The dialog between the family members that she wrote for this song is incredible. I live in the southern US and I can hear these people in my mind as well as if I was sitting at the table with them. She definitely has an ear for how people speak and that goes a long way towards telling her story.
He was "dismissive" because life was so hard and he had to take care of his family having 5 more acres to plow. So the suicide was deemed foolishness. You had to be tough to raise a family. It didn't mean he didn't have a heart but he had to compartmentalize. FANTASTIC reaction, by the way. New subscriber ,by the way.
Yes, I'm sure there was a lot of sorrow in the poor, Mississippi delta during the time of the setting of this song. The future for many young people might have been bleak.
Say Hey Saeed, Your comprehension of the nuances of this song is remarkable. Loved your reaction. Plus--I think Bobbie did the string arrangement, also. Part of the genius of this song is the unresolved mystery. That element of the song literally millions of people wondering what they threw off the bridge and sent the song to number one on country and pop music charts. One last thing--Bobbie's delivery of the song while playing a highly syncopated groove on guitar is no small feat.
Thanks for the kind words and for sharing some info. incredible writing in this song and the conversation keeps going about the unresolved mystery. Genius indeed!
@@SaeedReacts. There are two main theories, the first is he got called up, this was the 1960's early 1970's so during the war, so got rid of it and then he chose to die as opposed to being forced to go to Vietnam and the war or run away. The second was it was an (illegal) abortion or miscarriage and the two of them getting rid of the body, and he died felling guilty from them getting rid of their child. Both could be possible, and that was what she had been talking to him about after church that Sunday. She has never revealed what it was that was thrown off the bridge or if that was why he later jumped, she refuses, so it is up to the listener to decide for themselves.
This performance reminds me in many ways of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car - a woman with a fine voice and a guitar telling a first person story of wrenching loss, betrayal, and despair.
You are literally the first reactor who I have come across who understands that this song isn't as much about Billie Joe as it is about the casual cruelty humans engage in without even being aware of what they are doing. Bobby Gentry retired from music and became a professor of philosophy. That was her original education, not music although she is obviously very good at both
Now thats an interesting career change, but having only listened to one song i can already tell by this subject matter she was already thinking about all these kinds of topics. Incredible how she incorporated it into her music. She must be a very interesting person to sit down with and talk to.
@SaeedReacts. She has another incredible song called Fancy that Reba McIntyre covered a couple decades later. You will like it. As to Bobby. I think it would be incredible to sit down and have a conversation with her.
Excellent reaction/ analysis of this American Gothic classic. In a similar vein, I highly recommend giving a reaction to "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia". Originally recorded by comedienne/ actress/ singer Vicki Lawrence in 1972, it was remade by country singer, Reba McEntire decades later.
Thanks so much! I actually recorded a reaction to Reba's verdion of that song, but didnt know at the time it was actually Bobbie's song. (That reaction is not yet uploaded)
Ode to Billie Joe has always been one of "my" songs, if you know what I mean. It's fascinated me my whole life, some of my first memories are hearing it on the radio. I'm from Mississippi myself, and I've analyzed it to death, lol! My daddy met her, he was a musician, said she was really impressive, beautiful, smart, and talented. He really loved OtBJ too, as well as Fancy, which she wrote and recorded as well, though Reba McIntyre made it really famous. I sing OtBJ a lot in karaoke, she's easy for me to sing, and I love the song. ❤
Three songs that scared me when I was a little kid; the Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia by Vicki Lawrence, Angie Baby by Helen Ready, and this song. 50 years later and I still love all three! Great reaction my friend, as always.
Thanks for those recommendations! I actually recorded a reaction to The Night the Lights went out in Georgia, but it was Reba Mcentire's version. Its not uploaded yet.
Many songs have been made into movies. "The Gambler", "Coward of the County", "Harper Valley PTA" were all made into movies. Those are off the top of my head. I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
Bobbie Gentry has an amazing voice and great story teller. People had to work hard to just feed themselves so they had to go on with there lives but dont realize that the girls heart was broken by the news
The way I've always interpreted it was she was hit hard by the news that Billy Joe jumped off the bridge because they were getting sweet on each other. I think they were throwing rocks or something inconsequential, she put it in the song because Billy Joe meant something her character whereas every one else was treating it so casually. This song was a work of fiction, but Bobbi Gentry spins such an impactful story, I still get lumps in my throat.after hearing it so many times.
