There was a movie made about this song. Bobby was a terrific song writer and performer. My thoughts about this song are, that Billy Joe and she had a stillborn baby and that’s what they were throwing off the bridge when the preacher saw them. I think it disturbed Billy Joe so much that he either killed himself or the father found out and killed him and threw him off the bridge. I never got to see the movie because my momma didn’t allow us to go see picture shows. It was against our religion. But yeah that’s what I think happened. I know the song isn’t a true story about Bobby. But she could’ve known someone that it happened to. It’s a sad song. You should check out the movie.
Even before, I watch- I’ve GOT to let you know you really should watch the movie- same name as the song- phenomenal acting- powerful story line- I watched it many, many years ago, From memory, I’m 98% sure Billy Joe was rxped by a higher up in the area . If I remember correctly- I believe it was by the “nice” ole preacher mentioned.. At a town gathering- Billy Joe was already a quiet guy and had a thing for her- however , after what was horribly done to him. Well of course it messed him up in the head.. and he was confused and couldn’t take it anymore so.. the bridge was his choice.. There’s much talk about what was thrown from the bridge.. Some have wondered if it was a baby, etc.. I don’t think so, I believe it was something like a letter stating what was done to him- Back then, for sure, he would have been made fun of, not believed, and no telling what else.. I was stunned after watching it back then, and felt so bad for Billy Joe- the song AND movie are cult classics- i need/want to watch it again now that I’m older. I suggest you watch it Javaughn...and anyone reading this- powerful movie. I don’t remember them showing any of these see horrific things, (for those they couldn’t see something like that) however, it was a very well done movie and pretty obvious ✨❤️💛☮️💟✌️✨
From Bobby Gentry, herself: “Everybody has a different guess about what was thrown off the bridge-flowers, a ring, even a baby. Anyone who hears the song can think what they want, but the real message of the song, if there must be a message, revolves around the nonchalant way the family talks about the suicide. Billie Joe's life means less than plowing or baking. In such a tiny town can't they at least talk about him & respect? They sit there eating their peas and apple pie and short sentences, without even realizing that Billie Joe’s girlfriend is sitting at the table, a member of the family.”
Yes left open to much speculation and interpretation... But you are exactly right... They are sitting at the dinner table all non-chalant how billie joe just committed suicide completely unaware that their daughter was having a relationship with him... Pass the black eyed peas
It is also a lesson against suicide. Cuz, guess what? People continue on with or without you. It is showing the time does not stop for anyone. Stay alive and you can still at least have a chance to be heard, loved. But, die, folks mourn for a bit then you simply become another dinner conversation and a faded photo.
@@deevillalobos4277 Bobby Gentry wrote the Song to be an enigma, which is why it is a Classic and has stood the test of time. The lyrics are brilliant because it's not only in what she Does Say but also in what she Doesn't Say, intentionally leaves out. I don't believe when she composed these lyrics, finely crafted, she did not know what she and Billy Joe threw off that bridge. And the interesting thing is, if it is about people being apathetic toward tragedy, so is she. Hauntingly so in voice, tone, demeanor.
I can relate. I lose my appetite when I'm depressed too. Seems like there are two types of people when they get depressed - those who lose their appetites, and those who eat everything in sight as an emotional crutch.
Even while she's singing the song notice that the only time that she ever smiles is when she talks about her brother, Tom and Billy Joe putting a frog down her back.
We have amazing artists, however, the evil music industry doesn't want people with talent (Talented artists cannot be controlled. ) so, they support mediocre artists who need auto-tune to produce even pathetic recordings. This is why I am totally old school in my preferences in music.
@@holyspacemonkey A lot of facts about this song are on that song if you can find it but it isn't hard to find. She *never* really answered any kind of question about what it is she and Billy Joe threw off the Talahatche Bridge.
@@marthahanley6650 She's given many different answers. This study in cruelty is a new one for me. No, she never really did answer the question with a solid, direct answer. And she doesn't have to. "And drop them into the MUDDY water ... " Anyway, the preacher told her Mother: "Said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you. And she and Billy Joe was throwin' somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge". Nice, young preacher ... suitable suitor. And how many girls in such a small town would look "a lot" like her? It's in the lyrics.
@@stormatsunup One of the answers she gave was that Billy Joe was inspired by Emmett Till, who was lynched in 1955 [when Bobby Gentry was 13] and thrown into the muddy waters of the Tallahatchie River a few miles from where she was living at the time. She may have met him during the two weeks he was in Mississippi visiting his relatives, or else she was haunted by his tragic death. Either way, history touched that white girl's heart. Bobo Till became an icon of the civil rights movement. Look him up.
You nailed it with the "She paints a picture" comment. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but she turns that around and is able to use just a few words to paint many amazing pictures.
Dude, can you even IMAGINE, jumping off a bridge and your neighbor's reaction is "Well, he was always dumb anyway. Pass the biscuits?" DAMN that's savage. OUCH. There's cold, and then there's absolute zero!
Here is a short history of Bobby Gentry - As Gentry told Fred Bronson, “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 the people expressed in the song. What was thrown off the bridge really isn’t that important. “Everybody has a different guess about what was thrown off the bridge-flowers, a ring, even a baby. Anyone who hears the song can think what they want, but the real message of the song, if there must be a message, revolves around the nonchalant way the family talks about the suicide. They sit there eating their peas and apple pie and talking, without even realizing that Billie Joe’s girlfriend is sitting at the table, a member of the family.” In its first week of release, “Ode” sold 750,000 copies, knocking “All You Need Is Love” out of the top spot on the Billboard chart. It stayed there for four weeks. The song won Gentry three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist (she was the first Country artist to ever win in this category). The enigma of her best-known song is nothing compared to that of Bobbie Gentry herself. In the early ’70s, she was riding high-headlining in Vegas, duetting with Glen Campbell on several hits, hosting her own TV series. Then around 1975, after contributing music to a movie based on “Ode,” she simply checked out. She has not been heard from in over 35 years. All requests for interviews, recordings and performances have been denied. She is said to be living in the Los Angeles area.
