THIS MOVIE WILL BE ON 1-20, TOMORROW MORNING AT 6AM ON AMC CHANNEL, A doll was accidently dropped off the bridge by Billy Jo. I remember when this came out, it was like, The Valley of the Dolls,, I was forbidden to see it,,, So when (snuck into the theater to watch it, I did, realized why),,, deep movie, well made for it's time, A Must See
The whole family is casually discussing him jumping off the bridge around her. She didn't say anything. She said NOTHING, it was her brother talking, he saw Billy Joe yesterday. She was stunned and wasn't eating. The preacher thought he'd seen her with Billy Joe throwing 'something' off the bridge. Speculation has been rampant since it came out. Another story song along this vein is Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley PTA" although not as dark. Just small town gossip.
Yes, I thought of that one too. Both songs piqued the public's interest enough to be followed by made-for-TV movies. As I recall, they were both really bad movies.
@@itsme-rt7nz OTBJ the movie was a theatrical release in 1976, worth watching mainly for the performance given by Glynnis O'Connor (as Bobbie Lee) in the lead. Robby Benson is totally miscast as Billy Joe, and his reason for jumping wasridiculous. There was no baby, and the item thrown from the bridge by Billy Joe was an old rag doll Bobbie Lee brought with her to their meeting. (On a side note, Herman Raucher's novelization of his original screenplay was much more compelling, fleshing out the characters and portraying Bobbie Lee's heartbreak perfectly.)
At the end she throws TWO flowers off the bridge.. The movie in ate 70s ADAPTED the song to portray that BJ got very drunk at a county fair, got seduced by a man in the town, and while he was madly in love w his girlfriend, his profound reaction of regret and self-loathing led to him jumping But that was very early rise in LGBTQm agenda, but this was never even hinted out before. (meaning hijacked).
Masterfully Crafted song! Bobbie Gentry is way underrated as a singer/songwriter. The arrangement on this thing is awesome! The strings add so much nuance and intensity as it pushes the song along. As you say Daniel, Bobbie Gentry knows how to tell a story. She has you hanging onto every word, waiting for the next bomb to drop. Beautifully done👏
It’s the brother, not the sister, who is reminiscing about the frog, asks for a piece of pie, and then says “it don’t seem right” and didn’t he see her (the sister) talking to Billie Joe after church on Sunday. I am so glad you reacted to this song. It’s one I’d almost forgotten about and it’s worth remembering. Good job! Greetings from Florida.
Daniel... First... you are NOT "stupid", my friend. I grew up with this song. I have always loved the connection to the family through this song. You feel what they all feel. Second... THANK YOU! I'm glad you're doing this reaction. Third... This song always made me cry... tonight was no exception. It is definitely one of those epic stories. You can't listen to this song and not be sucked into the entire story. Good job!
My Mom was 16 when this song came out. She and all her friends thought there was a teenage pregnancy and a miscarriage, and it was the dead baby they they threw off the bridge.
That is what I always thought - except I am not sure the baby was dead when it was born - hence Billy-Joe not being able to live with the guilt. Anyone old enough to remember those days KNOWS what unmarried people who had a baby were treated like.
Bobbie Gentry wrote & performed Ode to Billie Joe. Played all the time on the radio from 1967-early 70s. Brilliant writer, singer. And the big hair and reinforced eyelashes definitely added to Miss Bobbie's mystique. Icon
You lost track of who was speaking when "brother" began to speak. Take another look. She doesn't say she was talking to Billy Joe after Church last Sunday night. That is her brother speaking and it was her brother who saw him at the saw mill. The preacher also thinks he saw "a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge", etc. Nothing is confirmed. Besides, there's black eyed peas and biscuits to deal with.
Yes the brother is the one reminiscing, asking for apple pie, and then continuing to speak about how he saw her talking to Billy Joe. She doesn't say a word or takes a bite that day. She just remembers every single word. Seared into her memory. I thought her delivery was just superb.
I don't like Fancy either for the same reason - it seems like a hyperbolic shaming or put-down on the poor southern white culture. Her voice, though, is amazing.
Yes, what is striking throughout the entire scene at the dinner table is her silence. She never says a word, as though she is really hurting about the news. But no one in her family seems to notice.
@@jefftaylor8987 The movie was just Hollywood stuff. That's not the whole story, Bobby Gentry intended the song to be the whole story. The movie came after the song.
The frog down the back is a classic old time type of opening up a flirty relationship between boys & girls in those days, since her brother was involved, it was just a prank, like dipping a girls pigtails into an ink well in class.
This and her song Fancy are great stories. The song is to show the callousness of people. They can't even see the pain their daughter is in as they tell the story.
There is nothing in the song that gives the listener the idea that what was thrown of the bridge led to the suicide of Billy Joe. It’s just our imaginations crafting these extraneous stories to explain things.
@@LadyIarConnacht I think the interesting aspect of this song is how people build a narrative around the tragedy that excuses themselves from any moral imperative that may compel them to act altruistically.
Daniel, I was 14 when this song came out and it hit me pretty hard. The 3rd of June is my birthday. I really feel the sing is about how the people around you, that love you and that you love, may not even know the real you or understand you at all! I have the gut feeling that the girl in the song and Billie Joe were young first loves who had a baby together, and nobody noticed she was even pregnant. She and Billie Joe threw the baby off the Tallahatchie Bridge because they could not face the shame and the disgrace and the gossip of the sharp tongues of their families and the local church. They may have been so innocent as to not even know she was pregnant themselves, as in that time period lots of good Christians didn’t ever discuss sex or tell their kids what it even was. Many young people just had to fumble and find out by accident and actions. I think this may be a true story of someone. This song always makes me cry. It still does.