In a completely different vein, but still a story song, check out Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie C Riley. They made a movie out of that song too, starring Barbara Eden. 😊
@@patcandelora8496 Written by Tom T Hall. Other good story songs from him include Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine; The Day Clayton Delaney Died; Pamela Brown; Windy City Anne and Little Bitty.
The explanation about unconscious cruelty made a lot of sense to me after I heard it but I always thought about this song in terms of the difficult life led by farmers. Bankruptcy always looms right around the corner if the immediate needs of chores, and survival tasks like "eating dinner" are not attended to. This song was performed when agriculture was just beginning to be mechanized and it is, even now, can often be a rough life. I can only imagine what it would have been like back then.
Love this song, I was in my early twenties and an au pair from Denmark in Westport Ct, when it was a big hit. Always loved it, and whenever I listened to it, brings back so many memories from my time there, which was magical.
First of all I love your reactions, from what I have researched this is based on a true tragic event and there is a movie. Thank you for appreciating this music 🎶
Saeed, man, loved your reaction. I was thirteen when this song came out. We had a few suggestions as to what happened but decided it was what you don't want to verbalize.
Great reaction...It's a tough song to wrap your head around! I heard it on the radio as a kid, I had no clue about the lyrics, I just thought her voice was so pretty. I just subscribed to you 'cause you show genuine interest in what you're listening to.
Worth mentioning: "...at the height of the Summer Of Love, the haunting title track to Bobbie Gentry's debut album, Ode To Billie Joe, knocked The Beatles' 'All You Need is Love' off the top of Billboard's Hot 100." That was HUGE. This song never gets old. Great reaction.
when they added orchestra strings to the recording, that's what really set the mysterious mood going, it really helps this song rise to a new level, even though it stands alone as great. They later made aTV film about this, but I hated it..too Hollywood....
The ABC movie of the week, in the late 70s was a movie based on this song. The interaction between the girl and Billie, was an argument, after a county fair, and a prize stuffed teddy bear, was thrown off the bridge....with that said, and remember , there were only three networks , and PBS..and the censors, in music and TV at that time where really strict...so the lyric of the song, in my opinion, that meeting on the bridge , of two young lovers, it wasn't a teddy bear thrown off that bridge.
For story telling songs you must run down Bob Dylan's rabbit hole so many amazing lyrically, he is the master, received the Noble Prize for Literature 2016. "Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" "Hurricane" "It's all over now Baby Blue" "Mr Tambourine Man" "Desolation Row" "Shelter from the Storm" so, so many I would be here all day.
Great song writing. What was thrown off that bridge has been an enigma ever since I first heard this song when I was a teenager over 50 years ago. Glad you enjoyed it and hope it inspires your writing. A few suggestions for songs with both great music and poetic writing that I may offer to you and don’t think you’ve done. Several songs from the American singer songwriter Jackson Browne, known for his deep and insightful lyrics, "Late for the Sky" such as “Before the Deluge “, “Fountain of Sorrow”, “For a Dancer” and “Doctor My Eyes”. Dare say that you won’t be disappointed.
I was born in Mississippi in 1966, no it wasn’t me they threw off the bridge, lol, but the story was around here that she got pregnant by Billie and miscarried and that’s what they threw off the bridge. Billie killed himself from grief
Want storytelling in song? Gordon Lightfoot was a master of it, beyond The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. If You Could Read My Mind, Canadian Railroad Trilogy, Early Morning Rain, For Lovin' Me/Did She Mention My Name, I'm Not Sayin'/Ribbon of Darkness, Carefree Highway, Circle of Steel. And another really good singer songwriter with strong storytelling is Ray LaMontagne, especially his earlier albums (Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black, Gossip in the Grain). His song Jolene is a powerful story of addiction but Empty just slays me. And Burn is so simple and stunningly evocative. I know you would appreciate any of them.