You need to check out Lulu. To Sir with Love. 1967She also sang the theme from James Bond Man with the Golden Gun. She married Maurice Gibb (we know you know Maurice Gibb) in 1969. They later divorced in 1973. There’s an awesome duet on TH-cam of Lulu and Maurice’s rendition of the BeeGees song First of May from her BBC special.
And also, through the years, everyone has tried to guess what they threw off the bridge, and Bobby has never said a word about what it might be. She's a phenomenal song writer.
Erin Perez, I think the girl and Billy Joe had a stillborn baby and that’s what they threw off the bridge. Or they placed the baby in the water then went back to throw flowers off the bridge for the baby. I think Billy Joe became so disturbed about losing the baby and not being able to be with the girl that he either killed himself or the girls daddy found out and killed him and threw him off the bridge. There was a movie made about this song. I never saw it because my momma never allowed us to go to the picture shows. It was against our religion. You should try to see the movie. Maybe it would make things clearer about why he jumped off the bridge. I’ve been looking for the movie but so far I haven’t been able to find it.
@@teresacox2511 So, the movie was based off the song, and they added their own reason in. Here's the review by Robert Ebert at the time. www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ode-to-billy-joe-1976 The movie came after the song, and I don't know if Bobby Gentry worked with them on the screenplay or not.
It's ODE with a long O and no e pronunciation. a lyric poem, typically one in the form of an address to a particular subject. or a classical poem of a kind originally meant to be sung. and btw my whole family watches you!
Bobby Gentry said the point of the song was the callusness of the family talking about Billy Joe's death. And how none of them saw that she was sweet on him. She said that what was thrown off the bridge is not important to the song.
She was actually wrong about that. It was obviously their baby that they threw off the bridge. She knows that, and was obviously just trying to avoid the controversy. There is literally no other possible interpretation of the song.
@@DUCKDUCKGOISMUCHBETTER if it was their baby how would the family/ town have not known about it? Was it a ring, was it flowers? It's the mystery of the song but IMO not the Crux of the song.
@@jeffmartin5703 It says clearly that she spends her days picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge, and dropping them in the muddy water off the bridge. Lots of girls either don't "show" during pregnancy, or not enough that others know it. Sometimes not even themselves. And it's even more likely to happen if they give birth prematurely. Which could have been the case here. Perhaps they didn't kill or deliberately "neglect the newborn" and cause death. Perhaps it was" just" a stillborn baby, and they blamed themselves, as teenagers do when they don't know what really happened, and feel they can't talk about it to anyone. In any case, it can only have been a baby. The preacher was close enough to "only see" that the girl "looked a lot like her", but that it was Billy Joe. Which sounds like "southern politeness" for "it was your daughter for sure". But at the same time, he definitely wasn't close enough to even suspicion that the mysterious thing that both were suspiciously throwing off the bridge, was possibly a baby, or a cloth bundle the general size of a baby. So he saw something being thrown off. But doesn't confront them himself, or call the sheriff. Or alert the parents or community. So he didn't get a good look at the whatever it was. But perhaps recognized them only as he (probably drove) closer, and over the bridge himself. Their romance might have been a secret from everyone in the community. And certainly her pregnancy was. And perhaps even to herself and Billy Joe until the last minute when she went into labor and gave birth. These days it's an every month news story about some thoughtless, and probably panicked teenager giving birth and leaving the baby in the toilet or a trashcan. This baby was thrown over a bridge into a river. Either alive or dead, Billy Joe couldn't deal with the tremendous guilt, and threw himself into the same grave as his own punishment. And now she picks flowers, as her own family disintegrates for unrelated reasons, and throws them into the graves of her child and boyfriend, while she slowly goes mad. That's the story. Prove me wrong! ("while she slowly goes mad" is my own invention, I admit, but how could she not?)
Angie Knape Hi, yes not that her story is funny but they sure had a lot going on, like I said reminds me of this year so far & the year is just a little half way over. Glad I’m not the only one thinking that 🤣
As some of your other commenters have said, Ms Gentry never revealed what it was that was thrown off the bridge. She said it didn't matter, because the song was, as she said "A study in unintentional cruelty." Most of the family WAS very callous about it, that's for sure. GREAT song; a REAL classic. Another song that she tells a great story is one entitled "Fancy." That's worth a listen, as well. As always, a FABULOUS reaction!
She was an extremely accomplished musician. Wrote and produced all of her material- but, because she was a woman during this time they wouldn’t credit her for it. It was usually listed under alternate producers at her record label. Gentry was WAY ahead of her time- and the capability she had to tell a story through song was something that had to be witnessed.
This song has been the subject of much speculation since it first debuted in the early seventies. The question of what it's really about has never really been answered. Perhaps, the mere fact that it got people thinking was the whole point all along.
I think the girl and Billy Joe had a stillborn baby and that’s what they were throwing off the bridge. Or they placed the baby in the water and they came back to throw flowers off the bridge for the baby. Then Billy Joe became so disturbed about losing the baby and not being able to be with the girl that he killed himself by jumping off the bridge. Or the girls daddy found out and killed him and threw him off the bridge. I never got to see the movie that was made about this song. Maybe it would answer the question about what happened.
