That is true, I thank the first time I heard this I was a little girl, it must have been my mother watched the movie, because, I had the vision of what the song was like in my head, and new there was a bridge involved, felt it to be a hauntingly sad, but lovely story, had wondered if the artist had come out with a different side of the song," like the singer of harper valley pta, that had a continuance of the song, I found harper valley pretty easy because I remembered the lyrics, but with obe to bobby joe I remembered the story, I have typed up everything about the story I could think of trying to find this song, and finally here it is, it's amazing what you can pick up at a young age that stays with you, this was one, know off to continue on a search for a movie I recall watching as a child, and haven't been able to find.
I am 80 and remember hearing it back in 1967. Goosebumps then and now. The casualness in which a major story is unfolding is ingenious. Less is more. Don’t solve the mystery. Leave it all midair. A perfect example of understatement.
This song should be in the library of congress with its rich southern tones and live the hardships thru her song ….what a story, I’m 70 and I remember hearing this song on my mom’s radio she kept in the kitchen in 1967 and every time it came on she would be at the sink….starring out the window and be off somewhere up on Chocta ridge. Incredible song so so powerful !
It was a No. 1 song in 1967. Knocking The Beatles off the top of the charts. She became an overnight super star. Played in Vegas for about 10 years, was married to Jim Stafford for awhile. But in the early 80’s., walked away from it all and went back to Miss.. and apparently still lives a quite life in her home town. Her reasons for walking away are her own, and I respect that. I wish she would’ve still kept writing music though. She cut 7 studio albums in 4 years. She wrote Fancy way before Reba made it famous. She wasn’t just a one hit wonder. She was a skilled musician, singer, songwriter and producer. And she was smokin hot! 😎
I was fortunate enough to meet Bobby. I did a lot of work on her house in the 80's. She was a very lovely and gracious person. She told me stories about her childhood which threw some light on her music. All who knew her then were saddened when she went back to her roots. Be well Bobby, TGM
This masterpiece was released during the U.S.' tumultuous “Summer of Love”. I had just completed 4th grade & clearly recall the sensation it made. Hearing it again takes me back to a sweltering August evening, sitting in our living room, a blue anodized aluminum tumbler of Pepsi sweating condensation in my hand, the yellow lamplight illuminating all the room but the shadowy corners. My 17 year old sister & her friends coming in the screen door, chattering excitedly as she had that day been crowned queen of our local fair. I can hear the cricket chorus outside as the sheer curtains puffed faintly in the sticky breeze. Then everything abruptly suspended, frozen in time as this song came through the radio, electrifying us with the stark chords, the baldly chilling lyrics.
Ah, yes, the blue anodized aluminum tumbler (Mine was green). These, along with aluminum Christmas trees, baby formula, and the music itself, were the velvet cattle prods of a simpler, more innocent America still prone to bittersweet introspection. Thank you for your masterpiece of a comment.
@@benvoiles3505 a Ballad, stories that touched the heart, I think ‘Patch’s’ was about the same time. The 60’s, so lucky to be raised in it. Still the soundtrack of my life.
@@laudarevsonhunt were they the greatest group of communists to infest a great country or 4 talentless shitdick drug addicts? I believe it's the latter of the two.
Listening still in July 2024 to this haunting song of human desperation and the nonchalant way it's described by the family thinking of it superficially but juxtaposed with the pastries being served at dinner.. .....to me a masterpiece of writing and performing this by Gentry.....unforgettable
In either 1969 or 1970, I was alone in New Orleans on a business trip. As I walked down Bourbon St. past the female imposter and strip joints, I saw a sign on a club the said, "Bobbie Gentry Live". So I went in and watched her perform all of her hits to a half-packed audience-- I was stunned because she was the hottest thing going at the time! Apparently her publicist did a poor job of promoting her appearance. Anyway, of course, she sang 'Ode', much to my delight. She was tall with long, pretty black hair; she wore a tight-fitting turquoise pants-suit with bell-bottoms (popular in the day). It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. In real life, she was the same as on TV and on her records.