My favorite country music storyteller is Alan Jackson. He writes most of his songs like "Remember When", "Drive", "Home", "Chasin That Neon Rainbow" and so many more.
In regards to what was thrown off the bridge, Bobbie Gentry did address the issue. She simply said the lyric was simply to show a close relationship between the two and she never intended that any importance to be attached to what they threw off the bridge. In the movie it was a rag doll, but from her earlier explanations of the song, the reason for BJM suicide and what was thrown of the bridge were not material to the song, so those facts were manufactured by necessity to transform a fictional 4.15 minute song into a 1:45 hour movie.
7:10: I'm glad you noticed the "little spoiler" in the caption. That really damaged the unexpected sense of surprise that the lyric would have given you.
Want a story song that isn’t as depressing as this one and Edmund Fitzgerald, I recommend Charlie Daniels “devil went down to georgia”. Someone mentioned The night the lights went out in Georgia. That’s a good one too. I like the Reba version. And I’ll throw one more out there, Legend of Wooley Swamp. Also charlie Daniels. ❤
This was so haunting and enigmatic hearing this on the radio - and some years later a film came out (1976) that I just had to see - it's a Twister! (plot twist). Robbie Benson and Glynnis O'Connor starred, directed by Max Baer, Jr. (That's right - JETHRO BODINE).
Bobby Gentry was a philosophy major, and here she is addressing a theme from the Existentialist thinker Martin Heidegger who talks about inauthentic discourse as uninvested speech or "chatter"(such as "they say nothing comes to any good up on Chocktaw Ridge".)
Thanks so much! this is not a "true story"..glad you listened to this best version... but so beautiful and haunting... I'm sure some others below have explained... Bobbie said that it was meant to be a song about the "casual cruelty"... appreciate your reaction...
Bobby Gentry is an American singer-songwriter who was one of the first female artists to compose & produce her own material. A lot of her songs were stories. Her biggest hit was in 1967 with "Ode To Billy Joe". Other songs are "Mississippi Delta", "Fancy", "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Sunday Mornin" (with Glen Campbell) etc.
I seem to remember, after this song came out and got so much attention, some radio stations asked listeners to write in what they thought the two threw off the bridge. There were some really wild responses
Now there's a specialness about reaction videos. On the one hand I'm eager to see what someone from a different world thinks about a song that I grew up with. On the other hand sometimes I'm brought back to a song that I had completely forgotten about. Ode to Billy Joe definitely one of those songs that I loved and had forgotten about. So that's much. And thanks for your good reaction
Perhaps the most interesting thing is how the singer repeats the unconscious cruelty to her mother -- the singer's father, her mother's husband and the love of her life, died, and the singer is too caught up in her own miserable little world to reach out to comfort the woman who gave birth to her. It's a sad commentary on how that kind of emotional coldness replays itself over and over again. It's deep stuff.
Man she could tell a story, couldn't she? The girl in the song, really liked Billy Joe.. which is why she lost her appetite. The movie answers a lot of questions on the background of the story including why he jumped. Definitely worth watching if you can find it. Thank you, Saeed for your awesome reaction. ❤😊
Great reaction, great song. I think your next "storytelling" song should be the song called "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash. Great story, super funny. Thanks!!
Thanks so much! I reacted to that one, but at the moment its blocked on youtube. Its on my patreon in the meantime. As soon as its unblocked it will get posted to youtube.
Great song and reaction too, Saeed. Is it a sultry voice 😊? Known catchy song , probably I listened to it in the 70th-80th but never paid attention to the story I just read an article : " While Bobbie Gentry admits the story is fictionalized, she did explain that it was inspired by the 1954 murder of Emmett Till. Till was only 14 years old when he was shot and thrown over the Black Bayou Bridge in Mississippi for offending a woman in a grocery store.... The bridge mentioned in the song soon became an attraction and many attempted to jump from it. However, no casualties were ever reported since the bridge was only 6 meters high. The bridge collapsed in 1972 but was later rebuilt. In 1976, the song was adapted to a screenplay and made into the film "Ode to Billy Joe." It enjoyed relative success and brought in $27 million dollars".
they were throwing flowers - at the end of the song it gives it away - but most people are not satisfied with a simple explanation - - bobby gentry never said what it was when asked - she wanted people to figure it out on their own
There is a song that is on the guardians of the galaxy soundtrack, which is said to be a perfect story song with not an ounce of fat. Brandy by looking glass. A rainy day suggestion for you.