This song is just a work of art crazy wonderful haunting beautifully song and delivered. I know you will appreciate this cannot wait to hear your reactions love you
As has been said, she was an awesome storyteller...great lyrics, delivered in a mournful, sorrowful way, with the backing music enhancing those feelings, drawing you even further. Great reaction to a great song!
She wrote and sings "Fancy" another great story song that is a slice of life too........she was more than just a Southern Belle she went on to study philosophy at university and was a smart business lady
One other thing to consider - how Gentry uses her voice, the little pauses, the way she'll end some words directly and others trail off, depending on which character she's quoting. Her guitar playing is straight forward with a hypnotic quality that kind of propels the other-worldliness of the story. Gentry has a lot to unpack in her performance and writing, thanks for the reaction, Daniel.
This song was like a deep family secret that no members of the family wish to acknowledge or to become known outside the family. And the singer sings the song like a confession. Everybody was talking about this songs meaning when it came out........almost overshadowed Bobbie Gentry's amazing voice.
Love it ! I remember hearing this song on my Dads truck radio on the way to school when I was a little girl and have always loved it and I love that you picked up on the indifference of the family as they heard the news, most people blow past that fact, people have always been curious about what happened but the mystery lives on...♡
Bobby Gentry said "The song is sort of a study in unconscious cruelty. But everybody seems more concerned with what was thrown off the bridge than they are with the thoughtlessness of people expressed in the song."
@@LadyIarConnacht- It’s likely that people are “miffed” about the “thoughtlessness” of the family members of the song’s narrator in that they are *completely clueless* as to how *devastated* she is that Billy Joe killed himself. The closest any of them get to noticing her anguish is when her mama says, “Child, what’s happened to your appetite? I’ve been cookin’ all morning and you haven’t touched a single bite.”
Alright as someone who actually remembers the mid 1970s although 1976 was the year it came out and that was also the year I arrived as a child in the USA. Anyway 1976 there was a massive recession and people like in 2023 were going through very hard times, times that drove many to suicide. When you see enough people overdosing or committing suicide you tend to harden your soul in order to not collapse yourself. It's happening even today with nobody concerned with the huge rising of homicides in cities like Chicago.
Thanks, Dicon - what a haunting song.. nobody knows why Billie Joe jumped.. or what the girl had to do with it - if anything... Bobby Gentry wrote this song herself - and she has said that "it doesn't matter - what the song is really about is how people go about their lives.. pass the biscuits, please.. I'll have another piece of apple pie, etc". -- that somebody's apparent suicide/death means not much - they go on without real care or introspection... I just love this.. it's mysterious, beautiful, and as I said earlier "haunting" -Bobby Gentry was an amazing musician - writing, singing, playing guitar.. and all of it with TIMING.. thanks, again!
Bravo for finding this masterpiece. Saw was huge country singer and this song was big crossover hit into top 40 stations and she was on all the late night talk shows. Chicago Ray
This song was huge in the summer of '67. The speculation as to the meaning went on and on. The line "she and Billy Joe was throwin' somethin' off the Tallahatchie bridge". That really got people's imaginations running wild.
It's great seeing you react to this. I just received an email the day before yesterday from WB (Warner) Archives announcing the re-release of the movie on DVD. I remember seeing an interview with Bobbie years ago that put the song into a new light for me. I was one of the "aborted baby" theory subscribers but after what she said and listening to the interview I found myself subscribing to an entirely different school of thought. Simply put, Bobbie said that what was thrown off the bridge was definitely open to interpretation by the listeners but said she'd like to think, herself, that it was a ring ... possibly an engagement ring. All the clues are there: She was the girl in church, she was the girl throwing something in the water, the parents were definitely pushing her into going after the preacher. She knew her parents opinions of Billie Joe. She knew they'd never accept him despite her being in love with him. When coming to choose between her parents approval and the man she loves she'd choose the approval. In his mind, she was the only important thing in the world to him. In losing her, he lost the will to live and did something tragic. Of course, this is only my interpretation of this. My fiancee's take is very different but just as valid. Her thought is that yes, Billie Joe met her in the church yard. Yes, Billie Joe and her would go to Choctaw Ridge and would throw flowers off just like she did later on. Her take is that Billie Joe confessed to her and either she told him she only thought of him as a friend or said she felt the same way but can't act on it due to not wanting to incite anger in her parents. Not being able to accept it he jumped from the bridge. These are just two takes and I've heard at least 50 other takes on the song. I can imagine all the other takes I haven't heard yet. Even the movie is just the writer's take. He said Billie had him write it based on his interpretation. This is what makes it such an amazing song.
Being from Mississippi, we are so proud Bobbie’s from our state. ❤️ She earned a degree in philosophy but I can’t remember from where. I once read an interview with her about the meaning of this song. Paraphrasing, she said if you focus on what the girl and Billy Joe threw off the bridge or why he jumped, your missing the entire meaning of the song. She left the lyrics open ended on purpose. The point was to make people aware of how cruel and callous humans can be towards each other. I’m pretty sure she also said she really didn’t have in her mind the answer because that wasn’t the point. Genius!! You seemed to catch on to that point at the very beginning, very intuitive! I loved this song when I was a little girl and my friends and I knew every word (still do). Enjoyed your reaction, thank you!! 👍👏
You have reacted to some great female singers recently. Two suggestions - Billie Holiday, Strange Fruit, And Ella Fitzgerald, Cry me a River. The first song will stay with you for life and the second one is breathtaking. You are doing well with you reactios- thank you
I admired her guitar playing too. Simple but steady and understated. I saw a live version and she can perform this perfectly. This song really had an effect on people and I guess it still does. Great reaction.
