dive365

이 노래는 슬프지 않은 목소리로 듣고 싶다. 그런데 수많은 remake, cover 버전은 물론 Janis Ian 본인이 부른 것들도 대체로 구슬프게 느껴져서 아쉽다. Amber Claire라는 사람의 At seventeen 전주를 들었을땐, "이거다!! 드디어 밝은 톤 발견인가!" 하고 눈이 커졌다가, 너무나 구성진 보컬에 다시 한 번 놀라며 발길을 돌리기도 했다.

물론 속좁은 내 기대와 달랐을 뿐, 뮤직비디오 속의 그녀는 아주 매력적이고 remake도 좋은 시도라고 생각한다.

언젠가 사랑하는 내 친구  Jooey의 목소리로 슬프지 않은 버전을 다시 들을 수 있겠지. 그 전까진 아쉬운대로 내가 부를테다.

I leaned 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
'Cause they only get what they deserve"

And 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 debentures 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
To cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown

They call and say, "Come on, dance with me"
And murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me at seventeen