The dialog between the family members that she wrote for this song is incredible. I live in the southern US and I can hear these people in my mind as well as if I was sitting at the table with them. She definitely has an ear for how people speak and that goes a long way towards telling her story.
Bobby’s description of it being “a study in unconscious cruelty” always gets me. I wonder how often we inadvertently commit it ourselves?
Wow, that description nails it. Thanks for sharing that.
And yes, i know i definitely have at times. Something i try to be more conscious of.
I heard her say the banality of evil, but that really works too.
it is a defense mechanism
This never gets old. Gentry truly was a storyteller.
He was "dismissive" because life was so hard and he had to take care of his family having 5 more acres to plow. So the suicide was deemed foolishness. You had to be tough to raise a family. It didn't mean he didn't have a heart but he had to compartmentalize. FANTASTIC reaction, by the way. New subscriber ,by the way.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this! And of subscribing ❤️
sound's like karma to me !
Very good angle. I had not considered that.
Yes, I'm sure there was a lot of sorrow in the poor, Mississippi delta during the time of the setting of this song.
The future for many young people might have been bleak.
Bobbie's writing made you feel like you were sitting in a movie theater watching a movie.
100%
Say Hey Saeed, Your comprehension of the nuances of this song is remarkable. Loved your reaction. Plus--I think Bobbie did the string arrangement, also. Part of the genius of this song is the unresolved mystery. That element of the song literally millions of people wondering what they threw off the bridge and sent the song to number one on country and pop music charts.
One last thing--Bobbie's delivery of the song while playing a highly syncopated groove on guitar is no small feat.
Thanks for the kind words and for sharing some info. incredible writing in this song and the conversation keeps going about the unresolved mystery. Genius indeed!
@@SaeedReacts. There are two main theories, the first is he got called up, this was the 1960's early 1970's so during the war, so got rid of it and then he chose to die as opposed to being forced to go to Vietnam and the war or run away. The second was it was an (illegal) abortion or miscarriage and the two of them getting rid of the body, and he died felling guilty from them getting rid of their child. Both could be possible, and that was what she had been talking to him about after church that Sunday. She has never revealed what it was that was thrown off the bridge or if that was why he later jumped, she refuses, so it is up to the listener to decide for themselves.
This performance reminds me in many ways of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car - a woman with a fine voice and a guitar telling a first person story of wrenching loss, betrayal, and despair.
They played this thing to death in the 1960s. Love her voice. Thanks for the reaction.
Amazing song! Thanks for watching.
Truly captures the Southern experience. The supper table on a cotton farm.
You are literally the first reactor who I have come across who understands that this song isn't as much about Billie Joe as it is about the casual cruelty humans engage in without even being aware of what they are doing. Bobby Gentry retired from music and became a professor of philosophy. That was her original education, not music although she is obviously very good at both
Now thats an interesting career change, but having only listened to one song i can already tell by this subject matter she was already thinking about all these kinds of topics. Incredible how she incorporated it into her music. She must be a very interesting person to sit down with and talk to.
@SaeedReacts. She has another incredible song called Fancy that Reba McIntyre covered a couple decades later. You will like it. As to Bobby. I think it would be incredible to sit down and have a conversation with her.
Loved the movie with Robbie Benson.
Excellent reaction/ analysis of this American Gothic classic. In a similar vein, I highly recommend giving a reaction to "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia". Originally recorded by comedienne/ actress/ singer Vicki Lawrence in 1972, it was remade by country singer, Reba McEntire decades later.
Thanks so much!
I actually recorded a reaction to Reba's verdion of that song, but didnt know at the time it was actually Bobbie's song. (That reaction is not yet uploaded)
@SaeedReacts. I know what they threw off the bridge. A MacGuffin.
@@SaeedReacts. Still like Vickie Lawrence's original 🤷🏻♀️
Your assessments are always so spot on. BRAVO
Thanks so much! Appreciate the kind words ❤️
I’ve listened to this song countless times since the year Bobbie first released it, but it still gives me chills!
