Tucson chanteuse Marianne Dissard on Friday, June 5, will release her cover of Janis Ian’s tale of teen angst anthem “At Seventeen.”
Dissard, the French-born singer who has called Tucson home off and on since the 1990s, is actually releasing two versions of the song: One from “his” point of view, the other from “hers.”
Dissard and English producer Raphael Mann teamed up for the project, which presents a world-weary male view and an irreverent female view of being 17.
The remake reimagines Ian’s Bossa-Nova rhythm as a post-World War II French chanson-styled vocal interpretation that puts the focus more on the lyrics than the melody.
Dissard tapped Tucson bassist Thoger Lund and guitarist Gabriel Naïm Amor as well as Mexico City cellist Belén Ruiz and English saxophonist Terry Edwards, all of whom recorded their parts from their respective homes during the recent COVID-19 lockdown.
The song will be available for download at Bandcamp for the platform’s monthly no-fee Friday, and you also can get a free bonus track of Dissard’s first-ever cover, a 2006 recording with Calexico’s Joey Burns of folk singer Kath Bloom’s 1982 song “It’s So Hard to Come Home.”
“At Seventeen” is the second cover Dissard has released since she recorded a cover of Phil Och’s 1968 protest song “The Scorpion Departs but Never Returns” in April in reaction to the firing of USS Theodore Roosevelt Captain Brett. E. Crozier. Crozier had spoken out against the military’s response to several of his sailors becoming infected with the coronavirus.
Dissard, who left Tucson in 2013, has been back since late last year, when she returned to do some work on her home here. She intended to stay a couple months, but has remained put because of the coronavirus pandemic.
To download the song beginning Friday, visit tinyurl.com/y8v4cxds. To donate to the recording costs, visit paypal.me/mariannedissard.
Photos: Sunshine Mile (Broadway) in Tucson
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Hirsh’s Shoes was built in 1954 and is one of 29 buildings in the district designed by architect Bernard Friedman’s firm.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Hirsh's Shoes, 1954, on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Hirsh’s Shoes at 2934 E. Broadway, in Tucson, circa late 1950s (courtesy Hirsh’s Shoes) and in 2016 (Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star).
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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The distinctive Chase Bank at Broadway and Country Club was once a Valley National Bank. It was designed by Don Smith of Friedman and Jobusch Architects in 1971.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Construction workers build the Valley National Bank on the northwest corner of East Broadway Boulevard and North Country Club, on March 18, 1971.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Valley National Bank, 1973, on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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The Welcome Diner, built in 1964 as Sambo’s Pancake House, is on the western end of Tucson’s historic Sunshine Mile.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Solot Plaza on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Kelly Building, built in 1964-65, on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson. Architect: Nicholas Sakellar
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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View from Country Club Road on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Store in the Solot Plaza, built in 1958, on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson. Architect: Nicholas Sakellar
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Friedman and Jobusch Office, built in 1950, on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson. Architects: Friedman and Jobusch
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Old Pueblo Medical Group, built in 1965, on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson. Architect: Cain, Nelson and Ware
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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American Evangelical Lutheran Church, built in 1954, on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson. Architects: Jaastad and Knipe
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Arizona Auto Refrigeration, built in 1951, on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Old Tucson Jewish Community Center, built in 1953, on the Sunshine Mile (Broadway Road) in Tucson. Architect: Bernard Friedman
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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Anne Rysdale was Arizona’s only female registered architect when she developed and built the Haas Building in 1957.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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A public workshop will be held May 18 from 9 a.m. to noon at First Assembly of God church, 1749 E. Broadway, to gather public reaction to a report on transforming the Broadway corridor into a public space as the city widens a portion of the street to six lanes.
Sunshine Mile in Tucson
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The Chase Bank at 3033 E. Broadway Blvd. is one of several architectural distinctive buildings along the Sunshine Mile.