One of the brilliant aspects of the song is letting the listener fill in the storyline. The listener fills in the fact that there was something going on with Billie. The fact that they don't specify what they threw off the bridge is a powerful detail and draws in the listener to wonder. It could be a baby, but then that brings up a question of did she carry a pregnancy with no one noticing? - it happens. Or was it something else. Either way, they conspired and it led to his suicide. It might have been easier than trying to tie together a lot of loose ends in a song, but it certainly was a great writing choice.
I grew up fishing the Tallahatchie. The river winds all through North Mississippi. On the 3rd of June each year many Mississippians post the song on Facebook. The song is a mix of casual lunch conversation and serious tearful learning for her.
I have watched so many reactions to this video young man, but YOURS is the best one thus far!!!!! You seem so well-rounded with your thoughts. Thank you for keeping good music alive and well.
What was thrown off the bridge was just a macguffin. Like the stone in stone soup. The meaning of a work of art is the emotional response . The atmosphere. There’s a dogged blindness we have , thinking that some important evidence has been withheld from us. We’ve become accustomed to viewing everything through the lens of detective fiction., so that we can tell ourselves that we understand. Bobby Gentry’s explanation is brilliant.
Part of that emotional response and atmosphere is carried by all the questions and feelings about what might have been thrown off the bridge. And, BG isn't the arbiter -- once she let's her work out into the world, the listener decides how important that "object" is.
I have never heard of the song until I stumbled upon the 1976 movie inspired by the music of the same name. After reading the synopsis, I was intrigued because I thought the film was a tribute to the legendary singer Billy Joel. When I watched the movie, I was blown away that Billy Joe was not Billy Joel, and he had a secret. It’s a cautionary tale, that is for sure. Starring then teen heartthrob Robby Benson (who later voiced the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast classic animated masterpiece) in the title role and Glynnis O’Connor as the narrator and love interest.
An excellent review. Thank you for delving into the meaning and appreciating her story telling musical talent. It is a haunting song that isn't easily forgotten
The part of the song where the family is eating reminds me of dinner when I was young. And there would be two conversations going on at the same time around intermittent requests to pass food. It makes this song seem more realistic because of true representation of a family meal.
Daniel - I knew you'd love this "story" song, and your analysis really nailed it. The issue is not what happened on the bridge, but the comments of the family sitting around the table, the nonchalant reactions of all except the narrator (who is not Ms Gentry, I hate it when people confuse the artist with the narrator or the character being described). Keep up the good work man.
This was one of the first Gothicana songs I remember hearing, although Nancy & Lee did a lot of them too. I love the way she delivers this story. Timeless and Haunting. ❤️
Whether it be Dolly's or Lee and Nancy's version, I always felt there was a connection between "Down from Dover" and "Ode to Billy Joe" - like it's the same story, just panned out to different endings.
Though I grew up in an Atlanta suburb in a nice house with electricity, I was just one generation from my parents who got off those farms after WWII and came to the big city. So I am very familiar about with the South from those times. Back then, the biggest meal of the week was Sunday dinner. But dinner did not mean the evening meal, but a huge meal served at lunchtime. "Mama" probably got up at dawn to start the fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collard greens, cornbread and biscuits. And since it was the third of June, they probably had some nice, sliced homegrown tomatoes too. Don't forget the okra! So anyway, the majority of the song was just gossip around the Sunday table. They share the news but the singer, herself, never interjects. She was the secret girlfriend of Billy Joe and so had to sit there quietly as they exposed that her lover had died. Ohhh man. What a great song. My take was that she got pregnant by Billy Joe and had the baby aborted...either before or after Billy Joe commited suicide. Abortions were illegal in Mississippi at the time and an unwed mother was something quite shameful)
My mom had this album. When I was a kid I thought all music sounded like this until one day I stumbled into a neighbor's yard sale and discovered their collection of Earth, Wind & Fire records. That's the day I discovered my body could move to the sound of music.
Having spent some of my childhood visiting relatives in that very area, this song is surreal. I can feel the sun and smell the dirt in the field, taste the peas and biscuits. I've heard this type of casual conversation over meals hundreds of times. The diners having no idea or care what they are saying may be hurting others.
It's because you have a good heart and also can emphasize with what people are going through, that keeps me tuned in to your reactions on these songs. You are young and have a heart of gold..don't lose that quality..by the way, there was a movie out a long time ago, titled the same as the song..it does explain a lot.
You are wondering and speculating about the same things we did some 50+ years ago when we heard this song for the first time. There's been no song like this before or since. Its a masterpiece. There are several performances by Bobby Gentry of this song on TH-cam.....all done live.....all a little different.....all just great. She captured a slice of life.....a part of America......the deep South.....rural farm living.....small town.....a family that's oblivious......true story?.....maybe.....but, Bobby never revealed if the song was autobiographical or just an intriguing fantasy.
The girl doesn't eat or say a word about Billy Joe at the table. Haunting still decades later! I was delighted to watch someone else try to figure it out, being surprised and confused.We all thought it was a baby at the time. They wouldn't make a movie back then about that.
The way she made the conversation at the table sound so *natural*. Nothing forced, no inversions, just like regular table talk. An exceptionally fine bit of lyric writing. Very Faulkner.
To me the real trick of this song is how the narrator uses none of her own words or thoughts until the end, and yet the emotion conveys everything you need to understand about the narrator and her connection to Billy Joe. Excellent understanding on a first listen as you picked up on the dismissive nature of the dinner table right away. Well done. Another narrative song that leaves you wanting for the rest of the story is Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen. Though if you haven't listened to anything from him you may want to start with something less deep end, idk. Maybe 'Everybody Knows' or 'Dance me to the end of love' (edited for grammar)
the music is so eerie and evocative, that it can indeed be made into a wonderful instrumental.... think, large production. what used to be called "easy listening". many years ago, there were stations that only played this type of music. It was often found in Drs and Dentist's offices.