Ode to Billie Joe has always been one of "my" songs, if you know what I mean. It's fascinated me my whole life, some of my first memories are hearing it on the radio. I'm from Mississippi myself, and I've analyzed it to death, lol! My daddy met her, he was a musician, said she was really impressive, beautiful, smart, and talented. He really loved OtBJ too, as well as Fancy, which she wrote and recorded as well, though Reba McIntyre made it really famous. I sing OtBJ a lot in karaoke, she's easy for me to sing, and I love the song. ❤
Its an incredible song and so is Fancy. The writing is just amazing.
Thanks so much for sharing a bit about your experience with this song.
Three songs that scared me when I was a little kid; the Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia by Vicki Lawrence, Angie Baby by Helen Ready, and this song. 50 years later and I still love all three! Great reaction my friend, as always.
Oh my gosh, me too!!
Thanks for those recommendations!
I actually recorded a reaction to The Night the Lights went out in Georgia, but it was Reba Mcentire's version. Its not uploaded yet.
Wow, these exact songs were incredibly impactful to me too! All three paint such vivid images. And I love all three.
Probably the best reaction and analysis of this song I've seen. Nice going.
Thanks so much!
Many songs have been made into movies. "The Gambler", "Coward of the County", "Harper Valley PTA" were all made into movies. Those are off the top of my head. I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
Bobby Gentry was the original singer of the night.The lights went out in georgia and fancy riba remade her music
No, Vickie Lawrence was the original singer of The Night theLights Went Outin Georgia!!! In the early 70s. Her husband wrote it.
Always sounds like the first time, every time.
Its an incredible song. Amazing storytelling.
Bobbie Gentry has an amazing voice and great story teller. People had to work hard to just feed themselves so they had to go on with there lives but dont realize that the girls heart was broken by the news
Bobbie also wrote Fancy.
The way I've always interpreted it was she was hit hard by the news that Billy Joe jumped off the bridge because they were getting sweet on each other. I think they were throwing rocks or something inconsequential, she put it in the song because Billy Joe meant something her character whereas every one else was treating it so casually.
This song was a work of fiction, but Bobbi Gentry spins such an impactful story, I still get lumps in my throat.after hearing it so many times.
Very powerful song. Thanks for sharing your interpretation!
This song was huge when i was a kid. Everyone had an idea about what was thrown off of the bridge.
In a completely different vein, but still a story song, check out Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie C Riley. They made a movie out of that song too, starring Barbara Eden. 😊
Thanks for the recommendation! Will add it to my list.
Yup that’s a good one!👍🏼
@@patcandelora8496 Written by Tom T Hall. Other good story songs from him include Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine; The Day Clayton Delaney Died; Pamela Brown; Windy City Anne and Little Bitty.
The explanation about unconscious cruelty made a lot of sense to me after I heard it but I always thought about this song in terms of the difficult life led by farmers. Bankruptcy always looms right around the corner if the immediate needs of chores, and survival tasks like "eating dinner" are not attended to. This song was performed when agriculture was just beginning to be mechanized and it is, even now, can often be a rough life. I can only imagine what it would have been like back then.
Great choice! Her song "Fancy" is fantastic, too.
Amazing song.
I actually recorded a reaction to Reba's version of this song, before i knew it was Bobbie's song. (Not uploaded yet)
@@SaeedReacts. Oh great! I just saw it pop up :D
Love this song, I was in my early twenties and an au pair from Denmark in Westport Ct, when it was a big hit. Always loved it, and whenever I listened to it, brings back so many memories from my time there, which was magical.
First of all I love your reactions, from what I have researched this is based on a true tragic event and there is a movie. Thank you for appreciating this music 🎶
Saeed, man, loved your reaction. I was thirteen when this song came out. We had a few suggestions as to what happened but decided it was what you don't want to verbalize.
Thanks so much.
I had a few ideas too that I didnt want to verbalize as well. Dark stuff.
But what a great song. So well written!
All of yhe best songs are also great stories, no matter the genre of music.
Yes,there was a movie based on this song with the same title. It came out sometime in the 70's starring Robbie Benson.
