Janis Ian with guitar in concert, Dublin, 1981. Picture filed under the creative common’s license.
Did you ever listen to a song so beautiful that it brought you to tears? Janis Ian’s She Must be Beautiful is the definitive example of one of these songs.
God & The FBI (released in 2000) is the album that She Must be Beautiful comes from. Other songs such as Play Like a Girl, Days Like These, and Memphis are apart of the album. Additionally, songwriter Kye Fleming helped Ian write the song.
Frankly, I’d say I’m an avid Janis Ian fan. And out of all of her songs, She Must be Beautiful is the best in my opinion. Stars is astronomical and Jesse is fantastic, but She Must be Beautiful takes the cake. With Ian’s sensational vocal work and the somber piano tune in the background, the song just exudes emotion. Overall, its ability to invoke emotions such as sadness, nostalgia, loneliness, and heartbreak is what makes the song so good.
However, probably the best part of the song is the lyrics. If you truly look at the deeper meaning, you too will believe this is Ian’s best work.
Based on the lyrics, I’ve come to the conclusion that She Must Beautiful is about a woman whose husband is a sailor. Due to the fact that he’s a sailor, he often leaves for long periods of time. And because of this, the sailor’s wife is sad and angry.
These lyrics from the song clearly illustrate this, “Blankets to keep out the cold…Drifting away from me.” These lyrics also support this point, “Will you remember me…As years go by, slipped with the tide.”
Now the next part of the song is completely up to interpretation. The “she” in which Ian could be referring to in the song could be either a) another woman in which the sailor has taken a liking to, or b) the sea itself. “And is she beautiful?” and “She must be pretty or worse” could mean, “Is sailing more important than your wife? Is the sea more beautiful than your lover?”
“White linen sails that have captured your vagrant breeze,” further supports the second interpretation.
However, the line, “Singing her siren song, luring you far from the harbor and into the gales,” could represent another woman winning the affections of the sailor. “Singing her siren song,” is an allusion to the story Oddyseus who also happened to be a greek hero/sailor. In The Odyssey, creatures known as the Sirens would lure sailors over, causing their demise.
Typically, the Sirens are beautiful women who are completely irresistible to any man. So this is what also leads me to believe that Janis Ian could also be singing about a woman.
English teacher at Colonia High, Mrs. Abrams agrees with this interpretation, “The message sounds like a bitter woman who lost her husband to a younger version of herself.”
In addition, she also said that the man going out to sea can symbolize the citizens of a country leaving their homeland.
Eleventh-grade student Angelique Richardson says the song isn’t sad but nostalgic. “I see two different things. At first, I thought it was about someone in love with someone else. Then I thought it was about a parent watching their kids grow throughout the years.”
Despite there being some different ideas, the general consensus is relatively the same.
If you’re into calm, soothing, or somber music, She Must be Beautiful, or any Janis Ian song in general is definitely for you.
Teresa Palomar • Sep 27, 2022 at 6:24 pm
It is about a lover who has strayed, but it’s not about a man. Janis Ian is gay. This is sung to a woman about her desire for a different lover.
Ronaldo Varela Wonnacott • Jul 10, 2021 at 5:51 pm
A pesar de lo que algunos piensa de esta cancion (que es un tema de amor por los barcos),creo que la interpretacion del contenido de la letra es la tristeza de una mujer que ve ,y le pregunta a un EL inexistente, sin nombre,pero al que va dirigida toda la cancion en pregunta , si esa otra inexistente tambien ( la del canto de sirena), que ha robado el viento de sus velas es
tan hermosa como para tomar su lugar. De cualquier manera, sea el recuerdo de los barcos de los padres de algunas infancias, o la enorme nostalgia de una mujer desplazada que pregunta de alguna forma ” por que ?”, o tambien la pena de madre que ( fuera de un contenido psicoanalitico, por favor ) se pregunta si es tan hermosa la que se lleva a un hijo varon para hacer otra vida , la cancion es enorme. Por eso cierra para lo que uno quiera,de acuerdo a la vida personal.
En cierta forma,y siendo esquemas distintos, me hace acordar al tema de Jose Luis Perales (Español) cuando pregunta, dando nombre a la cancion ” ¿ Y como es él?”…cierra para pareja en separacion ,por lo menos para mi , hasta que uno se entera que Perales (SIC) supuestramente habla de su hija que tiene un romance con alguien que no conoce, Distintos idiomas, pero el mismo argumento.La sensacion de abandono.
Betsy Malavet • Aug 31, 2020 at 10:18 pm
I actually read it as a woman jealous of a man not only gone to sea, but in love with his sailing craft. Sailors are an odd lot, perpetually seeking perfection on the water—that perfect tack, that faster time in a race, coupled with loving work on the actual boat—polishing, staining wood, etc
I remember a couple who had a wooden boat in the slip next to us who spent almost all their time working on the boat, but hardly ever sailing her😐