Thank You for reacting to this!!! I'm so glad you saw the depth to it. A haunting and mysterious song. Also mysterious is Bobbie Gentry who cut short her career and disappeared from public life in the early 1980's, never heard from since. Please react to her song "Fancy"... its another fantastic story telling song. 😊
Liked your reaction. There’s lots of speculation about what he threw off the bridge of course and maybe that leads to his suicide but it is the callousness of their reaction to it that’s painful. Was she the love interest? Did they have a baby? How could the family not know? Well, they weren’t too tuned in to their own family so its possible they didn’t know. Was the young preacher interested in the girl? Did she turn down Billy Joe’s love interest? Lots of questions and no answers. It’s brilliant. Just a well done sad song. Glad you liked it.
I've recently come to the understanding that _she_ was the one with Bobby Gentry on the bridge, and that what they threw off was their baby. Could be mistaken....
That doesn't even make sense, the narrator was with Bobbie Gentry on the bridge? FYI, Bobbie Gentry, who wrote the song, never said what was dropped off the bridge. It's all speculation.
@@rhwinner Correct. I guess some people miss that when listening to the song. I would hope that you would edit your comment and remove the false information from it, or at least add that you are guessing.
Great minds think alike. I also recommended that with one more to consider... Watch "Dusty Springfield - Son of a preacher man" on TH-cam th-cam.com/video/dp4339EbVn8/w-d-xo.html Watch "Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley P.T.A." on TH-cam th-cam.com/video/aOZPBUu7Fro/w-d-xo.html
When my husband died of cancer- the feeling that hit me the hardest was how, from MY perspective, the most important man in the whole world had just died....and yet people just continued about their daily lives like it didn't mean ANYTHING at all....that's how this song always struck me. Her family being SO casual about an event that for whatever reason ( I personally think she was in love with Billy Joe) really mattered to her. Later, when her dad dies... mom falls apart (cause it was personal for her)...and the girl continues to "put flowers on Billy Joe's grave ("flower's off the bridge)... Thank you for this one Daniel ❤️
Everyone fixated on trying to figure out what they were throwing off the bridge. I remember this song playing on the radio when I was a kid. The way she sings it is so powerful. It's so simple and mundane when you read it but it has so much power when she sings it. Bobbie is a great artist.
Yes, this is a real work of Art, a Southern Gothic masterpiece.
THIS MOVIE WILL BE ON 1-20, TOMORROW MORNING AT 6AM ON AMC CHANNEL, A doll was accidently dropped off the bridge by Billy Jo. I remember when this came out, it was like, The Valley of the Dolls,, I was forbidden to see it,,, So when (snuck into the theater to watch it, I did, realized why),,, deep movie, well made for it's time, A Must See
Southern Gothic, yes. Perfect storytelling. Mesmerizing.
This song will haunt you for the rest of your life. I heard it back in the seventies. You can imagine.
The whole family is casually discussing him jumping off the bridge around her. She didn't say anything. She said NOTHING, it was her brother talking, he saw Billy Joe yesterday. She was stunned and wasn't eating. The preacher thought he'd seen her with Billy Joe throwing 'something' off the bridge. Speculation has been rampant since it came out. Another story song along this vein is Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley PTA" although not as dark. Just small town gossip.
Yes, I thought of that one too. Both songs piqued the public's interest enough to be followed by made-for-TV movies. As I recall, they were both really bad movies.
Every time I hear this song/story I get gooseflesh. It's like a haunting book that you understand better each time you read it.
@@itsme-rt7nz Harper Valley PTA also became a TV series.
@@itsme-rt7nz OTBJ the movie was a theatrical release in 1976, worth watching mainly for the performance given by Glynnis O'Connor (as Bobbie Lee) in the lead. Robby Benson is totally miscast as Billy Joe, and his reason for jumping wasridiculous. There was no baby, and the item thrown from the bridge by Billy Joe was an old rag doll Bobbie Lee brought with her to their meeting. (On a side note, Herman Raucher's novelization of his original screenplay was much more compelling, fleshing out the characters and portraying Bobbie Lee's heartbreak perfectly.)
At the end she throws TWO flowers off the bridge.. The movie in ate 70s ADAPTED the song to portray that BJ got very drunk at a county fair, got seduced by a man in the town, and while he was madly in love w his girlfriend, his profound reaction of regret and self-loathing led to him jumping But that was very early rise in LGBTQm agenda, but this was never even hinted out before. (meaning hijacked).
Masterfully Crafted song! Bobbie Gentry is way underrated as a singer/songwriter. The arrangement on this thing is awesome! The strings add so much nuance and intensity as it pushes the song along. As you say Daniel, Bobbie Gentry knows how to tell a story. She has you hanging onto every word, waiting for the next bomb to drop. Beautifully done👏
It’s the brother, not the sister, who is reminiscing about the frog, asks for a piece of pie, and then says “it don’t seem right” and didn’t he see her (the sister) talking to Billie Joe after church on Sunday. I am so glad you reacted to this song. It’s one I’d almost forgotten about and it’s worth remembering. Good job! Greetings from Florida.
I knew I should have read the comments before posting. You already said my piece and you said it better. lol
She and Billy Joe, Dude.
She and Billy Joe.
She brings flowers to his grave every day.
