She has such a beautiful spirit, I grew up listening to her music. She's still alive, she's 76 now and still beautiful as ever. Awesome reaction, thank you.. 🎶 ❤
@@theresareynolds3133 surprises people that he was the voice of the beast in Disney's beauty and the beast. He doesn't need any special effects with his angry voice - he does that easily. It was a trip to watch him
Robbie Benson was my childhood crush. I saw this movie in the theater at least a dozen times. Back in the days when you bought your ticket and stayed all day. My own sense now is that the entire story had something to do with a gay relationship between Billy Joe and the preacher. But since no one knows, we can all guess.
This song is a perfect snapshot of casual cruelty. "Pass the biscuits, please..." The whole family besides the narrator displayed indifference, and didn't notice the shock the narrator was feeling..
Yes. This song is an exercise in the banality of every day life. I mean, it's beautiful and all, but the story is just so heartbreaking because of the reaction of the family members.
Exactly that! That's what Bobbie said when people asked about "what they threw off the bridge" - she said that it didn't matter.. that's not what the song was about.. it really was that "casual cruelty"... so evocative!
Have you ever plowed forty acre's in 90 degrees with 90% humidity because that's how you have to feed your family? And have no air conditioning in your home. A poor farmer's life is worth more than you're giving credit for. Emotion's were not often displayed except with your spouse or maybe at church.
After I got my first set of hearing aids Angel Baby was the first song I heard, my uncle played it for me on his guitar and my aunt sang it, I was very little.
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.
She is alive! The story is fiction ... she made it up. I thought you would want to know. She is an amazing woman. This song was so popular when it came out and I still love it today! Thank you for the reaction ❤
The indifference, the lack of emotional response, to something that we would think requires attention and response is upsetting, isn't it? How many people live in these bleak circumstances, dulled to so much going on around them and with the people in the very same house. Just a woman with a guitar and a compelling story. WOW.
Many people don't understand (or realize) the purpose of this song (it was inspired by actual events). It was a study of unconscious cruelty (highlighted by the family's indifference to suicide). Gentry left Mississippi at the age of 13 for California. Weeks after, the Jim Crow Era murder of 14 year-old Emmett Til ( a boy visiting from Chicago). Who was abducted from his uncle's home, beaten, mutilated and shot in the head, and put in the Tallahatchie River. For allegedly offending a white woman.
....No, I emphatically disagree. That terrible incident may or may not have prompted her to write this song. I strongly doubt it. But it certainly is not what the song is about. There's not a trace of any racial component to this story. As to what it actually is about. If you can't tell from listening to it, you'll never understand it anyway...
I first heard this song in the late '60s and it still makes my eyes moist. It was a treat to watch you hearing it for the first time and getting blown away, just like me.
One of my faves. She is quoted as saying the song is about unconscious cruelty....I was traveling thru Mississppi several years ago and happen to cross the Tallahatchie River on an old iron bridge. I pulled over and and picked some flowering weeds on the side of the road....then walked back on the bridge I looked down into the muddy water...remembering...thinking...then I tossed the flowers into the water in honor of the mythical Billy Joe and beautiful talent of Ms Gentry. 💝
Beautiful delta blues tune, and she had the perfect voice for it! So, has anyone suggested Bonnie Raitte? You are going to love her stories...try, "I Can't Make You Love Me"... and yes, we were blessed...and now you are too...Peace.
I didn't count them but I'll bet there are 100 or more reaction to Bobby Gentry's recording of Ode to Billy Joe. It's encouraging to this old man to see so many young people becoming acquainted with the music of my youth. This is one of the best.
She did a few songs for us, then went on with her planned career. She went on to be a professor of psychology in California. This song plays with your head A LOT! I remember when it came out and really haven't figured it out for myself yet (now I'm 73).
Your joy at discovering this older music is very evident. I, like I'm sure many others, really enjoy watching you find this great music. We really do like you; just wanted to let you know that.
I'm a black woman grew up on all music mainly Motown but this was one of my favorites. Brings back fond memories as the lyrics are sad but my dad and I would sing this all the time. It would always play on the radio when we were in the car. That smooth guitar playing was so simple but great.