@@teresacox2511 The movie does answer the question. I always thought it was a still born baby too, but not in the movie...I don't know if anyone streams it but there is an unexpected plot twist the song doesn't even hint at. Worth your while to look for it.
I'd disagree there. The fact that people are more obsessed about what they may have thrown off the bridge than about the actual subject of the song is one more example of the "unconscious cruelty" she was writing about. (As you can see, people are still obsessed with it 50 years later!) But I have to admit, people were bound to notice that detail and fixate on it; still, who could have foreseen that the song would become such a hit?
At the time when this song came out, the whole country was debating what was thrown off of the bridge. A lot of folks thought it was a engagement ring or something like that. Others thought it had something to do with a miscarriage. In the song it says that someone saw a girl that "looked a lot like you" at Chalktaw Ridge. So this song got people talking. You're right about one thing Jay. This is a well told story with bits thrown in like "pass the biscuits please" or " remember to wipe your feet". So yes it paints a story very well. Good pick Jay.
Bobbie Gentry had some other really good songs that I think you would enjoy. "Fancy" and "Son of a Preacher Man." It's a shame she retired and more or less disappeared. Thanks for the review!
When this song came out I was in kindergarten lol and I remember it playing on my Dad's truck radio, I was captivated by this woman's voice. Funny how a song can take you straight back to a day 50+ years ago. Thx for sharing it was great...♡
I've never been around anyone that didn't feel the same way as you do the first time they hear this, Jay. We are fortunate this video footage survives. Her voice is very expressive, and her timing on the lyrics is impeccable. I don't think this song will ever lose its impact.
She was raised in Chickasaw county in Mississippi by her grandparents until she was 13 years old. They had no electricity or plumbing. Then her mother remarried and she moved to California. She had a lot of life experiences really young. Probably the reason she's such a good songwriter.
You will love all Bobby's songs - written and arranged and produce by her. EVERYTHING Bobby Gentry did is true artistry; she'll go down with Mozart for sheer intensity and talent. 'Fancy'- is a huge hit and IRL she's living happily and privately in a wealthy gated community today.
Bobby Gentry was beautiful, and talented. You should listen to her duets with Glen Campbell. They sounded so beautiful together...it was a match made in heaven. We lost Glen in 2017 from Alzheimer's. Huge loss. Glen had a long career and many, many hits. He was a great singer, and an amazing guitar player. You need to check him out.
The lyrics are brilliant, how she juxtaposes hearing this news that means so much to her with the everyday conversation around the table..and no one knowing why she's not eating. So sad..
So glad you like this classic so much. I remember the day it came out and bought the 45 record of it. Too bad Bobbie Gentry didn't do a lot more because she was incredibly talented.
Great song and story. If you haven't heard her song "Fancy", that's a great one to react to, also - it's also been covered by other artists, but like Bobby's version the best.
"Mississippi Delta" and "Niki Hoeky" are both good ones with a whole different feel but just as evocative. Ode to Billy Joe a genius piece of writing and performance. She's such a poet. Haunting in the daylight. People always wanted to know what was thrown off the bridge just a short time previous to Billy Joe jumping from the same place but she left it a mystery, so the story takes on different meaning from different speculations. What she is clear on is that Billy Joe is the boyfriend of the girl in the song, and that she's highlighting that none of the family is cognizant enough to realize it as they callously discuss the suicide while having a typical meal. I grew up in a different region but her evocative descriptions take me back to my own childhood and youth on a farm, how the tragedies of life are intertwined with practical matters like chopping cotton and getting a field plowed. I've always wondered what happened to the crop the dad planted in that field, since he died in Spring. Did he manage to harvest it before he caught the virus and died? Maybe he was already sick and worked himself to death trying to get done what couldn't wait. See how haunting? LOL.
This is based on a true story! They even made a movie about it. She would never say what was thrown from the bridge. Most people think it was a baby!! Stay safe!
I think so too. I think it was stillborn and they placed the baby in the water then came back to throw flowers off the bridge for the baby. Then Billy Joe became so disturbed about losing the baby and not being able to be with the girl so he killed himself or the girls daddy found out and killed him and threw him off the bridge.
@@drwoo6090 I saw Judy Collins in Florida a few years ago and her voice was great. Joni a legend with too many cigarettes but yeah what a unique talent.
Summer, 1967 was chock full of hits like Ode To BJ..The Beatles, Stones, The Who, Van Morrison, The Doors, The 5th Dimension, The Box Tops to name a few, all had chart topping smash hits during this magical summer...I was 9yrs old that summer up in Lake Huron, Michigan with a transistor radio stuck to my ear listening to Joe Van at CKLW 800 AM, the 50K watt flamethrower in Windsor, Ontario...good times!!!
When you talk about the talent of a great lyricist it makes me think of Sting. Hes the lead singer of The Police. When he broke off on his own is when he really started to shine. You should check out Fields of Gold
I've always loved Moon Over Bourbon Street by him. It's based on the book Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice and they made a middling movie of it.
@@sassymessmess9110 Which ONE? ode tor billy joe or Angie Baby? Angie Baby gives me the creeps which is why I think it would be fun to watch an adult react to it for the first time.
@@cynthialewis5762 "Angie Baby". I remember she was the guest star on The Carol Burnett Show and as she sang there was a performance in the background where "Angie" would be in her room another lady, would come from underneath the bed like a creepy little doppelganger. I have to see if it's on TH-cam. I literally watched that 1 time and that's how I remember it. I'm no longer 7 so maybe I can handle it. 😄
@@sassymessmess9110 Here is a link it is still creepy with no help. Not quite sure what ha[pens even as an adult.th-cam.com/video/hjZy00iHM-8/w-d-xo.html
It was one of the few songs to cause a public sensation when it came out. To the extent that a movie was made about it. Beyond that, she was pretty amazing given that she wrote, performed and produced her music. Quite an accomplishment in those days, or these. Interesting post. Thanks dude.
