Better Times Will Come

by Janis Ian

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about

Two days after John Prine died, I was doing laundry and found myself singing “Better times. Better times will come”. Pretty soon the rest of the chorus came. I wrote the verses waiting for the clothes to dry, then sang it into my phone. That started the Better Times Project (bettertimeswillcome.com). Artists of all sorts joined in, until I had close to 200 different versions in everything from Mandarin Chinese to Dutch sign language, drawing books, videos, collages. I put up a new version every day for months, and people in lock-down wrote to say it helped them to face each new day.

When I recorded it for this album, I wanted my part to stay true to that first a capella version, but then grow into something broader. I called Viktor Krauss, my favorite bass player, and asked him to co-produce something that would “show the times we’ve been living through”. We went through our mental Rolodexes, enlisting friends like Diane Schuur and Vince Gill, Jim Hoke and John Cowan. The direction was “Don’t hold back!” and that’s just what we got.

For me, this piece illustrates the arc of fear, isolation, hope, relief, and then return to fear we keep going through as we deal with this scourge. And it’s a tribute to all the artists who continue to do our work, offering audiences an escape and a bit of joy, even as we’ve watched our own professions disintegrate under the weight of it all.

lyrics

Better times, better times will come.
Better times, better times will come.
When this world learns to live as one,
oh, better times will come

When we greet each dawn without fear
knowing loved ones soon will be near
And when the winds of war
cannot blow any more
Oh, better times will come

Better times, better times will come.
Better times, better times will come.
When this world learns to live as one,
oh, better times will come

Though we live each day as our last
we know someday soon it will pass
We will dance, we will sing
in that never-ending spring
Oh, better times will come

Better times, better times will come.
Better times, better times will come.
When this world learns to live as one,
oh, better times will come
Oh, better times will come

Better times, better times will come.
Better times, better times will come.
When this world learns to live as one,
oh, better times will come
Oh, better times will come

credits

released January 13, 2022
Produced by Viktor Krauss & Janis Ian
Editing, mixing: Jared Anderson
Andrea Zonn: Violin, BG vocals
Diane Schuur: Scat solo, BG vocals
Janis Ian: Lead vocals, rhythm guitars
Jeff Coffin: Soprano Saxophone
Jim Brock: Percussion
Jim Hoke: Clarinet, baritone saxophone
Jim Oblon: Electric guitars
John Cowan: Lead vocals, BG vocals
Maeve Gilchrist: Celtic lever harp
Roy Agee: Trombone, banjo
Sam Bush: Mandolin
Steven May/BreviT: Percussion, synthesizer
Viktor Krauss: Upright bass, resonator guitar, synthesizer, percussion
Vince Gill: Acoustic guitar solo

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about

Janis Ian Florida

Janis Ian began her iconic career at age 14 when she wrote her impactful song “Society’s Child” about an interracial romance between teenagers. Her honest songwriting has translated into culturally significant tracks including “At Seventeen,” “Jesse,” and “Stars.” She has been nominated for nine Grammys and won two: one in 1976 for “At Seventeen” and one in 2013 for Best Spoken Word Recording. ... more

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