What was speculated was the she and billy joe were throwing a still born baby off the bridge and eventually billy joe couldn’t handle the grief
Great reaction...It's a tough song to wrap your head around! I heard it on the radio as a kid, I had no clue about the lyrics, I just thought her voice was so pretty. I just subscribed to you 'cause you show genuine interest in what you're listening to.
Thanks so much for subscribing! Truly a magnificent song.
Worth mentioning: "...at the height of the Summer Of Love, the haunting title track to Bobbie Gentry's debut album, Ode To Billie Joe, knocked The Beatles' 'All You Need is Love' off the top of Billboard's Hot 100." That was HUGE. This song never gets old. Great reaction.
Thanks for sharing that. Definitely worth mentioning.
Another great reaction, Saeed. Love this song. ❤
Thanks so much! Great song and amazing writing.
when they added orchestra strings to the recording, that's what really set the mysterious mood going, it really helps this song rise to a new level, even though it stands alone as great. They later made aTV film about this, but I hated it..too Hollywood....
Yeah, so much to intemperate in this song, you can almost forget what a beautiful composition this is! ☮
The ABC movie of the week, in the late 70s was a movie based on this song. The interaction between the girl and Billie, was an argument, after a county fair, and a prize stuffed teddy bear, was thrown off the bridge....with that said, and remember , there were only three networks , and PBS..and the censors, in music and TV at that time where really strict...so the lyric of the song, in my opinion, that meeting on the bridge , of two young lovers, it wasn't a teddy bear thrown off that bridge.
For story telling songs you must run down Bob Dylan's rabbit hole so many amazing lyrically, he is the master, received the Noble Prize for Literature 2016. "Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" "Hurricane" "It's all over now Baby Blue" "Mr Tambourine Man" "Desolation Row" "Shelter from the Storm" so, so many I would be here all day.
I definitely need to get into his music at some point. Thanks for the recommendations.
People will debate what was thrown off the bridge until the end of time.
Great song writing. What was thrown off that bridge has been an enigma ever since I first heard this song when I was a teenager over 50 years ago. Glad you enjoyed it and hope it inspires your writing. A few suggestions for songs with both great music and poetic writing that I may offer to you and don’t think you’ve done. Several songs from the American singer songwriter Jackson Browne, known for his deep and insightful lyrics, "Late for the Sky" such as “Before the Deluge “, “Fountain of Sorrow”, “For a Dancer” and “Doctor My Eyes”. Dare say that you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks so much for these recommendations!
Nice reaction to this classic, here’s another story by Joan Baez released in 1971 “The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down” fantastic.
Been meaning to check out Joan Baez her music. Will add this one to my list. Thanks.
I was born in Mississippi in 1966, no it wasn’t me they threw off the bridge, lol, but the story was around here that she got pregnant by Billie and miscarried and that’s what they threw off the bridge. Billie killed himself from grief
That’s what I always thought also.
A beautiful classic ❤
Magnificent song.
Want storytelling in song? Gordon Lightfoot was a master of it, beyond The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. If You Could Read My Mind, Canadian Railroad Trilogy, Early Morning Rain, For Lovin' Me/Did She Mention My Name, I'm Not Sayin'/Ribbon of Darkness, Carefree Highway, Circle of Steel.
And another really good singer songwriter with strong storytelling is Ray LaMontagne, especially his earlier albums (Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black, Gossip in the Grain). His song Jolene is a powerful story of addiction but Empty just slays me. And Burn is so simple and stunningly evocative. I know you would appreciate any of them.
I reacted to the first one you mentioned. The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald. Will add the others to my list. Thanks.
My favorite country music storyteller is Alan Jackson. He writes most of his songs like "Remember When", "Drive", "Home", "Chasin That Neon Rainbow" and so many more.
I will add him to my list. Havent heard these yet. Thanks!
In regards to what was thrown off the bridge, Bobbie Gentry did address the issue. She simply said the lyric was simply to show a close relationship between the two and she never intended that any importance to be attached to what they threw off the bridge. In the movie it was a rag doll, but from her earlier explanations of the song, the reason for BJM suicide and what was thrown of the bridge were not material to the song, so those facts were manufactured by necessity to transform a fictional 4.15 minute song into a 1:45 hour movie.