Jeez... I had to do a double take. I was thinking you JUST seen her in the Quarter. Female impersonaters , LOL... There are plenty of them on The dark end of Bourbon. The whole street reeks of vomit and urine. I avoid the city like the plague. Did you hear about the Hard Rock Cafe collapsing? A dead mans.legs were hanging out of the wreckage for about 6 months.
Bobbie was simply one of the best. She wrote her music and had number one hits out of it. She's so talented and it's a shame she left the spotlight for so many years. We love you Bobbie!!! ❤️❤️❤️
This has proven to one of those songs that can't be covered. There is something unique, almost eerie about her voice and her emotional ethos. This is like a small tragic one-act play about the days and lives of the people mentioned. And the lingering unanswered mystery
@@jeffscott8323 Agree. She never did a bad job doing this song live but this particular one is my favorite. She wrote, produced and performed her own material and, she was attractive enough to be a fashion model.
One of the best examples of story telling through music, you can see EVERY word of this song in your mind... mesmerizing!!! Her lilting voice, intonations, just captivarying from the first time I heard it. Classic gem!!!
Im 57 years old and have loved music my whole life , from bluegrass , country to rock and blues. This is the best song I have ever heard that takes you into the story and lyrics. You can not listen to this song and not see it playing in your head like a old movie wile starring off into space. Its like a southern gothic novel put to music.
My thoughts exactly....I remember it as a child, and it always made me wonder why this kid jumped off of the bridge. She was very attractive, and the way she sang the song was so effortless. She was telling a prolific, traumatic story and it was all relevant and interesting at the same time. Sheer perfection in the delivery of a timeless song......
I'll never forget the movie Ode to Billy Joe. It really knocked me for a loop. I wasn't expecting the plot. It's free here on RUclips sometimes but once was enough for me.
For me, this song is attribute to my cousin Bobby Gail, I was very found of her, she committed suicide shortly after this song was released. I think of her every time I hear this song.
Well, I'll be. 50 years ago, my father's production company, KPA Films, filmed Bobby, on location at her Grandparent's home where she grew up. I was 13, and allowed to "help out". The film was for a special that was going to premier on BBC. The footage of Bobby walking on the bridge was part of it. She impressed me as open, honest and a little sad. She showed me real southern hospitality. I still have the photos and the memories.
I was a leather jacket wearing long hair rocker when I heard this incredible song it captured my imagination and attention and still does after all these decades, Bobby Gentry I love you .
Me too, I grew up in a home that was little bit country (alot actually lol) and little bit of rock and roll!! Dad was the country cow boy horse lovin type, Where Mom loved that 50s rock and roll. Had the best of both worlds. Great memories, I hope yours as well 🤗💞🌹🦋
This is a sublime performance from Ms Gentry no wonder no woman country music performer has dare covered it - it can’t be duplicated or one upped it totally stands on its own
Bobbie Gentry walked into my pop's radio station in '67 with a guitar, a track and the clothes on her back. He listened. He broke it out on the radio. The requests kept coming. We have an original 45 on an Award for Broadcast that he received for breaking it and help make it a hit. As time goes by, the memory and honor grow more dear. He is 78 and still rocking🎤🎶🎸
I grew up in New Orleans, spent summers where my mama grew up in Mississippi, a small town named Log Town. This beautiful song brings back the wonderful memories in Mississippi back in the 60's, the people, the way of life, gentle and thoughtful.
I'm a writer and I've always been in awe of this. "Pass the biscuits, please." "What's happened to your appetite?" If you've ever been traumatized and found the reactions of the other people in your life somewhat inadequate to the emotional weight of it you can relate to this brilliant work.
Glenn Quagmire, this song is not old at all. I can even imagine a group of young college millennials listening to this and starring off into a trance-like state as if they'd been sucked into the year 1968 as they watch Bobbi Gentry singing this haunting tale on an enormous movie screen in a lecture hall.
One of the greatest songs ever to paint a life with words. Also at the the 4:08 mark, the lyrics: There was a virus going around, Papa caught it and he died last Spring. The more things change the more they stay the same.
