据说AT 17在上海的演出非常精彩，不少人都用意外来形容，我可以想象。
在人山人海里，我不是最喜欢AT 17的，她们的专辑干净爽直，有Twins一样的欢快，但她们可以更轻松，不用去背负太多商业成就上的负担。那些轻盈的电子民谣里，到处是小女生式的隔世之感，只管经营好自己的随性意气就是全部。这是支现场组合，清爽的嗓音，被乐队煽动起的自得，以及民谣曲风中随手可拾的诚意，那样氛围里会点燃录音室唱片所记录不下的自如。看了晴朗博客中的Rundown，真希望能见到谁自制了这场演出的Bootleg。
回到那首同名的歌曲，At seventeen，是我相当喜欢的一首歌，婚礼上使用过，第二首，那张碟最后好像送给了赤贫农。我总把Janis Ian的名字记成是Jannis，但是都不曾过多了解过这位跌宕的女歌手。Janis的歌曲总似有种忧愁和孤独，即使那些激越昂扬的歌曲都不曾有过民谣里最单纯的快乐。她是个忧郁歌手，因为At seventeen这样的小伤怀歌曲获得了格莱美的认同。她的歌手路途一向坎坷，少年成名和青春搏斗，年轻出嫁和婚姻失败，十年成名和销量大跌后的放弃，复出和同性恋倾向，让这个好强的女子始终无法释怀一颗胜负之心。她把自己投入一个永远折磨她执拗性情的职业，和命运较劲，让旁人看得都唏嘘不已。75年代之后的Janis已经不是一个纯粹的民谣歌手，沾染了过多的舞台气和流行味，这也致使她退出歌坛去演舞台剧。
今年Janis已经56岁，去年还出过一张专辑，没听过。就多听一遍At Seventeen吧。
"AT SEVENTEEN"
By Janis Ian
I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth...And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phone
Who called to say "come dance with me"
And murmured vague obscenities
It isn't all it seems at seventeen...A brown eyed girl in hand me downs
Whose name I never could pronounce
Said: "Pity please the ones who serve
They only get what they deserve"
The rich relationed hometown queen
Marries into what she needs
With a guarantee of company
And haven for the elderly...So remember those who win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
In debitures of quality and dubious integrity
Their small-town eyes will gape at you
In dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received at seventeen...To those of us who knew the pain
Of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketball
It was long ago and far away
the world was younger than today
when dreams were all they gave for free
to ugly duckling girls like me...We all play the game, and when we dare
We cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown
That call and say: "Come on, dance with me"
And murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me, at seventeen...
