisher=[[Éditions du Rocher]]|location=Monaco|isbn=978-2-268-09672-8|ref=Lecoeuvre2017}}
* {{cite book|last1=Lucaire|first1=Luigi|title=Howard Stern A To Z|year=1997|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]]|location=New York|isbn=0-312-15144-6|ref=Lucaire1997|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/howardsterntozst00luca}}
* {{cite book|last1=Sullivan|first1=Steve|title=Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 1|year=2013|publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]]|location=Plymouth|isbn=978-0-8108-8295-9|ref=Sullivan2013}}
* {{cite book|last1=Symons|first1=Mitchell|title=Numberland: The World in Numbers|year=2015|publisher=[[Michael O'Mara Books]]|location=London|isbn=978-1-78243-060-5|ref=Symons2015}}
{{refend}}

{{Janis Ian}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1970s ballads]]
[[Category:1975 songs]]
[[Category:1975 singles]]
[[Category:Cashbox number-one singles]]
[[Category:Celine Dion songs]]
[[Category:Columbia Records singles]]
[[Category:Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]]
[[Category:Janis Ian songs]]
[[Category:Pop ballads]]
[[Category:Rock ballads]]
[[Category:Songs about teenagers]]
[[Category:Songs written by Janis Ian]]