I was 2 yrs old when that song first come out in 1967. It's still a classic and so was the movie. I reckon instead of being old at 58, I'm vintage 58. Bobbie Gentry beat the Beatles with this song!! 😊
Today is the third of June 2021. One of the best songs ever. Through her art, for a brief moment, I can feel how it was to live in her delta even though I've never been there. Amazing.
My birthday is 3rd June and this video was filmed 1968 the year I was born so I kinda feel connected I remember hearing it wen I was very small beautiful song
As I watch my civilization crumble, and my planet wither, I have to thank my lucky stars that I was born to witness the heights from which we've fallen.
Baby. The Planet is just fine. Stop listening to the crazy Democrats. We're just fine. They just hate our Country. Teachers told them to and they bought it.
The Democrats are destroying this country by the minute. I'm old enough to remember when this was such a great country, and we all had a common purpose and common values.
You just can't beat southern belles. I married one. Beautiful, passionate, loving, not afraid to get dirty...but don't piss them off. FIRECRACKERS!!!!!
I love how she alludes to secrets about Billie, the visiting preacher and her own father without having to outright say what they are. It was the epitome of “don’t ask don’t tell” long before the phrase existed.
She is stunning. This song takes me straight back to the backyard as a little girl and hearing it in the distance from the kitchen window on WPLO am590 in Atlanta, Georgia.
@@rodneybrowne2932 it makes complete sense. The thing that makes her more captivating is there are no tattoos and her breasts and backside aren't hanging out of her clothing. All class.
In the 60s when my family would be driving to our vacation in the summer if there were two songs that came on the radio my father would turn up the radio as loud as he could get it his favorite was Roy Orbison and then Bobbie Gentry I miss those days and my be safe be peaceful out there
The song, Bobby Gentry’s voice sounds like a hot Mississippi Delta day. I can feel the still windless day in a cotton field, sun beating down,sweat soaked hat rim and T-shirt. A song with a lot of passion and imagery.it was the summer of 1967 the year I was drafted. Both the song and my new adventure in the Army are memorable.
I grew up in the 60's and I still love this song to this day. She has a way of making you feel like you were there. You can visualize what was happening. She's such a talented singer.
Yeah she definitely was talented and i do remember this also when it first came out and i was just a kid . Now do you remember another song that was kind of Haunting but it was more of a pop song and did not have the Elegance of this but it was Haunting in a different way ... it was called Timothy ( where on Earth did you go ) just wondering if you remember that ?
The perfect songwriter always tells the story..and beautifully I might add. I sang this over and over growing up. Love the soothing quality of her voice . Brings back sweet memories of simpler times......
@BC FOSTER There has always been speculation about what was being thrown. The movie says one thing, but that was Hollywood's take. Do a Google search for more thoughts.
It's alleged that the song was loosely based on actual events. Supposedly, Billy Joe impregnated the young girl he was in love with. Although, they cared deeply for each other, Billy questioned his sexuality after being seduced and molested (after being spurred on to over drink by some older men at a local county fair) Billy later shared this traumatic event with his sweetheart as well, his feelings that, he enjoyed it. His sweetheart was sympathetic to his situation and stood by him during his bouts of confusion and mixed emotions. The two vowed secrecy about the pregnancy. Unfortunately, the young girl miscarried. Distraught over the miscarriage, the young lovers wrapped their dead baby and threw it over the Tallahatchie Bridge. Not able to cope with his sexual feelings and the death of his child, Billy committed suicide by jumping off that same bridge. This very beautiful, emotional and moving film was unjustly underrated most likely because of it's homosexual overtones, teen sex and pregnancy. The two main young characters were exceptionally played by the awesomely talented Robbie Benson and Glynnis O'Connor. Some thought it was ahead of it's time. I felt it was right on time! It is one of my all time movie favorites and has since become apart of my "cherished collection" This film can be viewed in it's entirety on RUclips. Be prepared to shed some tears if not many.
Anyone notice that the only time Bobby smiles during this performance is when she sings the line about her brother and Billy Jo puting the frog down her back. Like it was a fond memory that brought a bit of joy among the sadness of this story.