She retired from music. She lives in a gated community and does not give interviews, but according to her neighbors she is enjoying her life and aging gracefully.
Hey young brotha. Glad you had an opportunity to check out Bobbie Gentry's music. She was a pioneer. She was one of the first females to write and produce her own material. She also became disillusioned and lost interest in the music industry, and retired from music in her 30's. A sad loss for us. She was an amazing talent, and needless to say an attractive lady....This songs story was so haunting and telling, that in 1976 a movie was made inspired by the story in this song. It was called 'Ode to Billy Joe'....Now, if you have ever seen the 60's television series The Beverly Hillbillies, the guy who played Jethro (Max Baer Jr, who's father Max Baer Sr. was boxing heavyweight champ in the 1930's) directed and produced Ode to Billy Joe. I highly recommend this movie.....GOOD WORK
I loved the look on your face as her smokey voice told the story! I'm 58 and have listened to a lot of the music you review but I loved this song 1st time I heard it!
Such a moving song, keeps you intrigued right to the end. Have seen the film several times and highly recommend it J, will answer a lot of the questions you probably have after hearing the song, great reaction
I'm just going to upload them all and then give you guys time to catch up lol
TY! Storm zapped my cable!😱
There was a movie made about this song. Bobby was a terrific song writer and performer. My thoughts about this song are, that Billy Joe and she had a stillborn baby and that’s what they were throwing off the bridge when the preacher saw them. I think it disturbed Billy Joe so much that he either killed himself or the father found out and killed him and threw him off the bridge. I never got to see the movie because my momma didn’t allow us to go see picture shows. It was against our religion. But yeah that’s what I think happened. I know the song isn’t a true story about Bobby. But she could’ve known someone that it happened to. It’s a sad song. You should check out the movie.
Love your reactions! Keep it up! ❤
Your channel is one of my daily favorites. God bless.
Even before, I watch- I’ve GOT to let you know you really should watch the movie- same name as the song- phenomenal acting- powerful story line- I watched it many, many years ago, From memory, I’m 98% sure Billy Joe was rxped by a higher up in the area . If I remember correctly- I believe it was by the “nice” ole preacher mentioned.. At a town gathering- Billy Joe was already a quiet guy and had a thing for her- however , after what was horribly done to him. Well of course it messed him up in the head.. and he was confused and couldn’t take it anymore so.. the bridge was his choice.. There’s much talk about what was thrown from the bridge.. Some have wondered if it was a baby, etc.. I don’t think so, I believe it was something like a letter stating what was done to him- Back then, for sure, he would have been made fun of, not believed, and no telling what else.. I was stunned after watching it back then, and felt so bad for Billy Joe- the song AND movie are cult classics- i need/want to watch it again now that I’m older. I suggest you watch it Javaughn...and anyone reading this- powerful movie. I don’t remember them showing any of these see horrific things, (for those they couldn’t see something like that) however, it was a very well done movie and pretty obvious ✨❤️💛☮️💟✌️✨
I think of it as one of the greatest songs ever written, certainly the most mysterious.
Rick I've all ways loved this song I'm 70 I've. Never ever heard anyone else mention this song x
Jeannie C. Riley..Harper Valley P.T.A. ....great song....same era
Yeh what was thrown off the bridge, shiver 🥶
@@kimarnill7648
Some say a rag doll symbolizing the end of childhood.
From Bobby Gentry, herself:
“Everybody has a different guess about what was thrown off the bridge-flowers, a ring, even a baby. Anyone who hears the song can think what they want, but the real message of the song, if there must be a message, revolves around the nonchalant way the family talks about the suicide. Billie Joe's life means less than plowing or baking. In such a tiny town can't they at least talk about him & respect? They sit there eating their peas and apple pie and short sentences, without even realizing that Billie Joe’s girlfriend is sitting at the table, a member of the family.”
Yes left open to much speculation and interpretation... But you are exactly right... They are sitting at the dinner table all non-chalant how billie joe just committed suicide completely unaware that their daughter was having a relationship with him... Pass the black eyed peas
It is also a lesson against suicide. Cuz, guess what? People continue on with or without you. It is showing the time does not stop for anyone. Stay alive and you can still at least have a chance to be heard, loved. But, die, folks mourn for a bit then you simply become another dinner conversation and a faded photo.
@@deevillalobos4277 Bobby Gentry wrote the Song to be an enigma, which is why it is a Classic and has stood the test of time. The lyrics are brilliant because it's not only in what she Does Say but also in what she Doesn't Say, intentionally leaves out. I don't believe when she composed these lyrics, finely crafted, she did not know what she and Billy Joe threw off that bridge. And the interesting thing is, if it is about people being apathetic toward tragedy, so is she. Hauntingly so in voice, tone, demeanor.
I think it also says something about the apathy that people sometimes have in our society
Deep
She never says how she feels; but indicates it by her Mom saying she doesn't have an appetite. _That_ is good songwriting....
Exactly, her being told she didn't have much of an appetite was a great hook to pull the listener in. Good stuff.
I can relate. I lose my appetite when I'm depressed too. Seems like there are two types of people when they get depressed - those who lose their appetites, and those who eat everything in sight as an emotional crutch.
Even while she's singing the song notice that the only time that she ever smiles is when she talks about her brother, Tom and Billy Joe putting a frog down her back.
I remember that hook from 53 years ago...really contextualizes the narrative of the song.
