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Janis Ian's Groundbreaking "Society's Child": Unveiling the Controversy

  • Writer: All Things Music Plus+
    All Things Music Plus+
  • Sep 29
  • 2 min read

Black and white ad for "Society's Child" by Janis Ian with bold text and a record image. Includes a list of radio stations.
ORIGINAL VINTAGE ADVERTISEMENT and 45 LABEL

11 Cool Facts


  1. "Society's Child" is a poignant song about an interracial relationship, written and recorded by Janis Ian in 1965.


  2. Originally titled "Baby I've Been Thinking," the song's name was changed to "Society's Child" by producer Shadow Morton.


  3. Janis Ian was just 13 years old when she was inspired to write the song and finished composing it at age 14.


  4. The lyrics depict a young girl's anguish as her African American boyfriend faces intense social pressure and humiliation from her mother, classmates, and teachers.


  5. The song ends with the protagonist reluctantly breaking off the relationship due to overwhelming societal intolerance, emphasizing her own complicity in the decision.


  6. Ian drew from her real-life experiences living in a predominantly African American neighborhood in East Orange, New Jersey, in 1964, where she was one of the few white students at her school.


  7. After Atlantic Records financed the recording but refused to release it due to its controversial theme, Ian took the track to Verve Records, which issued it in September 1966.


  8. Classified as a baroque pop protest song, "Society's Child" runs for 3:13 and was recorded on August 3, 1965, with six studio musicians under Shadow Morton's production.


  9. The song's exposure skyrocketed after Leonard Bernstein's producer spotted Ian performing it at The Gaslight club, leading to her feature on the CBS special "Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution" on April 25, 1967. Bernstein himself lauded the track's innovative elements, such as its harpsichord, electric organ, key changes, and tempo shifts, during the television broadcast.


  10. Despite initial resistance and bans on many radio stations for its interracial theme, the single peaked at No. 14 on Billboard's Hot 100 in July 1967 after charting in numerous cities.


  11. "Society's Child" achieved massive sales with 600,000 single copies and 350,000 album units, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002, and inspired the title of Ian's 2008 autobiography.

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