Daniel... First... you are NOT "stupid", my friend. I grew up with this song. I have always loved the connection to the family through this song. You feel what they all feel. Second... THANK YOU! I'm glad you're doing this reaction. Third... This song always made me cry... tonight was no exception. It is definitely one of those epic stories. You can't listen to this song and not be sucked into the entire story. Good job!
My Mom was 16 when this song came out. She and all her friends thought there was a teenage pregnancy and a miscarriage, and it was the dead baby they they threw off the bridge.
That's what I've thought all these years (I'm 68).
Yes..or an Illegal abortion was the other theory...
This is how I always interpreted it.
That is what I always thought - except I am not sure the baby was dead when it was born - hence Billy-Joe not being able to live with the guilt. Anyone old enough to remember those days KNOWS what unmarried people who had a baby were treated like.
This is what we all thought at the time. An illegal abortion.
Bobbie Gentry wrote & performed Ode to Billie Joe. Played all the time on the radio from 1967-early 70s. Brilliant writer, singer. And the big hair and reinforced eyelashes definitely added to Miss Bobbie's mystique. Icon
You lost track of who was speaking when "brother" began to speak. Take another look. She doesn't say she was talking to Billy Joe after Church last Sunday night. That is her brother speaking and it was her brother who saw him at the saw mill. The preacher also thinks he saw "a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge", etc. Nothing is confirmed. Besides, there's black eyed peas and biscuits to deal with.
Yeah, I think the brother asks for the piece of apple pie ....since Bobby Gentry has lost her appetite since hearing the news.
Yes the brother is the one reminiscing, asking for apple pie, and then continuing to speak about how he saw her talking to Billy Joe. She doesn't say a word or takes a bite that day. She just remembers every single word. Seared into her memory. I thought her delivery was just superb.
I don't like Fancy either for the same reason - it seems like a hyperbolic shaming or put-down on the poor southern white culture. Her voice, though, is amazing.
Yes, what is striking throughout the entire scene at the dinner table is her silence. She never says a word, as though she is really hurting about the news. But no one in her family seems to notice.
@@jefftaylor8987 The movie was just Hollywood stuff. That's not the whole story, Bobby Gentry intended the song to be the whole story. The movie came after the song.
No two ways about it, Bobbie Gentry was an absolute genius!
The frog down the back is a classic old time type of opening up a flirty relationship between boys & girls in those days, since her brother was involved, it was just a prank, like dipping a girls pigtails into an ink well in class.
The most mysterious song of all time.
Well said 👍♥️we are legion
Elvis is from Tupelo
@@patriciamiller8342 So, you're saying it was Elvis who pushed BJ off the bridge? ;-)
@@fewwiggle 🤣🤣🤣
You forgot to mention how stunningly beautiful Bobbie Gentry is. 🤩
The strings in the song always make the blood rush from my face. The end of each verse is another gut punch and the strings emphasize it.
This and her song Fancy are great stories. The song is to show the callousness of people. They can't even see the pain their daughter is in as they tell the story.
They did bring it up to her. I'd say (possibly) throwing your baby off a bridge is slightly more callous than not reading your daughter's mind.
@@LadyIarConnacht we don’t know it’s a baby. It could have been anything.
@@Hartlor_Tayley It could have been anything, but whatever it was made a young man kill himself.
There is nothing in the song that gives the listener the idea that what was thrown of the bridge led to the suicide of Billy Joe. It’s just our imaginations crafting these extraneous stories to explain things.
@@LadyIarConnacht I think the interesting aspect of this song is how people build a narrative around the tragedy that excuses themselves from any moral imperative that may compel them to act altruistically.
This one is a rabbit hole... one of those never quite done in your head songs.
Daniel, I was 14 when this song came out and it hit me pretty hard. The 3rd of June is my birthday. I really feel the sing is about how the people around you, that love you and that you love, may not even know the real you or understand you at all! I have the gut feeling that the girl in the song and Billie Joe were young first loves who had a baby together, and nobody noticed she was even pregnant. She and Billie Joe threw the baby off the Tallahatchie Bridge because they could not face the shame and the disgrace and the gossip of the sharp tongues of their families and the local church. They may have been so innocent as to not even know she was pregnant themselves, as in that time period lots of good Christians didn’t ever discuss sex or tell their kids what it even was. Many young people just had to fumble and find out by accident and actions. I think this may be a true story of someone. This song always makes me cry. It still does.
Wonderful story telling. Simple answer is probably truth.😢
I was so hoping you would have a thoughtful reaction to this song/story. I was not let down. You are wise beyond your years Daniel.
I really enjoyed this reaction, especially your comments relating to social media. You have an “old, wise” soul. Keep up the good work.
I was 9 when this came out. Wasn't a country music fan but loved this. A mesmerizing story told by a beautiful voice.
This song is just a work of art crazy wonderful haunting beautifully song and delivered. I know you will appreciate this cannot wait to hear your reactions love you
As has been said, she was an awesome storyteller...great lyrics, delivered in a mournful, sorrowful way, with the backing music enhancing those feelings, drawing you even further. Great reaction to a great song!
She wrote and sings "Fancy" another great story song that is a slice of life too........she was more than just a Southern Belle she went on to study philosophy at university and was a smart business lady
One other thing to consider - how Gentry uses her voice, the little pauses, the way she'll end some words directly and others trail off, depending on which character she's quoting. Her guitar playing is straight forward with a hypnotic quality that kind of propels the other-worldliness of the story. Gentry has a lot to unpack in her performance and writing, thanks for the reaction, Daniel.
The lack of emotion on her face leads you to believe there is something deeply personal about this song.
