At Seventeen

by Janis Ian
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Lyrics

I (C)learned the (C)truth at (Cmaj7)sev en (C6)teen, that (Dm11)love (Dm7)was meant for (A)beau ty (Dm7)queens

and (G7)high school girls with clear skinned smiles

who (C)mar ried young and (Cmaj7)then re (C6)tired.

It The (C)val en (C)tines I (Cmaj7)nev er (C6)knew,

the (Dm11)Fri (Dm7)day night (A)cha rades of (Dm7)youth

were (G7)spent on one more beau ti ful,

at (C)sev en (C)teen, I (Cmaj7)learned the (C)truth.

We And (Eb)those of us with rav aged fac es,

lack ing in the so cial grac es, in (Cm7)des p’rate ly re mained at home in (Cm7)vent ing lov ers on the phone who (Ab)called to say, β€œCome dance with me,” and (Cm7)mur mured vague ob scen i ties.

It is n’t all it seems

at (G7)sev en teen.

A (C)brown eyed (C)girl in (Cmaj7)hand me (C6)downs whose (Dm11)name (Dm7)I nev er (A)could pro (Dm7)nounce said, (G7)β€œPit y, please, the ones who serve.

They (C)on ly get what (Cmaj7)they de (C6)serve.

It The (C)rich re (C)la tioned (Cmaj7)home town (C6)queen The (Dm11)mar (Dm7)ries in (A)to what she (Dm7)needs, a (G7)guar an tee of com pa ny and (C)ha ven (C)for the (Cmaj7)el der (C)ly.”

We Re (Eb)mem ber those who win the game, to

lose the love they sought to gain es, in (Cm7)de ben tures of qual i ty and (Cm7)du bi ous in teg ri ty.

Their (Ab)small town eyes will gape at you in (Cm7)dull sur prise ob when ment due

ex ceeds ac counts re ceived

at (G7)sev en teen.

To

At Seventeen β€” Classic Piano Sheet Music

4 people have learned this song

Read "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian in classic piano notation β€” both hands, real chords + notes, in the published key of C. Engraved server-side from the publisher MusicXML; click any note to jump there as the score follows along at 100 BPM.

Tip: Start at 50% speed to get comfortable with the fingering, then work your way up to full tempo.

About β€œAt Seventeen”

Is this the same engraved sheet music a piano teacher would print for "At Seventeen"?
Yes β€” the score is rendered server-side from the publisher MusicXML using Verovio (the same engine RISM and OpenScore use). Standard piano notation, treble + bass staves, real chord symbols, key signature C. Print-quality and identical to what you'd see in a printed piano book.
What key is "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian played in?
At Seventeen is arranged in the key of C on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
What's the tempo (BPM) of "At Seventeen"?
The arrangement plays at 100 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
Is "At Seventeen" easy to play on piano?
Yes β€” this is one of our beginner-friendly arrangements with simplified chords and color-coded notes.
Can I download sheet music for "At Seventeen"?
Yes β€” registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
Who composed "At Seventeen"?
"At Seventeen" was originally performed by Janis Ian. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
What chords are used in "At Seventeen"?
This arrangement uses 11 chords: A, Ab, C, C6, Cm7, Cmaj7, Dm7, Dmin, +3 more.
What other songs by Janis Ian can I play here?
Try "JESSE". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
Is this the same notation a piano teacher would hand me?
Yes β€” "At Seventeen" is rendered at engraver quality (the Verovio engine, the same toolkit RISM and OpenScore editions use) from the original publisher MusicXML. You get standard piano notation: treble + bass clefs, key signature C, time signature, beams, dynamics β€” everything a printed sheet music book would have. Great for piano students learning to read music properly.
What's the difference between Sheet Music and the other modes here?
Sheet Music is the "classic" view β€” the one your piano teacher uses. Other modes (Beginner, Fall Down, Simple Sheet, Lead Sheet) trade real notation for color-coded notes and falling shapes to help absolute beginners. Use Sheet Music once you're ready to read both hands at once from real notation.
Can I practice from this view at my own pace?
Yes β€” slow the tempo from 100 BPM down (or up) without changing the pitch. The score scrolls in time and the currently playing note is highlighted, so you can drill a tough bar at half speed and bump it up once it feels comfortable.
Why can I click a note in the score?
Every notehead is interactive. Click and the audio jumps to that moment so you can drill a specific phrase or bar instead of replaying from the top. The currently playing note is highlighted as the music advances so your eye never loses its place.
Can I download the sheet music as a PDF?
Yes β€” Sheet Music PDF is one of the download formats for this song. The engraved score prints page-perfect on A4 / Letter so you can practice from paper as well as on screen.

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