Such a haunting song.
I love it.
Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
7:10: I'm glad you noticed the "little spoiler" in the caption. That really damaged the unexpected sense of surprise that the lyric would have given you.
Want a story song that isn’t as depressing as this one and Edmund Fitzgerald, I recommend Charlie Daniels “devil went down to georgia”. Someone mentioned The night the lights went out in Georgia. That’s a good one too. I like the Reba version. And I’ll throw one more out there, Legend of Wooley Swamp. Also charlie Daniels. ❤
I reacted to that one and the sequel! Amazing!
Will check out the others!
Great reaction! This was a huge song back in the day. I think it won A Grammy for song of the year.
Thanks so much! Incredible song.
Not a whole lot you can do when tragedy happens. Me, I pray for all connected.
You're a sharp young man. Enjoyed your video.
Thanks so much for the kind words.
Since you like story telling songs, you should check out "Coal Miner's Daughter" by Loretta Lynn and "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean.
I will add them to my list. Thanks!
This was so haunting and enigmatic hearing this on the radio - and some years later a film came out (1976) that I just had to see - it's a Twister! (plot twist). Robbie Benson and Glynnis O'Connor starred, directed by Max Baer, Jr. (That's right - JETHRO BODINE).
Great reaction 😁 Tag your it!
Thanks so much!
Bobby Gentry was a philosophy major, and here she is addressing a theme from the Existentialist thinker Martin Heidegger who talks about inauthentic discourse as uninvested speech or "chatter"(such as "they say nothing comes to any good up on Chocktaw Ridge".)
Great stuff, great reaction too !!
Thanks! Appreciate it!
Thanks so much! this is not a "true story"..glad you listened to this best version... but so beautiful and haunting... I'm sure some others below have explained... Bobbie said that it was meant to be a song about the "casual cruelty"... appreciate your reaction...
Its an incredible song. So well written and thoughtprovoking. Thanks for watching.
This is the best review and reaction of this song I've seen. Someone else said that in the comments. I need to go and + that comment.
Thanks so much! That is very kind of you. Have a great weekend!
Wow, What a throwback.
Great reaction!
Thanks so much!
Great reaction to a haunting and emotional classic
Amazing song! Thanks for watching.
there was a tv movie based on the song. in the movie, it was a unborn baby.
Another song that Bobbie wrote about extreme poverty and social issues was Fancy, which was later covered by Reba McEntire.
I reacted to Fancy, the Reba version. This was before i knew Bobbie actually wrote the songs.
She is an incredible songwriter!
Bobby Gentry is an American singer-songwriter who was one of the first female artists to compose & produce her own material. A lot of her songs were stories. Her biggest hit was in 1967 with "Ode To Billy Joe". Other songs are "Mississippi Delta", "Fancy", "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Sunday Mornin" (with Glen Campbell) etc.
You should check out Brooks and Dunn "I. Believe '!! And Darryl Worley " I miss my Friend ".... They both will blow you away!!
I seem to remember, after this song came out and got so much attention, some radio stations asked listeners to write in what they thought the two threw off the bridge. There were some really wild responses
Its definitely something that can spark conversation and speculation. Our imagination can run wild at times 😅
Good lawd Bobby gentry all day long so bring it right we know her voice
spot on again! another Great story, is Legend of Wooly Swamp by Charlie Daniels
That reaction is recorded, but not uploaded yet.
Thanks so much for watching.
@@SaeedReacts. looking forward to it
I don't mind your pauses because you always have something interesting to say.
Thanks so much! That is very kind ❤️
Now there's a specialness about reaction videos. On the one hand I'm eager to see what someone from a different world thinks about a song that I grew up with. On the other hand sometimes I'm brought back to a song that I had completely forgotten about. Ode to Billy Joe definitely one of those songs that I loved and had forgotten about. So that's much. And thanks for your good reaction
I love how you described it. Thats a beautiful way of looking at it and that is why i love to make these video's. Thank you for being here!
Gentry also wrote Fancy ( song Reba made famous)
I only found that out after i reacted to Reba's version.