This song was like a deep family secret that no members of the family wish to acknowledge or to become known outside the family. And the singer sings the song like a confession. Everybody was talking about this songs meaning when it came out........almost overshadowed Bobbie Gentry's amazing voice.
Haunting lyrics to this day. Ode to Billy Joe and an ode to the enigma of suicide and the often fractured assumptions in the aftermath.
Love it ! I remember hearing this song on my Dads truck radio on the way to school when I was a little girl and have always loved it and I love that you picked up on the indifference of the family as they heard the news, most people blow past that fact, people have always been curious about what happened but the mystery lives on...♡
This is a great piece of story-telling. Bobbie Gentry paints a vivid picture in our minds. A brilliant, haunting live performance.
Bobby Gentry said "The song is sort of a study in unconscious cruelty. But everybody seems more concerned with what was thrown off the bridge than they are with the thoughtlessness of people expressed in the song."
Because that's the mystery of the song, not so much her family.
Why would everybody be more miffed at the "thoughtlessness" of obviously concerned but busy people than with suicide and possibly murder?
@@LadyIarConnacht- It’s likely that people are “miffed” about the “thoughtlessness” of the family members of the song’s narrator in that they are *completely clueless* as to how *devastated* she is that Billy Joe killed himself. The closest any of them get to noticing her anguish is when her mama says, “Child, what’s happened to your appetite? I’ve been cookin’ all morning and you haven’t touched a single bite.”
@@LadyIarConnacht
Because they weren't "concerned" at all.
Alright as someone who actually remembers the mid 1970s although 1976 was the year it came out and that was also the year I arrived as a child in the USA. Anyway 1976 there was a massive recession and people like in 2023 were going through very hard times, times that drove many to suicide. When you see enough people overdosing or committing suicide you tend to harden your soul in order to not collapse yourself. It's happening even today with nobody concerned with the huge rising of homicides in cities like Chicago.
the voice,,,,is just amazing ,,the song has a zillion interpretations
Ooo..!
Never thought of suggesting this. But this is an awesome choice!
Guilty pleasure song. Try Petula Clark’s Downtown....huge hit in the sixties.
Another Bacharach Jem. Don’t feel guilty it’s musically marvelous.
Downtown and Petula Clark are fantastic!
Her voice is amazing. Her guitar playing solid. So glad you like it.Her live performance flawless x
Thanks, Dicon - what a haunting song.. nobody knows why Billie Joe jumped.. or what the girl had to do with it - if anything... Bobby Gentry wrote this song herself - and she has said that "it doesn't matter - what the song is really about is how people go about their lives.. pass the biscuits, please.. I'll have another piece of apple pie, etc". -- that somebody's apparent suicide/death means not much - they go on without real care or introspection... I just love this.. it's mysterious, beautiful, and as I said earlier "haunting" -Bobby Gentry was an amazing musician - writing, singing, playing guitar.. and all of it with TIMING.. thanks, again!
You’re smart and sensitive human, Daniel. It’s a pleasure watching you think and express.
One of the most outstanding female storytelling singer/songwriters of the time and a passion of mine! Thanks for reviewing this seminal work!
Some mysteries are better left unsolved.
Bravo for finding this masterpiece. Saw was huge country singer and this song was big crossover hit into top 40 stations and she was on all the late night talk shows. Chicago Ray
Brings tears to my eyes when she drops the flowers off the bridge...... 😖never did find out what they threw off the bridge.......???? 🌷🌸🌻🌺🍃
This song was huge in the summer of '67. The speculation as to the meaning went on and on. The line "she and Billy Joe was throwin' somethin' off the Tallahatchie bridge". That really got people's imaginations running wild.
So many things going on in this folk song.
Each listen, I get progressively more morass and saddened by it, to the point of tears...
Morass? Maybe morose?
Please keep your character, while growing older. It's refreshing at your age!♥️🙂👏
I have always loved this song. Thanks for reminding me how much.
Very haunting song - every verse makes a picture in your mind - even after all these years
She was just inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Beautiful haunting song...
she was also, smart, with a great figure and face to boot.
They made a movie about this song starring Robbie Benson in the 70's.
A good movie.
It's great seeing you react to this. I just received an email the day before yesterday from WB (Warner) Archives announcing the re-release of the movie on DVD.
I remember seeing an interview with Bobbie years ago that put the song into a new light for me. I was one of the "aborted baby" theory subscribers but after what she said and listening to the interview I found myself subscribing to an entirely different school of thought. Simply put, Bobbie said that what was thrown off the bridge was definitely open to interpretation by the listeners but said she'd like to think, herself, that it was a ring ... possibly an engagement ring.
All the clues are there: She was the girl in church, she was the girl throwing something in the water, the parents were definitely pushing her into going after the preacher. She knew her parents opinions of Billie Joe. She knew they'd never accept him despite her being in love with him. When coming to choose between her parents approval and the man she loves she'd choose the approval. In his mind, she was the only important thing in the world to him. In losing her, he lost the will to live and did something tragic.
Of course, this is only my interpretation of this. My fiancee's take is very different but just as valid. Her thought is that yes, Billie Joe met her in the church yard. Yes, Billie Joe and her would go to Choctaw Ridge and would throw flowers off just like she did later on. Her take is that Billie Joe confessed to her and either she told him she only thought of him as a friend or said she felt the same way but can't act on it due to not wanting to incite anger in her parents. Not being able to accept it he jumped from the bridge.
These are just two takes and I've heard at least 50 other takes on the song. I can imagine all the other takes I haven't heard yet. Even the movie is just the writer's take. He said Billie had him write it based on his interpretation. This is what makes it such an amazing song.
I love this song, I love this woman. I cry each time more and more every time I listen to it.
