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Ian's hit 'At Seventeen' prompted a flood of valentines in the mail

Janis Ian
Songwriter Janis Ian, winner of the Best Spoken Word Album for "Society's Child: My Autobiography," poses in the press room at the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Frederick M. Brown | Getty Images 2013

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Today's Morning Edition music is from 40 years ago when singer-songwriter Janis Ian reported that she received 461 valentines in the mail.

It was a gesture from her fans in response to a lyric in Ian's hit song "At Seventeen."

The song is told from the point of view of an adult woman looking back on high school when she was ignored while the attractive girls got all the attention.

In her autobiography, "Society's Child," Ian writes that she initially did not want to record or perform the song because it was far too personal to share, but she eventually changed her mind.