American Masters

- And the winner is "At Seventeen," Janis Ian.

- [Janis] When I started out, I wanted to be really famous.

(people shouting) So naive.

- [Interviewer] What do you consider yourself, Janis?

- [Janis] Just a singer.

- [Interviewer] Of any particular notoriety?

- [Janis] Infamously, yes.

- Would you welcome please, Janis Ian.

- Janis standing there with just an acoustic guitar, it was just mesmerizing.

- This little woman wrote giant works of art.

- Very strong, emphatic social commentary.

- [Narrator] This is perhaps one of the most censored, I think, of all records.

- [Janis] What I was doing was right.

It had the power to make people stand up, and that's why it scared them.

- You have this young girl taking on interracial relationships.

- The record company was afraid of it.

Radio stations were afraid of playing it.

All the odds were stacked against her.

- [Janis] Bernstein said, "Let's have her on the show we're doing about pop music."

- Listen hard to society's child.

- That was an embrace of God.

- It just took off and then she took off.

I learned the truth at seventeen - [Interviewer] How do you react to the music business?

- [Janis] You have to sacrifice a certain part of yourself for a time.

(audience applauding) - She was not able to cope with daily reality.

Those of us who knew the pain - [Janis] I had no money.

I had nowhere to live.

Of Valentine's that never came - [Janis] In those years, it was not cool to be out of the closet.

And those whose names were never called - We were writing every day.

And of course, we fell in love.

(light upbeat music) - [Janis] I know what it is to feel powerless.

I know what it is to feel trapped.

And so, I can use those feelings as part of being truthful.

- There's a creativity there.

There's a power there.

- Her legacy is not just as a songwriter, but it's as an LGBTQ icon.

- I can't say the rest is history, but history was being made.

- Child prodigies have complications.

- I don't think that she intended to become a symbol of social change.

She was writing about what she knew.

- She's true to her music and true to herself.

(upbeat music) - [Janis] Music is about telling stories.

This is mine.

Thank you.

It's been a long time.