This one can haunt you and will cause an "earworm" .... a song that runs through your head until another comes in. You'll analyze it, the situation, the parties .. all of it, over and over.
The singer songwriters of the 60s and 70s were amazing be it country or rock. One I never see a reaction to is Jerry Reed. He is one of the best overall entertainers of my lifetime. Known as an actor, comedian, songwriter, singer, and guitarist. He even had a guitar style that was his own called the claw that many have tried to copy. Some songs of his you might try are The Claw, Amos Moses, Guitar Man, and Thing Called Love. He co-starred in Smokey and the Bandit with Burt Reynolds and Jacky Gleason and had a hit called East Bound and Down.
Another classic, wonderful storytelling song! The item thrown from the bridge by the girl and Billy was purposefully left unnamed (although in the movie of the same title it was a rag doll), because in the words of Ms. Gentry it wasn't important; it was the girl's obvious shock and grief and the sad obliviousness of her family to her distress and to the tragedy ("Oh dear, what a shame! Hey, how 'bout them Red Soxs?") Another good storytelling song in this same vein is "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgie." Either version is good: the original by Vickie Lawrence, or the cover by Reba McEntire.
Great reaction to this iconic, chilling song. This style is what is sometimes called "Southern Gothic." I've heard this song a million times and it still gives me goose bumps. As others have pointed out, the song is an exercise of "casual cruelty"). To the best of my knowledge, this story is fictional from Bobbie Gentry's imagination. Another song I think you'll like is "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence (be sure to get the right version by the right artist).
I grew up poor in Mississippi in the ‘80s and ‘90s. To us, blues wasn’t a white thing or black thing. We all lived it. This is one of the real treasures of that region.
Brilliant storytelling, so vivid! I remember one night the movie of this story came on. I think Billy's girlfriend was pregnant. I don't remember if they threw a baby in the water? No, it's not a true story but Bobby certainly makes it sound real. Bobby did a beautiful version of Son of a preacher man which Dusty Springfield also covered. If you haven't done it please do
I agree with you, I'm 60yrs old,I remember seeing the movie when it came out, and I said the same thing about the baby part that you mentioned, but I also said I was told it was a true story, but I've had 2 brain surgeries since then, and someone commented back and told me rite off the bat it had nothing to do with no baby and it wasn't true, it kinda pisst me off, lol 😉 but I agree with you, Thank You, hope you have a blessed evening 🙏
@@memorywhitton5527 I'm 60 too! Yeah, it was so long ago I saw the movie. It came on TV one night during the week. Way before I knew this song. I'm sure it was a baby, but it's not a true story. Have a great day!
If I remember correctly, in the movie it was the girl's beloved childhood rag doll which Billy grabbed and threw off the bridge in a fit of frustration at her, for her refusal to have sex with him. (No pregnancy.) The current carried the doll away and the girl ran off angry and crying. It was later revealed *SPOILER ALERT* to the girl (and to her alone) that Billy'd been so anxious to sleep with her to prove to himself that he wasn't having homosexual urges, which was a major taboo in that time and place. A kindly older local man, secretly gay himself, saw the girl's suffering and confusion at Billy's suicide and explained to her that he and Billy had had a sudden, spur-of-the-moment sexual encounter recently, and he guessed that Billy's feelings of shock and guilt afterward had spurred him to take his own life. Also, YES PLEASE to Son of a Preacher Man! :D
Ode to Billy Joe was quite a cliffhanger, and a great story song. Jungleland by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live at the Hammersmith Theater, London 1975 would be an epic musical story for your reaction. There is a video. Loving your reactions JB.🔥
It's still debated as to what She and Billy Joe threw off that bridge. What ever it was, it seems Billy Joe couldn't live with it. So sad. Great reaction. I do the same thing about looking things up. But I haven't with this song because I just want to believe it had to come from some where.
Glad to see you found this gem ! I can offer another storytelling song for you that’s outstanding : “City of New Orleans” by Arlo Guthrie ( about a train, not about the city)
This song hit BIG when it came out in 67', everyone was captivated by the story. You are one of the best reactors on YT, however YT never brings you up on my feed, I'll push the notification bell twice, keep up the great work!!