Being from Mississippi, we are so proud Bobbie’s from our state. ❤️ She earned a degree in philosophy but I can’t remember from where. I once read an interview with her about the meaning of this song. Paraphrasing, she said if you focus on what the girl and Billy Joe threw off the bridge or why he jumped, your missing the entire meaning of the song. She left the lyrics open ended on purpose. The point was to make people aware of how cruel and callous humans can be towards each other. I’m pretty sure she also said she really didn’t have in her mind the answer because that wasn’t the point. Genius!! You seemed to catch on to that point at the very beginning, very intuitive! I loved this song when I was a little girl and my friends and I knew every word (still do). Enjoyed your reaction, thank you!! 👍👏
You have reacted to some great female singers recently. Two suggestions - Billie Holiday, Strange Fruit, And Ella Fitzgerald, Cry me a River. The first song will stay with you for life and the second one is breathtaking. You are doing well with you reactios- thank you
Strange fruit is another, insanely, haunting song.
Incredible performance by Bobbie of her number-one hit mystery song. Dark, riveting. Love your reaction.
I admired her guitar playing too. Simple but steady and understated. I saw a live version and she can perform this perfectly. This song really had an effect on people and I guess it still does. Great reaction.
One of the brilliant aspects of the song is letting the listener fill in the storyline. The listener fills in the fact that there was something going on with Billie. The fact that they don't specify what they threw off the bridge is a powerful detail and draws in the listener to wonder. It could be a baby, but then that brings up a question of did she carry a pregnancy with no one noticing? - it happens. Or was it something else. Either way, they conspired and it led to his suicide. It might have been easier than trying to tie together a lot of loose ends in a song, but it certainly was a great writing choice.
I grew up fishing the Tallahatchie. The river winds all through North Mississippi. On the 3rd of June each year many Mississippians post the song on Facebook. The song is a mix of casual lunch conversation and serious tearful learning for her.
I have watched so many reactions to this video young man, but YOURS is the best one thus far!!!!! You seem so well-rounded with your thoughts. Thank you for keeping good music alive and well.
What was thrown off the bridge was just a macguffin.
Like the stone in stone soup.
The meaning of a work of art is the emotional response . The atmosphere.
There’s a dogged blindness we have , thinking that some important evidence has been withheld from us.
We’ve become accustomed to viewing everything through the lens of detective fiction., so that we can tell ourselves that we understand.
Bobby Gentry’s explanation is brilliant.
Part of that emotional response and atmosphere is carried by all the questions and feelings about what might have been thrown off the bridge.
And, BG isn't the arbiter -- once she let's her work out into the world, the listener decides how important that "object" is.
I have never heard of the song until I stumbled upon the 1976 movie inspired by the music of the same name. After reading the synopsis, I was intrigued because I thought the film was a tribute to the legendary singer Billy Joel. When I watched the movie, I was blown away that Billy Joe was not Billy Joel, and he had a secret. It’s a cautionary tale, that is for sure. Starring then teen heartthrob Robby Benson (who later voiced the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast classic animated masterpiece) in the title role and Glynnis O’Connor as the narrator and love interest.
Brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it.
An excellent review. Thank you for delving into the meaning and appreciating her story telling musical talent. It is a haunting song that isn't easily forgotten
This performance shows the importance of delivery.
I've never seen a live version of this. Thanks! Very powerful. She was an awesome singer.
Another fav. ❤️ Love story telling songs.
The part of the song where the family is eating reminds me of dinner when I was young. And there would be two conversations going on at the same time around intermittent requests to pass food. It makes this song seem more realistic because of true representation of a family meal.
Daniel - I knew you'd love this "story" song, and your analysis really nailed it. The issue is not what happened on the bridge, but the comments of the family sitting around the table, the nonchalant reactions of all except the narrator (who is not Ms Gentry, I hate it when people confuse the artist with the narrator or the character being described). Keep up the good work man.
Absolutely love this song! What a great and tragic story. Love it!!
This was one of the first Gothicana songs I remember hearing, although Nancy & Lee did a lot of them too. I love the way she delivers this story. Timeless and Haunting. ❤️
Whether it be Dolly's or Lee and Nancy's version, I always felt there was a connection between "Down from Dover" and "Ode to Billy Joe" - like it's the same story, just panned out to different endings.
Though I grew up in an Atlanta suburb in a nice house with electricity, I was just one generation from my parents who got off those farms after WWII and came to the big city. So I am very familiar about with the South from those times. Back then, the biggest meal of the week was Sunday dinner. But dinner did not mean the evening meal, but a huge meal served at lunchtime. "Mama" probably got up at dawn to start the fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collard greens, cornbread and biscuits. And since it was the third of June, they probably had some nice, sliced homegrown tomatoes too. Don't forget the okra!
So anyway, the majority of the song was just gossip around the Sunday table. They share the news but the singer, herself, never interjects. She was the secret girlfriend of Billy Joe and so had to sit there quietly as they exposed that her lover had died. Ohhh man. What a great song.
My take was that she got pregnant by Billy Joe and had the baby aborted...either before or after Billy Joe commited suicide. Abortions were illegal in Mississippi at the time and an unwed mother was something quite shameful)
My mom had this album. When I was a kid I thought all music sounded like this until one day I stumbled into a neighbor's yard sale and discovered their collection of Earth, Wind & Fire records. That's the day I discovered my body could move to the sound of music.
Loved your reaction. It's nice to see young people expanding their knowledge base.
Bobby Gentry was one of Moms favorites. Heard this song all my life. Hope you like it too
Having spent some of my childhood visiting relatives in that very area, this song is surreal. I can feel the sun and smell the dirt in the field, taste the peas and biscuits. I've heard this type of casual conversation over meals hundreds of times. The diners having no idea or care what they are saying may be hurting others.