I remember the movie with Robbie Benson. I've always loved this song...strange because it's so sad and melancholy. Yet I still sit quietly and listen to this heartbreaking ode often. It's simply beautiful.❤
You just have good taste that all this song is just beautiful and loved by people who know a great song trust me I'm black born in 1958 and remember this one well.
I was working at a paint shop in Mishawaka, Indiana the summer of 1967 when this song was a hit. Three years later I flew as door gunner with a kid from Mishawaka. He was the crew chief. We both controlled the chopper's direction going down to insert troops on the ground under enemy ground fire.
I grew up on Zeppelin, John Lee Hooker, BB King, James Brown ... but it doesn't get much better than this. And on top of being an astonishing talent, Bobbie Gentry is as beautiful as any woman could possibly be.
This is the mildest of Mississippi delta accents. Im from NC, i go to the Mississippi about once a month. I cannot order food from drive throughs most of the time... cuz i have no idea what the person on the other side is saying.
@@beanbagpilot922 I know what you mean. I'm from Memphis. THE Mississippi Delta... But I guess since it's such a big city the accents aren't as thick or something, because if I drive 30 minutes South or east or west to a small town Ill end up talking to someone with an even thicker accent than mine. I LOVE it tho, and imitate it right back so I sound even more southern. Lol ❤😘
Both the Song and the Movie are classics. I get chills up and down my Spine every time I hear this song. I just saw the Movie on TV last week. I remember when the Song came out 1967. Wow
The strings in this song carry so much and are underappreciated, but thats only because the song writing is so incredible. The fall into the river at the end...amazing finish.
This is so f’in good. Sexy, sultry, bluesy. Paints a whole story you can visualize. Do you hear that orchestra in the background? Beautiful. They don’t make music like this anymore. Glad RUclips’s saving this for future generations.
The last violin riff brings to mind someone or something plunging to they're death or destruction. The perfect exclamation point on this ominous story.
I am only 60 but I remember that being on the radio as a young kid and I enjoyed it and to this day I still do and probably will hopefully for another 20 or 30 years if I'm lucky the music is I don't know how to describe it it is a very deep and coincides with what she is singing very good
Me too!! I wasnt even born until 1970 so my older sister introduced me to the song...then the movie (yes I was about 5 and didnt understand anything much other than she really thought Billie Joe was cute") lol. Here we are heading into 2020 and this is still one of THE most hauntingly beautiful songs I have ever heard. And Ms Gentry was genius to get out of the spotlight when she did and live out her life in peace. Ps...not sure if you're aware. The reason she wrote the song wasnt so much about Billie Joe and the why's, she was highly philosophical and was showing the mesh of a young boys death as "chatter" over the dinner table in between everything else. Love it
@@jojox9791 Yes. I'm aware. I picked up on that detail when I was 11 and lost someone. Our conversations were similar. I would often play it, but sometimes be afraid to play it. So that's the biggest lesson it taught me. Don't be afraid to play music that makes you cry.
Everyone listen to this. This is what a pure Southern American voice sounds like. That's what makes this song so special and memorable. The utter PURITY of her voice/accent. You won't ever get that again.
I was 16 yrs old in 1967, & remember this song well. She depicts life in The South with soulful clarity. When I listen to it now it makes me smile with a little ache in my heart. ❤️💔
I was a teenager in 1967 when this song came out. My dad would poke fun at the lyrics. Anytime we had black eyed peas, he use the phrase at the dinner table. “by the way, pass me the black eyed peas”. I’m 67 now, still remember that.
This is a song that stays with you for decades. You might not hear it for a year or two but when you do hear it again you stop whatever you are doing, put everything down and just pause for a moment in this turbulent life and listen. Just listen and let your mind imagine every moment of this haunting story. And seeing Bobby sing and play it is just the best. What a beautiful woman and beautiful voice. A true American classic.
The song is like a whole film. i listened in Sweden, trying to understand the words. I started at ten, in fourth grade, to learn English, so in 1967, when this song came, I was into my second year of the language. I worked so hard to get the lyrics, but I heard this song only on the radio. I still love it.