I Iove story telling song's and especially from such a talented artist. Sometimes easy listening songs such as this is pure pleasure. They draw you in and make you listen to the lyrics.
If you like storytelling songs, check out The Decemberists. They are anold band but they have a cool and super talented way of telling stories. The most entertaining is "The Mariner's Revenge". I would love to see you react to that one!!!
If you love story telling songs, check out Marty Robbins. I'd recommend three of his songs that form a sort of trilogy: "El Paso"; "Feleena"; and "El Paso City." The story is legendary! Marty has tons of other story telling songs too. And his voice is amazing.
Yes it is , but the local News paper would have it in archives to help you out looking for the story. Maybe as far back as the 30's 40's or 50's , it's derived from the 1954 Murder of Emit Till story who was kill for mistakenly thought he was flirting with a White girl at a local grocery store
If you like songs that tell a story, check out "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia," the original by Vickie Lawrence. Reba did a kick-ass cover, but I prefer Vicki's. ✌
Robbie Benson played "Billy Joe" /voice of Disney's " Beauty & the Beast" the following movie the next year. You've got to watch it---'the ending will b surprising.
As someone has already mentioned, they made a movie based on the song. Even though it is fiction, it makes the lyrics even more powerful. Try to see it if you can!
It's a masterpiece of storytelling, songwriting, singing and performance...an absolute classic.
She has such a beautiful spirit, I grew up listening to her music. She's still alive, she's 76 now and still beautiful as ever. Awesome reaction, thank you.. 🎶 ❤
The movie Ode to Billy Jo was actually quite good, it starred Glyniss O'Conner and Robby Benson, the movie came out around 1977 I believe.
I remember that!!
@@maryhuhnke8496 Robby was super cute I think he works behind the scenes now
@@theresareynolds3133 surprises people that he was the voice of the beast in Disney's beauty and the beast. He doesn't need any special effects with his angry voice - he does that easily.
It was a trip to watch him
Robbie Benson was my childhood crush. I saw this movie in the theater at least a dozen times. Back in the days when you bought your ticket and stayed all day. My own sense now is that the entire story had something to do with a gay relationship between Billy Joe and the preacher. But since no one knows, we can all guess.
@@tinaandres5210 my impression was that the preacher forced himself on Billy Joe, either way it was very sad. Robby has the most beautiful blue eyes.
This song is a perfect snapshot of casual cruelty.
"Pass the biscuits, please..."
The whole family besides the narrator displayed indifference, and didn't notice the shock the narrator was feeling..
Yes. This song is an exercise in the banality of every day life. I mean, it's beautiful and all, but the story is just so heartbreaking because of the reaction of the family members.
Exactly that! That's what Bobbie said when people asked about "what they threw off the bridge" - she said that it didn't matter.. that's not what the song was about.. it really was that "casual cruelty"... so evocative!
Have you ever plowed forty acre's in 90 degrees with 90% humidity because that's how you have to feed your family? And have no air conditioning in your home. A poor farmer's life is worth more than you're giving credit for. Emotion's were not often displayed except with your spouse or maybe at church.
Yes, and the cost for chronic indifference, such as displayed in the last verse.
Whether the artist is alive or dead really doesn't matter. Their music will live on forever ! And you can always access it at any time .
So many questions, so much mystery from this one song. A stand alone classic.
A great song. For another dark mysterious song that even the singer admits she doesn't fully understand, try "Angie Baby".
I love Angie Baby
After I got my first set of hearing aids Angel Baby was the first song I heard, my uncle played it for me on his guitar and my aunt sang it, I was very little.
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.
She is alive! The story is fiction ... she made it up. I thought you would want to know. She is an amazing woman. This song was so popular when it came out and I still love it today! Thank you for the reaction ❤
The indifference, the lack of emotional response, to something that we would think requires attention and response is upsetting, isn't it? How many people live in these bleak circumstances, dulled to so much going on around them and with the people in the very same house.
Just a woman with a guitar and a compelling story. WOW.