It's because you have a good heart and also can emphasize with what people are going through, that keeps me tuned in to your reactions on these songs. You are young and have a heart of gold..don't lose that quality..by the way, there was a movie out a long time ago, titled the same as the song..it does explain a lot.
You are wondering and speculating about the same things we did some 50+ years ago when we heard this song for the first time. There's been no song like this before or since. Its a masterpiece. There are several performances by Bobby Gentry of this song on TH-cam.....all done live.....all a little different.....all just great. She captured a slice of life.....a part of America......the deep South.....rural farm living.....small town.....a family that's oblivious......true story?.....maybe.....but, Bobby never revealed if the song was autobiographical or just an intriguing fantasy.
The movie is called Ode To Billy Joe. It came out in 1976. I saw it at a walk in theatre in downtown Sanfran.
Robbie Benson played Billy Joe.
Bobbie Gentry's lyrical imagery gets me every time I hear this tune!
Yes, this was a movie also with Robbie Benson! 🎶👍Great music
Well...now this is a pleasant surprise. After all these years, I can still sing the lyrics to the whole song.
Great song I usually listen to once or twice a year. Sometimes I want to pass it up on my playlist but her voice draws me in.
Great song, haunting and beautiful 💯👩🏼🦳
The girl doesn't eat or say a word about Billy Joe at the table. Haunting still decades later! I was delighted to watch someone else try to figure it out, being surprised and confused.We all thought it was a baby at the time. They wouldn't make a movie back then about that.
The way she made the conversation at the table sound so *natural*. Nothing forced, no inversions, just like regular table talk. An exceptionally fine bit of lyric writing. Very Faulkner.
the brother is the one who saw Billie Joe yesterday.
To me the real trick of this song is how the narrator uses none of her own words or thoughts until the end, and yet the emotion conveys everything you need to understand about the narrator and her connection to Billy Joe.
Excellent understanding on a first listen as you picked up on the dismissive nature of the dinner table right away. Well done.
Another narrative song that leaves you wanting for the rest of the story is Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen. Though if you haven't listened to anything from him you may want to start with something less deep end, idk. Maybe 'Everybody Knows' or 'Dance me to the end of love'
(edited for grammar)
the music is so eerie and evocative, that it can indeed be made into a wonderful instrumental....
think, large production. what used to be called "easy listening".
many years ago, there were stations that only played this type of music. It was often found in Drs and Dentist's offices.
Thank You for reacting to this!!! I'm so glad you saw the depth to it. A haunting and mysterious song. Also mysterious is Bobbie Gentry who cut short her career and disappeared from public life in the early 1980's, never heard from since.
Please react to her song "Fancy"... its another fantastic story telling song. 😊
This brings back memories of a vacation car trip to Florida. This song must have played on the radio 15 times.
Liked your reaction. There’s lots of speculation about what he threw off the bridge of course and maybe that leads to his suicide but it is the callousness of their reaction to it that’s painful. Was she the love interest? Did they have a baby? How could the family not know? Well, they weren’t too tuned in to their own family so its possible they didn’t know. Was the young preacher interested in the girl? Did she turn down Billy Joe’s love interest? Lots of questions and no answers. It’s brilliant. Just a well done sad song. Glad you liked it.
I've recently come to the understanding that _she_ was the one with Bobby Gentry on the bridge, and that what they threw off was their baby. Could be mistaken....
I don't want to believe that 😱
@TheBird2020 I meant the narrator, the person telling the story.
That doesn't even make sense, the narrator was with Bobbie Gentry on the bridge?
FYI, Bobbie Gentry, who wrote the song, never said what was dropped off the bridge. It's all speculation.
@@msdarby515 Meant the narrator was the one spotted on the bridge with the man who killed himself.
@@rhwinner Correct. I guess some people miss that when listening to the song. I would hope that you would edit your comment and remove the false information from it, or at least add that you are guessing.
I remember seeing her sing this on the Grammy Awards. She won Best New Artist, I believe.
You making me wish I had a time machine for a fun one you should try Jeannie c Riley" Harper valley PTA" We Are Legion 👍♥️
Great minds think alike. I also recommended that with one more to consider...
Watch "Dusty Springfield - Son of a preacher man" on TH-cam
th-cam.com/video/dp4339EbVn8/w-d-xo.html
Watch "Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley P.T.A." on TH-cam
th-cam.com/video/aOZPBUu7Fro/w-d-xo.html
This song has always been mysterious to me even as a child when it first came out.
HER BROTHER saw him at the sawmill and talked to him at church. It's still him speaking.
Huh
Still brings a tear to my eye every time I hear this song.
This was a BIG hit for Bobbie Gentry. IDK if it was ever in a movie. But she was beautiful with a beautiful voice.
When my husband died of cancer- the feeling that hit me the hardest was how, from MY perspective, the most important man in the whole world had just died....and yet people just continued about their daily lives like it didn't mean ANYTHING at all....that's how this song always struck me. Her family being SO casual about an event that for whatever reason ( I personally think she was in love with Billy Joe) really mattered to her. Later, when her dad dies... mom falls apart (cause it was personal for her)...and the girl continues to "put flowers on Billy Joe's grave ("flower's off the bridge)... Thank you for this one Daniel ❤️
Tina Meyer - Wow, you get it, exactly.
Everyone fixated on trying to figure out what they were throwing off the bridge. I remember this song playing on the radio when I was a kid. The way she sings it is so powerful. It's so simple and mundane when you read it but it has so much power when she sings it. Bobbie is a great artist.