These songs from the sixties and the seventies are what talent, stories and musicianship is all about. An era that can never be matched. Thank you.
I totally agree Andy. You are so right.
We have amazing artists, however, the evil music industry doesn't want people with talent (Talented artists cannot be controlled. ) so, they support mediocre artists who need auto-tune to produce even pathetic recordings. This is why I am totally old school in my preferences in music.
She was a Philosophy major. She said the song was a study in unconscious cruelty
Thank you! I didn’t know that!
@@holyspacemonkey A lot of facts about this song are on that song if you can find it but it isn't hard to find. She *never* really answered any kind of question about what it is she and Billy Joe threw off the Talahatche Bridge.
@@marthahanley6650 She's given many different answers. This study in cruelty is a new one for me. No, she never really did answer the question with a solid, direct answer. And she doesn't have to. "And drop them into the MUDDY water ... " Anyway, the preacher told her Mother: "Said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you. And she and Billy Joe was throwin' somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge". Nice, young preacher ... suitable suitor. And how many girls in such a small town would look "a lot" like her? It's in the lyrics.
@@stormatsunup One of the answers she gave was that Billy Joe was inspired by Emmett Till, who was lynched in 1955 [when Bobby Gentry was 13] and thrown into the muddy waters of the Tallahatchie River a few miles from where she was living at the time. She may have met him during the two weeks he was in Mississippi visiting his relatives, or else she was haunted by his tragic death. Either way, history touched that white girl's heart. Bobo Till became an icon of the civil rights movement. Look him up.
Sad Southern gothic~ she was STUNNING!😍
Another great female singer of this period was Dusty Springfield. She had the most beautiful smokey, sensual voice.
Agreed. I vote for "You Don't Have to Say You Love me"
Fantastic choices, guys. My favourites are The Look of Love and her version of Anyone Who Had a Heart is also sublime.
Ray D yes son of a preacher man
Yes Dusty with the Pet Shop Boys 😊😊😊
Dusty Springfield was a singer, Bobbie Gentry was a singer/songwriter, she wrote and sang her stuff, at some point she even produced it
You nailed it with the "She paints a picture" comment. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but she turns that around and is able to use just a few words to paint many amazing pictures.
She was in love with him. And her family didn't notice.
Dude, can you even IMAGINE, jumping off a bridge and your neighbor's reaction is "Well, he was always dumb anyway. Pass the biscuits?" DAMN that's savage. OUCH. There's cold, and then there's absolute zero!
Welcome to reality. Many of us suffer it. Excellent comment.
Here is a short history of Bobby Gentry - As Gentry told Fred Bronson, “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 the people expressed in the song. What was thrown off the bridge really isn’t that important.
“Everybody has a different guess about what was thrown off the bridge-flowers, a ring, even a baby. Anyone who hears the song can think what they want, but the real message of the song, if there must be a message, revolves around the nonchalant way the family talks about the suicide. They sit there eating their peas and apple pie and talking, without even realizing that Billie Joe’s girlfriend is sitting at the table, a member of the family.”
In its first week of release, “Ode” sold 750,000 copies, knocking “All You Need Is Love” out of the top spot on the Billboard chart. It stayed there for four weeks. The song won Gentry three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist (she was the first Country artist to ever win in this category).
The enigma of her best-known song is nothing compared to that of Bobbie Gentry herself. In the early ’70s, she was riding high-headlining in Vegas, duetting with Glen Campbell on several hits, hosting her own TV series. Then around 1975, after contributing music to a movie based on “Ode,” she simply checked out. She has not been heard from in over 35 years. All requests for interviews, recordings and performances have been denied. She is said to be living in the Los Angeles area.
Who is Bobby, it's BOBBIE damn you people are funny
The lyrics told such a great story they made a whole movie about it! Robbie Benson starred in it.
I love this song... So haunting.
You need to check out Lulu.
To Sir with Love. 1967She also sang the theme from James Bond Man with the Golden Gun.
She married Maurice Gibb (we know you know Maurice Gibb) in 1969. They later divorced in 1973.
There’s an awesome duet on TH-cam of Lulu and Maurice’s rendition of the BeeGees song First of May from her BBC special.
So cool, and she tells a great story. How can you possibly dislike this.
This is one of my alllll time faves! Check out her other hit, Son of a Preacher Man.
That's a good one
And also, through the years, everyone has tried to guess what they threw off the bridge, and Bobby has never said a word about what it might be. She's a phenomenal song writer.
Definitely a great song
Erin Perez, I think the girl and Billy Joe had a stillborn baby and that’s what they threw off the bridge. Or they placed the baby in the water then went back to throw flowers off the bridge for the baby. I think Billy Joe became so disturbed about losing the baby and not being able to be with the girl that he either killed himself or the girls daddy found out and killed him and threw him off the bridge. There was a movie made about this song. I never saw it because my momma never allowed us to go to the picture shows. It was against our religion. You should try to see the movie. Maybe it would make things clearer about why he jumped off the bridge. I’ve been looking for the movie but so far I haven’t been able to find it.
@@teresacox2511 So, the movie was based off the song, and they added their own reason in. Here's the review by Robert Ebert at the time.
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ode-to-billy-joe-1976
The movie came after the song, and I don't know if Bobby Gentry worked with them on the screenplay or not.
She said she wrote this as a study. Her point was that they all sat around talking about it like it was nothing......
It's ODE with a long O and no e pronunciation. a lyric poem, typically one in the form of an address to a particular subject. or a classical poem of a kind originally meant to be sung. and btw my whole family watches you!
