Janis Ian and Joan Baez have released a new single, featuring a duet by the two legendary folk singers. But there’s a twist.

“One in a Million,” written by Ian and Jess Leary, features a performance by Ian and Baez that took place about 30 years ago, at a “Fight the Right” event in San Francisco. A recording of the duet recently came to light, and was released on Thursday by both artists. (Listen to the song in the video below.)

“Fight the Right,” sponsored by the National Organization for Women, drew about 13,000 people to San Francisco’s Marina District in 1996, according to a report by SFGATE.com. The event included speeches, marches and music performances in support of reproductive rights, affirmative action and other progressive causes.

Celebrities were on hand for the event, including Gloria Steinem, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Danny Glover, Dick Gregory and more. Ian and Baez were on the lineup, according to Ian’s publicist, and Ian asked Baez to sing “One in a Million” with her.

“Fortunately, Joan’s a quick study, because we only had time for one short run-through,” Ian said in a statement on her website. “We sang it twice that night, with fellow musician Anthony Peterson helping out and the audience joining in as soon as they’d learned the chorus.”

“One in a Million” was intended as an anthem of unity, offering encouragement and hope to people in their quest for social and political justice.

“At a time when it’s easy to lose hope, we want to remind people that our dreams are still attainable,” Ian said in her statement. “We are still united in the pursuit of good. And each of us is just one of a million others who also refuse to give up. So stay strong. You are not alone.”

The song can be downloaded for free on Ian’s website, along with the sheet music.

Ian, 74, is an iconic artist in the folk world, earning fame with songs such as “At Seventeen” and “Society’s Child (Baby I’ve Been Thinking)” during the 1960s and ’70s. The singer-songwriter has two Grammy wins and 10 nominations to her credit, and has released about 30 albums, including 1975’s “Between the Lines,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

Social commentary has always been part of her aesthetic, and Ian’s storytelling songs gave her ample opportunity to share her views and quest for change. She’s the subject of a 2024 documentary, “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence.”

(Watch a trailer for the movie in the video below.)

Baez, 84, has a long history as a protest singer and social activist, dating back to the 1960s. She raised her voice in song and speech, drawing awareness to issues such as racism, poverty, gay rights and environmental protection. Baez has more than 30 studio albums to her credit, and is known for her renditions of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “There But for Fortune,” “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and more.

(See Baez perform “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” in the video below.)

Baez participated in the Selma-to-Montgomery march for voting rights in 1965, and performed at a “Stars for Freedom” rally with Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett and more. Baez also did a tour of black colleges in 1963, including Miles College in Fairfield, to reach audiences who were unable to attend her shows because of segregation.

Baez and Ian are longtime friends, and Ian has credited Baez as being an inspiration during her teen years as a fledgling folk singer.

“Even at that age, watching Joan consistently stand up for what she believed in made me resolve that if I ever got the chance, I would do the same,” Ian said via a press release.

(Listen to Ian sing “Society’s Child” in the video below.)