She owns this song. No one has ever been able to sing this song, but her. It still gets me after all of these years, at 65 years of age in 2020. Ms. L. Churchill
You hear this song once, you don't forget it ever.
That is true, I thank the first time I heard this I was a little girl, it must have been my mother watched the movie, because, I had the vision of what the song was like in my head, and new there was a bridge involved, felt it to be a hauntingly sad, but lovely story, had wondered if the artist had come out with a different side of the song," like the singer of harper valley pta, that had a continuance of the song, I found harper valley pretty easy because I remembered the lyrics, but with obe to bobby joe I remembered the story, I have typed up everything about the story I could think of trying to find this song, and finally here it is, it's amazing what you can pick up at a young age that stays with you, this was one, know off to continue on a search for a movie I recall watching as a child, and haven't been able to find.
True.
I just heard it for the first time.
You are Absolutely correct
Absolutely true
This song can never be remade. Nothing about it needs to be changed. Classic!
If she didn’t own the masters to it, she would surely remake it.
No one likes a Karen Pacowta
absolutely perfect
ruclips.net/video/KeQ0SWa5ttk/видео.html
Amen, just perfect.
I am 80 and remember hearing it back in 1967. Goosebumps then and now. The casualness in which a major story is unfolding is ingenious. Less is more. Don’t solve the mystery. Leave it all midair. A perfect example of understatement.
Great song. She is wonderful!
Im 84
Remember it well
She has got the real
Feelings for this song
Her phrasing while singing ... is impeccable . Remember it well .
She said it was about Emmitt Till.
@@Libertygirl76 when did she say that? You would think if she did say that it would be widely known. But, it isn’t.
This song should be in the library of congress with its rich southern tones and live the hardships thru her song ….what a story, I’m 70 and I remember hearing this song on my mom’s radio she kept in the kitchen in 1967 and every time it came on she would be at the sink….starring out the window and be off somewhere up on Chocta ridge. Incredible song so so powerful !
It looks like it is www.loc.gov/audio/?all=True&q=ODE+TO+BILLY+JOE&st=list
Love you.
It was a No. 1 song in 1967. Knocking The Beatles off the top of the charts. She became an overnight super star. Played in Vegas for about 10 years, was married to Jim Stafford for awhile. But in the early 80’s., walked away from it all and went back to Miss.. and apparently still lives a quite life in her home town. Her reasons for walking away are her own, and I respect that. I wish she would’ve still kept writing music though. She cut 7 studio albums in 4 years. She wrote Fancy way before Reba made it famous. She wasn’t just a one hit wonder. She was a skilled musician, singer, songwriter and producer. And she was smokin hot! 😎
I was fortunate enough to meet Bobby. I did a lot of work on her house in the 80's. She was a very lovely and gracious person. She told me stories about her childhood which threw some light on her music. All who knew her then were saddened when she went back to her roots. Be well Bobby, TGM
yes
Yep INDEED ❗👍🏼❤️💔❤️🩹✝️🛐
Oh God, was she gorgeous
Apparently, she lives in Los Angeles now.
it's the 3rd of June 2024. I always spin this on the 3rd. Such a beautiful song and performance.
7th June, Auckland, New Zealand. Greetings, fellow music lovers.
My birthday, though the song was written a year before I was born. 🙂
Love it.
Two Best Ballads Ever: Ode to Billy Joe & The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Powerful lyrics, haunting instrumentals, flawless delivery!
Bob Dylan’s hilarious response to this song is “Clothes Line Saga”
@@prometheus5700F bob dylan
@@SuperMeffer LMAO. Give it a listen and have a good chuckle.
You are so right,sod the muck that's music now.
LOL@@SuperMeffer
This masterpiece was released during the U.S.' tumultuous “Summer of Love”. I had just completed 4th grade & clearly recall the sensation it made. Hearing it again takes me back to a sweltering August evening, sitting in our living room, a blue anodized aluminum tumbler of Pepsi sweating condensation in my hand, the yellow lamplight illuminating all the room but the shadowy corners. My 17 year old sister & her friends coming in the screen door, chattering excitedly as she had that day been crowned queen of our local fair. I can hear the cricket chorus outside as the sheer curtains puffed faintly in the sticky breeze. Then everything abruptly suspended, frozen in time as this song came through the radio, electrifying us with the stark chords, the baldly chilling lyrics.