I’m a songwriter. What this simple song is able to convey is amazing.
This song is still a favorite… Her voice, the lyrics, the storytelling… Gets ya right in the chest. Hauntingly beautiful… 💔❤️
Many people don't understand (or realize) the purpose of this song (it was inspired by actual events). It was a study of unconscious cruelty (highlighted by the family's indifference to suicide). Gentry left Mississippi at the age of 13 for California. Weeks after, the Jim Crow Era murder of 14 year-old Emmett Til ( a boy visiting from Chicago). Who was abducted from his uncle's home, beaten, mutilated and shot in the head, and put in the Tallahatchie River. For allegedly offending a white woman.
....No, I emphatically disagree. That terrible incident may or may not have prompted her to write this song. I strongly doubt it. But it certainly is not what the song is about. There's not a trace of any racial component to this story. As to what it actually is about. If you can't tell from listening to it, you'll never understand it anyway...
Southern Gothic put to music. this is a great one.
I first heard this song in the late '60s and it still makes my eyes moist. It was a treat to watch you hearing it for the first time and getting blown away, just like me.
Stunningly Gorgeous AND talented AF!!!
One of my faves. She is quoted as saying the song is about unconscious cruelty....I was traveling thru Mississppi several years ago and happen to cross the Tallahatchie River on an old iron bridge. I pulled over and and picked some flowering weeds on the side of the road....then walked back on the bridge
I looked down into the muddy water...remembering...thinking...then I tossed the flowers into the water in honor of the mythical Billy Joe and beautiful talent of Ms Gentry. 💝
One of the best songs and performances ever. 😎
P.S. I still have the LP...💛
Beautiful delta blues tune, and she had the perfect voice for it! So, has anyone suggested Bonnie Raitte? You are going to love her stories...try, "I Can't Make You Love Me"... and yes, we were blessed...and now you are too...Peace.
I didn't count them but I'll bet there are 100 or more reaction to Bobby Gentry's recording of Ode to Billy Joe. It's encouraging to this old man to see so many young people becoming acquainted with the music of my youth. This is one of the best.
God bless your reaction so much joy I cannot stand it love you
This was also a movie by the same name starring Robbie Benson and Glynis O’Connor. The movie was really good if you get the chance to see it.
She did a few songs for us, then went on with her planned career. She went on to be a professor of psychology in California. This song plays with your head A LOT! I remember when it came out and really haven't figured it out for myself yet (now I'm 73).
There are many great story tellers but she is definitely one of the best IMO, great reaction.
This song is based on true events, and the movie starring the freaky awesome Robbie Benson, really knaws at your insides...
Your joy at discovering this older music is very evident. I, like I'm sure many others, really enjoy watching you find this great music. We really do like you; just wanted to let you know that.
I'm a black woman grew up on all music mainly Motown but this was one of my favorites. Brings back fond memories as the lyrics are sad but my dad and I would sing this all the time. It would always play on the radio when we were in the car. That smooth guitar playing was so simple but great.
I’m a white man who grew up in Mississippi, and love Motown and this song, too. Talent is talent, no matter what birthplace or race.
On the 3rd of June this song always come to mind. Can't unhear it. Such a special song.
This one can haunt you and will cause an "earworm" .... a song that runs through your head until another comes in. You'll analyze it, the situation, the parties .. all of it, over and over.
Oh, brother, you're gonna love this. Her sultry looks and voice, the story.
Absolutely! You can't unhear this.
I play this on my FB page every June 3rd. Love the sadness she is going through as her family goes along with their lives
We were blessed growing up in that era.
I’ve heard this song since it was written…and I still have that eerie feeling and chills…
The singer songwriters of the 60s and 70s were amazing be it country or rock. One I never see a reaction to is Jerry Reed. He is one of the best overall entertainers of my lifetime. Known as an actor, comedian, songwriter, singer, and guitarist. He even had a guitar style that was his own called the claw that many have tried to copy. Some songs of his you might try are The Claw, Amos Moses, Guitar Man, and Thing Called Love. He co-starred in Smokey and the Bandit with Burt Reynolds and Jacky Gleason and had a hit called East Bound and Down.
