One-hit wonders often have a hard time transcending that status and building long-term careers in the music business. It takes the kind of talent that just can’t be denied to launch an artist out of the shadow of a major success early in their career. Janis Ian possessed that kind of talent. What she needed was the kind of song that would allow others to see her as more than just the artist behind a single hit. “Jesse” managed to do that by showcasing the brilliance of her songwriting.
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Early Success
Janis Ian was all of 16 years old when she released her first single, “Society’s Child (Baby I’ve Been Thinking)”, in 1967. While it’s not completely unprecedented for artists that young to enjoy chart success, they usually do it with songs that were written for them and that are generally simple and innocent.
But Ian wrote “Society’s Child”. And she tackled the topic of interracial romance, rarely mentioned on the radio at the time, to boot. Her insight and heart shone through, and the song made it to the Top 20.
That put her on the pop music hamster wheel, where she was expected to churn out product at an extremely high rate. She delivered four albums within a three-year stretch from 1967 to 1969. Ian realized that her work was suffering because of the furious pace. She decided to take a beat and try to write some songs that she could imagine other artists besides herself recording.
The Songwriter Emerges
“Jesse” emerged from those efforts. When Janis Ian started writing the song, she imagined it to be about a woman awaiting the return of a Vietnam veteran. She eventually moved on from that idea. The song ended up being a more general lament about missing a loved one who may or may not be returning.
Ian got what she wanted out of the song when Roberta Flack recorded it and turned it into a Top 40 hit in 1973. In 1974, Ian released her own tender version of the song on her album Stars. That highly acclaimed record set the tone for her singer-songwriter triumph, Between The Lines, the following year.
Examining the Lyrics of “Jesse”
It’s hard to say what’s more heartbreaking about “Jesse”. Is it that we have no idea whether the titular character will make it back home? Or is it the narrator’s unwavering devotion to him, as she keeps everything in her home exactly the same so that his eventual return will be a smooth transition?
She makes explicit the loss she’s feeling. “There’s a hole in the bed,” Janis Ian sings. “Where we slept / Now it’s growing cold.” Her life is a mix of sweet memories and the devastating truth of his absence. “It hangs on my heart,” she moans.
Every attempt is made to keep things as they were. The dinner table is always set, the bedspread undisturbed and clean. “And I’m leaving a light on the stairs,” Ian belts. She imagines the bliss of their reunion: “We’ll do up my hair and sleep unaware.”
But ultimately, she can only plead for his return: “Hey Jesse, I’m lonely, come home.” The delicate, somber melody can’t help but make the listener wonder if she’ll be waiting forever. With “Jesse” and other brilliant songs like it, Janis Ian left any lingering worries about being remembered for a single song far behind.
Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
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