Bobby Gentry said the point of the song was the callusness of the family talking about Billy Joe's death. And how none of them saw that she was sweet on him. She said that what was thrown off the bridge is not important to the song.
A song with a twist to it x
The old folk were so wrapped up in their old fashioned mundane life's they couldn't see the wood for the trees
She was actually wrong about that. It was obviously their baby that they threw off the bridge. She knows that, and was obviously just trying to avoid the controversy. There is literally no other possible interpretation of the song.
@@DUCKDUCKGOISMUCHBETTER if it was their baby how would the family/ town have not known about it? Was it a ring, was it flowers? It's the mystery of the song but IMO not the Crux of the song.
@@jeffmartin5703 It says clearly that she spends her days picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge, and dropping them in the muddy water off the bridge.
Lots of girls either don't "show" during pregnancy, or not enough that others know it. Sometimes not even themselves. And it's even more likely to happen if they give birth prematurely. Which could have been the case here. Perhaps they didn't kill or deliberately "neglect the newborn" and cause death.
Perhaps it was" just" a stillborn baby, and they blamed themselves, as teenagers do when they don't know what really happened, and feel they can't talk about it to anyone.
In any case, it can only have been a baby.
The preacher was close enough to "only see" that the girl "looked a lot like her", but that it was Billy Joe. Which sounds like "southern politeness" for "it was your daughter for sure".
But at the same time, he definitely wasn't close enough to even suspicion that the mysterious thing that both were suspiciously throwing off the bridge, was possibly a baby, or a cloth bundle the general size of a baby. So he saw something being thrown off. But doesn't confront them himself, or call the sheriff. Or alert the parents or community.
So he didn't get a good look at the whatever it was. But perhaps recognized them only as he (probably drove) closer, and over the bridge himself.
Their romance might have been a secret from everyone in the community. And certainly her pregnancy was. And perhaps even to herself and Billy Joe until the last minute when she went into labor and gave birth.
These days it's an every month news story about some thoughtless, and probably panicked teenager giving birth and leaving the baby in the toilet or a trashcan.
This baby was thrown over a bridge into a river. Either alive or dead, Billy Joe couldn't deal with the tremendous guilt, and threw himself into the same grave as his own punishment.
And now she picks flowers, as her own family disintegrates for unrelated reasons, and throws them into the graves of her child and boyfriend, while she slowly goes mad.
That's the story. Prove me wrong! ("while she slowly goes mad" is my own invention, I admit, but how could she not?)
"One Tin Soldier" is another tune immortalized by a movie back then. From the movie "Billie Jack" or the original version by Coven
Loved Billy Jack... Huge crush right there, when I was about 11...👍
Love One Tin Soldier...in the very end...that's the only prize that matters, grass is never greener, and all stolen treasures come with a curse.
Yes, please play One Tin Soldier...Coven
A little late with a comment here but the OG version was actually done by The Original Caste in 1969 and covered by Coven for "Billy Jack" in 1971.
@@kc6610 Thanks for the correction...
First of all she can sing, second her storytelling sounds like the year 2020 🤣
I was totally thinking the same thing!!
Angie Knape Hi, yes not that her story is funny but they sure had a lot going on, like I said reminds me of this year so far & the year is just a little half way over. Glad I’m not the only one thinking that 🤣
Corona virus
Hey, bro, Jamel aka Jamal sent me.
I’m glad he did. Appreciate the reactions to the music I grew up with. ✌🏽
She sang “Fancy” that Reba McIntyre did well later but Bobby Gentry’s version was so much better in my opinion
Michele Dash She also wrote it.
" I watched a roach crawl across my shoe..." That line from Fancy still gives me the creeps.
As some of your other commenters have said, Ms Gentry never revealed what it was that was thrown off the bridge. She said it didn't matter, because the song was, as she said "A study in unintentional cruelty." Most of the family WAS very callous about it, that's for sure. GREAT song; a REAL classic. Another song that she tells a great story is one entitled "Fancy." That's worth a listen, as well. As always, a FABULOUS reaction!
She was an extremely accomplished musician. Wrote and produced all of her material- but, because she was a woman during this time they wouldn’t credit her for it. It was usually listed under alternate producers at her record label. Gentry was WAY ahead of her time- and the capability she had to tell a story through song was something that had to be witnessed.
I like a unique voice like this
Man, your reaction at "pass the peas" was priceless. Quite a song, showing how some in the family were so disconnected personally from what happened.
It was "pass the biscuits, please"
@@megswedeb7234 Yeah, Normally I'm a stickler for being grammatically correct. Guess I got caught on this one.
@@mikebetts2046 Aw, I got your back. I wasn't meaning to criticize or anything. What a great song and appreciate your comment, which I agree with!
Thanks I requested this one. I love this one because it tells it's own story
One of the superest voices of all time ! Love Bobby G. ❤
Her voice is magical and mystical
This song has been the subject of much speculation since it first debuted in the early seventies.
The question of what it's really about has never really been answered. Perhaps, the mere fact that it got people thinking was the whole point all along.
I think the girl and Billy Joe had a stillborn baby and that’s what they were throwing off the bridge. Or they placed the baby in the water and they came back to throw flowers off the bridge for the baby. Then Billy Joe became so disturbed about losing the baby and not being able to be with the girl that he killed himself by jumping off the bridge. Or the girls daddy found out and killed him and threw him off the bridge. I never got to see the movie that was made about this song. Maybe it would answer the question about what happened.
@@teresacox2511 The movie does answer the question. I always thought it was a still born baby too, but not in the movie...I don't know if anyone streams it but there is an unexpected plot twist the song doesn't even hint at. Worth your while to look for it.