Another classic, wonderful storytelling song! The item thrown from the bridge by the girl and Billy was purposefully left unnamed (although in the movie of the same title it was a rag doll), because in the words of Ms. Gentry it wasn't important; it was the girl's obvious shock and grief and the sad obliviousness of her family to her distress and to the tragedy ("Oh dear, what a shame! Hey, how 'bout them Red Soxs?")
Another good storytelling song in this same vein is "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgie." Either version is good: the original by Vickie Lawrence, or the cover by Reba McEntire.
Oh wow! 😮 she is awesome and amazing.
Great reaction to this iconic, chilling song. This style is what is sometimes called "Southern Gothic." I've heard this song a million times and it still gives me goose bumps. As others have pointed out, the song is an exercise of "casual cruelty"). To the best of my knowledge, this story is fictional from Bobbie Gentry's imagination.
Another song I think you'll like is "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence (be sure to get the right version by the right artist).
Getting close to that RUclips 100,00 subscriber award. Good luck you deserve that award.
THANKS JB!!!! AN AWESOME SONG/STORYTELLING ARTIST!!!
Such a beautiful woman! And such Talent!
One of my all time favorite songs ever....I have loved it since it first came out and never ever stopped loving it...
Your facial expressions were priceless.
It just draws you in and paints a perfect picture in your mind
I bawled my eyes out when I went to the movie theater to watch Ode To Billie Joe based on the song
So true ... rare talent.
Your reaction is bringing me to tears. Love and hugs.
You are spot on with your comments about this artist!
I grew up poor in Mississippi in the ‘80s and ‘90s. To us, blues wasn’t a white thing or black thing. We all lived it. This is one of the real treasures of that region.
Your reaction is so authentic, exactly how people felt when it was first heard 50 years ago! I hope you're feeling better, you look fine
Brilliant storytelling, so vivid! I remember one night the movie of this story came on. I think Billy's girlfriend was pregnant. I don't remember if they threw a baby in the water? No, it's not a true story but Bobby certainly makes it sound real.
Bobby did a beautiful version of Son of a preacher man which Dusty Springfield also covered. If you haven't done it please do
I agree with you, I'm 60yrs old,I remember seeing the movie when it came out, and I said the same thing about the baby part that you mentioned, but I also said I was told it was a true story, but I've had 2 brain surgeries since then, and someone commented back and told me rite off the bat it had nothing to do with no baby and it wasn't true, it kinda pisst me off, lol 😉 but I agree with you, Thank You, hope you have a blessed evening 🙏
@@memorywhitton5527 I'm 60 too! Yeah, it was so long ago I saw the movie. It came on TV one night during the week. Way before I knew this song. I'm sure it was a baby, but it's not a true story. Have a great day!
If I remember correctly, in the movie it was the girl's beloved childhood rag doll which Billy grabbed and threw off the bridge in a fit of frustration at her, for her refusal to have sex with him. (No pregnancy.) The current carried the doll away and the girl ran off angry and crying. It was later revealed *SPOILER ALERT* to the girl (and to her alone) that Billy'd been so anxious to sleep with her to prove to himself that he wasn't having homosexual urges, which was a major taboo in that time and place. A kindly older local man, secretly gay himself, saw the girl's suffering and confusion at Billy's suicide and explained to her that he and Billy had had a sudden, spur-of-the-moment sexual encounter recently, and he guessed that Billy's feelings of shock and guilt afterward had spurred him to take his own life.
Also, YES PLEASE to Son of a Preacher Man! :D
yes, she is still around. she's 80.
As soon as I got the notification I knew I had to watch and I said to myself he's in for a ride.
Ode to Billy Joe was quite a cliffhanger, and a great story song. Jungleland by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live at the Hammersmith Theater, London 1975 would be an epic musical story for your reaction. There is a video. Loving your reactions JB.🔥
How can a song I have known since the 60s still brings tears to my eyes. .
It's still debated as to what She and Billy Joe threw off that bridge. What ever it was, it seems Billy Joe couldn't live with it. So sad. Great reaction. I do the same thing about looking things up. But I haven't with this song because I just want to believe it had to come from some where.
