When Janis Ian was launched into the spotlight in 1967 with "Society's Child," a song about an interracial relationship and a white girl's disapproving parents, she tapped into the nation's growing rage over interracial relationships.

"Society's Child" was written by Ian when she was just 14 years old. The song was banned from many radio stations, and one station in Atlanta that did play the song was burned down.She was a revolutionary for her time and known for speaking her mind. This tendency led her to start countless conversations with her soulful, controversial songs that touched on inequality, injustice, abuse and the struggle to fit in.She was also one of the first performers to declare her sexual orientation in the early 1990s, and married her longtime partner Patricia in Canada in 2003.While the lyrics to "Society's Child" spoke of a black-white couple, the song remains relevant today in a society that frowns upon differences."It's unfortunate that a lot of it's still relevant," said Ian. "If it's not relevant to black-white, it's relevant to gay people. It's relevant to what's going on in the Middle East, what's going on in some religions and with the subjugation of women. Anybody who has ever loved someone that their family didn't immediately embrace, knows that feeling."It's really an outsider song, as much as 'At Seventeen' is," she added.After being called a one-hit wonder, Ian returned to the top of the charts with "At Seventeen" in 1975. The song would earn her a Grammy award for Best Pop Female Vocalist, and reflected on a teen's angst at being an outsider a theme recognized by girls and women throughout the generations."I was 24 when this was written, so I had some distance from my own teenage years," she said. "It was really hard to sing for the first six months. I sang it with my eyes closed, because I was afraid the audience would be laughing at me."Ian took her time writing the song, searching for the right ending and a way to do justice to the teen's story."I didn't want to blow it. I didn't want her to necessarily get married and have a happy ending. But I didn't necessarily want her to have a pity party," she said.The song has proved to have staying power, becoming a favorite among fans and fellow artists. Celine Dion covered the song in her album released last year, and Tina Fey had a character in her movie, "Mean Girls," she named Janis Ian. In the movie, Ian is a dark-haired outcast."It's amazing how much it's entered the culture," she said.