I'd disagree there. The fact that people are more obsessed about what they may have thrown off the bridge than about the actual subject of the song is one more example of the "unconscious cruelty" she was writing about. (As you can see, people are still obsessed with it 50 years later!) But I have to admit, people were bound to notice that detail and fixate on it; still, who could have foreseen that the song would become such a hit?
I never heard about the controversy.
@@teresacox2511 The father didn't throw him off. Billy Joe jumped off.
There is a movie about this with this song in it. She has had an interesting life if your interested look it up.
I always love this song and the movie too. Its pronounced owed to Billy Joe . I was raised not far from where she was raised.
Isn't that just a beautiful song. Written and sung with perfection.
At the time when this song came out, the whole country was debating what was thrown off of the bridge. A lot of folks thought it was a engagement ring or something like that. Others thought it had something to do with a miscarriage. In the song it says that someone saw a girl that "looked a lot like you" at Chalktaw Ridge. So this song got people talking. You're right about one thing Jay. This is a well told story with bits thrown in like "pass the biscuits please" or
" remember to wipe your feet". So yes it paints a story very well. Good pick Jay.
I highly suggest the movie to all that haven’t seen it- Robbie Benson as Billy Joe- ❤️✨
Great talent... amazing lyrics...
Wish her the best...
Bobbie Gentry had some other really good songs that I think you would enjoy. "Fancy" and "Son of a Preacher Man." It's a shame she retired and more or less disappeared. Thanks for the review!
When this song came out I was in kindergarten lol and I remember it playing on my Dad's truck radio, I was captivated by this woman's voice. Funny how a song can take you straight back to a day 50+ years ago. Thx for sharing it was great...♡
What an epic song! In the Summer of 1967, this song & Light My Fire were on the radio constantly. Great times.
When this was a hit everyone was consumed by what they threw off the bridge. She never answered the question.
@Marlene Clausen 6:10 it was flowers! ✨
@@trvlaqwst7570 Yes she threw flowers over 1 years later, but what did her and Billy throw off the bridge?
Baby
@@robynhealy4535Stupid 6th grader interpretation. No one noticed that she was knocked up? They were throwing flowers together...
Was it a baby?.....was it flowers?.....was it a ring?.....was it a Mr. Potatohead?.....the genius is that she leaves it to the listener to decide!
I LOVE this song!!!!!
I've never been around anyone that didn't feel the same way as you do the first time they hear this, Jay. We are fortunate this video footage survives. Her voice is very expressive, and her timing on the lyrics is impeccable. I don't think this song will ever lose its impact.
She has such a beautiful voice and she is so beautiful...this song makes me cry 💙
Love this song Bobby has an unique 1 of a kind voice love it.😊
she is also very beautiful
Absolutely amazing timeless song.
She was raised in Chickasaw county in Mississippi by her grandparents until she was 13 years old. They had no electricity or plumbing. Then her mother remarried and she moved to California. She had a lot of life experiences really young. Probably the reason she's such a good songwriter.
Possibly the greatest folk song ever written.
You will love all Bobby's songs - written and arranged and produce by her. EVERYTHING Bobby Gentry did is true artistry; she'll go down with Mozart for sheer intensity and talent. 'Fancy'- is a huge hit and IRL she's living happily and privately in a wealthy gated community today.
Bobby Gentry was beautiful, and talented. You should listen to her duets with Glen Campbell. They sounded so beautiful together...it was a match made in heaven. We lost Glen in 2017 from Alzheimer's. Huge loss. Glen had a long career and many, many hits. He was a great singer, and an amazing guitar player. You need to check him out.
The lyrics are brilliant, how she juxtaposes hearing this news that means so much to her with the everyday conversation around the table..and no one knowing why she's not eating. So sad..
Good song with a unique style and a great story, as well as a sweet voice,
BOBBIE really captured the entire world with this song. Everyone wondered what he threw off the bridge. We never will know!
So glad you like this classic so much. I remember the day it came out and bought the 45 record of it. Too bad Bobbie Gentry didn't do a lot more because she was incredibly talented.
Great song and story. If you haven't heard her song "Fancy", that's a great one to react to, also - it's also been covered by other artists, but like Bobby's version the best.
Her song Fancy is another must hear!!!!!
I've been hearing this song since the 70's... still gives me chills everytime!
"Mississippi Delta" and "Niki Hoeky" are both good ones with a whole different feel but just as evocative.
Ode to Billy Joe a genius piece of writing and performance. She's such a poet. Haunting in the daylight. People always wanted to know what was thrown off the bridge just a short time previous to Billy Joe jumping from the same place but she left it a mystery, so the story takes on different meaning from different speculations. What she is clear on is that Billy Joe is the boyfriend of the girl in the song, and that she's highlighting that none of the family is cognizant enough to realize it as they callously discuss the suicide while having a typical meal. I grew up in a different region but her evocative descriptions take me back to my own childhood and youth on a farm, how the tragedies of life are intertwined with practical matters like chopping cotton and getting a field plowed. I've always wondered what happened to the crop the dad planted in that field, since he died in Spring. Did he manage to harvest it before he caught the virus and died? Maybe he was already sick and worked himself to death trying to get done what couldn't wait. See how haunting? LOL.
✨ The story and her voice makes this song an all time classic! ✨
This is based on a true story! They even made a movie about it. She would never say what was thrown from the bridge. Most people think it was a baby!! Stay safe!
I’ve always heard a baby that had passed
I think so too. I think it was stillborn and they placed the baby in the water then came back to throw flowers off the bridge for the baby. Then Billy Joe became so disturbed about losing the baby and not being able to be with the girl so he killed himself or the girls daddy found out and killed him and threw him off the bridge.