I've listened to this song so many times that I tear up at the very first note every time I hear it. Thank you for making me cry again today.
You are right, this is real music
Wonderfully written song and performance
You are so sweet! Your face lit up with such compassion... just the opposite of the family. BTW, they made a movie 🍿 out of it.
JB AWESOME! reaction my friend. God bless 🙏🏼
Her voice sends me into a trance like state. Absolutely beautiful.
Glad to see you found this gem ! I can offer another storytelling song for you that’s outstanding : “City of New Orleans” by Arlo Guthrie ( about a train, not about the city)
Great reaction…thank you…
The song stays with you after it ends ❤
I don't believe it's a real story but it's sung by a remarkable artist
Love this song
I knew when I read the title on the video, the rest of your life wouldn’t be the same
This song hit BIG when it came out in 67', everyone was captivated by the story. You are one of the best reactors on YT, however YT never brings you up on my feed, I'll push the notification bell twice, keep up the great work!!
Say Hey JB, This is powerful stuff. A very unusual number-one hit record. It's absolutely riveting. Love your reaction. Hope you're well.
I Iove story telling song's and especially from such a talented artist. Sometimes easy listening songs such as this is pure pleasure. They draw you in and make you listen to the lyrics.
I love story telling songs. This is one of the really good ones.
This was a huge hit and so intriguing to my 10 year old self.
It's amazing that a song can grab you and take you along with the story isn't it? ✌✌✌✌
For more storytelling, try “Patches” by Clarence Carter. Thanks 👍
One of my all time favorites !
This is a really fun song to play and sing on guitar. Very snappy.
I am moved by this song even today. Mesmerizing. haunting.
If you like storytelling songs, check out The Decemberists. They are anold band but they have a cool and super talented way of telling stories. The most entertaining is "The Mariner's Revenge". I would love to see you react to that one!!!
Bobbie Gentry has said the point of this song is the casual indifference to suicide.
You need to listen to her other classic Fancy.
Yeah, music was so much better and touching when people had real voices and played real instruments. Real talent.
Now you’ve GOT to watch the movie!
They made a movie about this.
Ode to Billy Joe.
If you love story telling songs, check out Marty Robbins. I'd recommend three of his songs that form a sort of trilogy: "El Paso"; "Feleena"; and "El Paso City." The story is legendary! Marty has tons of other story telling songs too. And his voice is amazing.
just a great song! ♥
You look stunned! Think, think about what got thrown off the bridge. It's dark.
There's a movie made about this song starring Robbie Benson it's a gr8 movie. From 1976 called "Ode to Billy Joe"
Yes it is , but the local News paper would have it in archives to help you out looking for the story. Maybe as far back as the 30's 40's or 50's , it's derived from the 1954 Murder of Emit Till story who was kill for mistakenly thought he was flirting with a White girl at a local grocery store
OMG her voice though... Maybe she sounds like she has a little bit of a cold I'm not sure doesn't matter astounding ly beautiful ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Love your genuine heartfelt reactions. You’re a lovely person. 🌹
You’re reaction was lovely-thank you. We’re on this earth to feel stuff.
I like you're comments, feelings are importent in music and lyrics. Stay on!
And life goes on...pass the black-eyed peas...
If you like songs that tell a story, check out "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia," the original by Vickie Lawrence. Reba did a kick-ass cover, but I prefer Vicki's. ✌
Robbie Benson played "Billy Joe" /voice of Disney's " Beauty & the Beast" the following movie the next year. You've got to watch it---'the ending will b surprising.
there was a movie in the early 70's based on this song, starring robbie benson
Beautiful voice.
One of my favorites, can't wait to see your reaction!✌
As someone has already mentioned, they made a movie based on the song. Even though it is fiction, it makes the lyrics even more powerful. Try to see it if you can!
Talk about a master story teller! It's like she invented it! Haunting.
There was a TV movie made based on this song . Lead character played by Robbie benson !
There’s a movie called ode to Billy Joe with this dong in it. Worth watching.