Incredible songwriting!
Wow! I'd forgotten this song. What a blast from the past. I owned this on 45. That probably shows my age. 🙂 Another master class in storytelling.
Definitely a masterclass in storytelling! So good!
The did make a movie about this song by the same name, but it came out after the song.
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This was a demo with strings added
Perhaps the most interesting thing is how the singer repeats the unconscious cruelty to her mother -- the singer's father, her mother's husband and the love of her life, died, and the singer is too caught up in her own miserable little world to reach out to comfort the woman who gave birth to her. It's a sad commentary on how that kind of emotional coldness replays itself over and over again. It's deep stuff.
I've had this LP since it csme out. ❤
Great reaction!😊
Amazing song. Thanks for watching.
The movie was amazing.Robby Benson was so good in that movie. Very emotional movie
This is an amazing song. Bob Dylan recorded a parody “Clothes Line Saga” - worth a listen.
Thanks for the recommendation.
I believe she also wrote "Fancy" Reba Mcentire recorded it. Check out the version with the movie video. Another excellent storytelling song!
That reaction is coming later today 😃
@@SaeedReacts. Woohoo!!
Man she could tell a story, couldn't she? The girl in the song, really liked Billy Joe.. which is why she lost her appetite. The movie answers a lot of questions on the background of the story including why he jumped. Definitely worth watching if you can find it. Thank you, Saeed for your awesome reaction. ❤😊
Will have to look for that film 😃
Good songs have melodies, great songs tell stories and make you think. This is a great song - it captures your imagination
Well said! I feel the same way.
I was a kid when this song first came out and it made me so sad.
Powerful song
Your insights are wonderful. The point of this song is how dismissive everyone about what happened
Such a great song. The writing is exquisite! Thanks so much for watching and the kind words.
Great reaction, great song. I think your next "storytelling" song should be the song called "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash. Great story, super funny. Thanks!!
Thanks so much! I reacted to that one, but at the moment its blocked on youtube. Its on my patreon in the meantime.
As soon as its unblocked it will get posted to youtube.
That was one of Shel Silverstein's many comic songs.
I don't know if you noticed most of these storytelling songs are from the American South, I love the South, great storytellers, friendly people.
I did! Love this type of music.
Another song with a story is Jeannie C. Riley..." Harper Valley PTA ". I think you would like it 😊
I believe that song is on my list.
Fancy is another Bobbie Gentry classic
I recorded a reaction to Reba's version before i knew it was originally Bobbie's song. Its not uploaded yet.
Great song and reaction too, Saeed. Is it a sultry voice 😊? Known catchy song , probably I listened to it in the 70th-80th but never paid attention to the story
I just read an article :
" While Bobbie Gentry admits the story is fictionalized, she did explain that it was inspired by the 1954 murder of Emmett Till. Till was only 14 years old when he was shot and thrown over the Black Bayou Bridge in Mississippi for offending a woman in a grocery store....
The bridge mentioned in the song soon became an attraction and many attempted to jump from it. However, no casualties were ever reported since the bridge was only 6 meters high. The bridge collapsed in 1972 but was later rebuilt.
In 1976, the song was adapted to a screenplay and made into the film "Ode to Billy Joe." It enjoyed relative success and brought in $27 million dollars".
Sultry, yes! 😃
Amazing song. So well written.
Thanks for watching and sharing some info on this. Very interesting!
Just a mega classic here love you
Incredible song! Thanks for watching.
they were throwing flowers - at the end of the song it gives it away - but most people are not satisfied with a simple explanation - - bobby gentry never said what it was when asked - she wanted people to figure it out on their own
Overcomplicate is my middle name
Good movie
scene from an italian resturaunt by billy joel
That one is on my to do list!
Great song and reaction
There is a song that is on the guardians of the galaxy soundtrack, which is said to be a perfect story song with not an ounce of fat.
Brandy by looking glass.
A rainy day suggestion for you.
Thanks for that recommendation!
The movie was great & gives better context to song
Yip, its true Saeed, their used to be alot more great music before you were born, keep exploring, you won't be disappointed. Cheers bud.
Will definitely explore more. Enjoying this journey. Thanks so much for watching.