@@teresacox2511 I think so too!! guess we will never know for sure!
Always loved this song. It’s a very deep song!
how about other writers. Judi Collins doing "Both Sides Now" written by Joni Mitchell or Judi Collins "Send in the Clowns". two great songs
Judi Collins has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard.
@@patches1589 saw her about 5 years ago in a tiny supper club in South Florida and she still had her range. great show.
Have not heard either one of these songs in ages and would be something to get your reaction to both.
Both sides now, should only be sung by Joni Mitchell!
@@drwoo6090 I saw Judy Collins in Florida a few years ago and her voice was great. Joni a legend with too many cigarettes but yeah what a unique talent.
Bobbie Gentry is delta blues and storytelling at it's best...a true classic
This is perfect classic.
Yes, song and movie!
I'm so glad you did this one! One of my all time favorites.
Summer, 1967 was chock full of hits like Ode To BJ..The Beatles, Stones, The Who, Van Morrison, The Doors, The 5th Dimension, The Box Tops to name a few, all had chart topping smash hits during this magical summer...I was 9yrs old that summer up in Lake Huron, Michigan with a transistor radio stuck to my ear listening to Joe Van at CKLW 800 AM, the 50K watt flamethrower in Windsor, Ontario...good times!!!
Bluesy folk music at its best. And her voice!!!
This song always amazed me, too. What a storyteller! Willie Nelson is another great storyteller. Check out “the last thing I needed” by him.
When you talk about the talent of a great lyricist it makes me think of Sting. Hes the lead singer of The Police. When he broke off on his own is when he really started to shine. You should check out
Fields of Gold
I've always loved Moon Over Bourbon Street by him. It's based on the book Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice and they made a middling movie of it.
Haunting groove. Love this song. You totally got it Jayvee
This to Harper Valley PTA
YESSS!!!
Genie C. Riley!
Geez.. I just posted the same idea. LOL it really paints a picture
I am so glad you decided to do this song it is one of my favorites too.
Another artist you might like to try is Helen Reddy - Angie Baby (1974)
This song always gave me the creeps.
@@sassymessmess9110 Which ONE? ode tor billy joe or Angie Baby? Angie Baby gives me the creeps which is why I think it would be fun to watch an adult react to it for the first time.
@@cynthialewis5762
"Angie Baby". I remember she was the guest star on The Carol Burnett Show and as she sang there was a performance in the background where "Angie" would be in her room another lady, would come from underneath the bed like a creepy little doppelganger. I have to see if it's on TH-cam. I literally watched that 1 time and that's how I remember it. I'm no longer 7 so maybe I can handle it. 😄
@@sassymessmess9110 Here is a link it is still creepy with no help. Not quite sure what ha[pens even as an adult.th-cam.com/video/hjZy00iHM-8/w-d-xo.html
@@cynthialewis5762
Thank You! This was the first time I've listened to this song in decades. Still creepy but not as bad a remembered.
Great song. One of my favorite story songs.
One of my very favorites.… 🎧 Beautiful voice… this is how to tell a story!
It was one of the few songs to cause a public sensation when it came out. To the extent that a movie was made about it. Beyond that, she was pretty amazing given that she wrote, performed and produced her music. Quite an accomplishment in those days, or these. Interesting post. Thanks dude.
Great songwriter, a great song and a great vocalist.
She is a blast from the past. Interesting story and well told in song!
Bobbi gentry is WONERFL WOW!!!!!!!😎👍💙
I'm glad to see so many people listening outside the box.
She has some soul in her voice!
She is beautiful,and her voice and the look in her eyes is haunting.She was popular for a long time and then one day she just disappeared.
She retired from music. She lives in a gated community and does not give interviews, but according to her neighbors she is enjoying her life and aging gracefully.
Wow, you are walking me down memory lane here! Songs from my high school days one after the other!! Thanks for the memories. Take care.
You can just feel everything in this song.
So haunting....... Such a sad story. 😢❤️
A masterpiece in horror & apathy.
She always makes me want to cry.
Awesome job JV. One of my favorite songs about loss.
Bobby Gentry sings a great other song called FANCY!
She is so awesome! Love her!
Hey young brotha. Glad you had an opportunity to check out Bobbie Gentry's music. She was a pioneer. She was one of the first females to write and produce her own material. She also became disillusioned and lost interest in the music industry, and retired from music in her 30's. A sad loss for us. She was an amazing talent, and needless to say an attractive lady....This songs story was so haunting and telling, that in 1976 a movie was made inspired by the story in this song. It was called 'Ode to Billy Joe'....Now, if you have ever seen the 60's television series The Beverly Hillbillies, the guy who played Jethro (Max Baer Jr, who's father Max Baer Sr. was boxing heavyweight champ in the 1930's) directed and produced Ode to Billy Joe. I highly recommend this movie.....GOOD WORK
I loved the look on your face as her smokey voice told the story! I'm 58 and have listened to a lot of the music you review but I loved this song 1st time I heard it!
A former #1 hit on the Billboard Pop Chart! So powerful, they made a movie because of it.
Brilliant in every way, classic story teller, I actually could smell the biscuits!
Another fantastic voice , 🤩.
Such a great story. Always sing along to it. ❤️
Absolutely think she’s amazing singing this x
It is so cool to see you react to tunes I grew up with! You really felt this man. Righteous Reactions...👊☮✌
I got to meet her once at church in OKC in the late 70's. Small world.
Such a moving song, keeps you intrigued right to the end. Have seen the film several times and highly recommend it J, will answer a lot of the questions you probably have after hearing the song, great reaction
It’s a great movie, too! 💔