Ah, yes, the blue anodized aluminum tumbler (Mine was green). These, along with aluminum Christmas trees, baby formula, and the music itself, were the velvet cattle prods of a simpler, more innocent America still prone to bittersweet introspection. Thank you for your masterpiece of a comment.
Nicely written could well be the lyrics to a song.
Boy, you know how to paint a picture! If you're not a writer, you should be. ;)
@@NeilRoy I'm not, but thank you. Maybe when I retire.❤️
Don’t wait till you retire. Take it from an author- you have a gift. Start now!
This song was released in 1967. Here I sit, almost 52 years later, still in awe of its beauty and simplicity...
Ihahthe orginal 45og this song fifty two years later where ad the time home
Thank you
Lol.. I was 5 when this song was out
I was 6 years old when this song came out and I love this song 💝
I was four,..my mother listened to this tune many times over and over,I now understand why,the creativity and lyrics are strong
If you remember this song, you are not old. You are high, quality vintage.
Thanks very much for that 😊 Judy still listening at67
good
I lived through this time. I Ain't Old.🌺🌿
I love it
Hey now ! Lol 62 killbuck ohio !
There was a virus going round… … Pappa caught it and died last spring~this song is one for the ages
My mom had a small cafe with a Jukebox in 1967. I would play this over and over while bussing tables and washing dishes!
One of the best country songs ever written and performed. Brilliant, she really takes you there.
Not really country, it defies genres.
@@benvoiles3505 a Ballad, stories that touched the heart, I think ‘Patch’s’ was about the same time.
The 60’s, so lucky to be raised in it. Still the soundtrack of my life.
@@vonrock6862 Only bad thing about growing up in the 60's is now you're in your 60's or older..
@The Best Western Yes, I consider myself very lucky to have been born in 48, we have have lived through our peak.
@@benvoiles3505 Americana.
Such a great, yet haunting song. People forget that this song knocked the Beatles out of the #1 spot on the Billboard charts.
No....we don't forget...
What are the Beatles?
@@gfg8262 They were the little bugs that ate the tobacco plants up on Choctaw Ridge.
@@gfg8262 The greatest group in the history of popular music.
@@laudarevsonhunt were they the greatest group of communists to infest a great country or 4 talentless shitdick drug addicts? I believe it's the latter of the two.
07/11/2024 anyone listening? James, Mamá misses you very much. People, please don't give up on life.
😢my deepest sympathy 🙏 RIP..
You ok?
Listening still in July 2024 to this haunting song of human desperation and the nonchalant way it's described by the family thinking of it superficially but juxtaposed with the pastries being served at dinner..
.....to me a masterpiece of writing and performing this by Gentry.....unforgettable
In either 1969 or 1970, I was alone in New Orleans on a business trip. As I walked down Bourbon St. past the female imposter and strip joints, I saw a sign on a club the said, "Bobbie Gentry Live". So I went in and watched her perform all of her hits to a half-packed audience-- I was stunned because she was the hottest thing going at the time! Apparently her publicist did a poor job of promoting her appearance. Anyway, of course, she sang 'Ode', much to my delight. She was tall with long, pretty black hair; she wore a tight-fitting turquoise pants-suit with bell-bottoms (popular in the day). It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. In real life, she was the same as on TV and on her records.
Lucky you.
Great story. A tremendous memory. Would love to have live that.
Thank You for sharing your story.
Jeez... I had to do a double take. I was thinking you JUST seen her in the Quarter.
Female impersonaters , LOL... There are plenty of them on The dark end of Bourbon. The whole street reeks of vomit and urine. I avoid the city like the plague.
Did you hear about the Hard Rock Cafe collapsing? A dead mans.legs were hanging out of the wreckage for about 6 months.
Lucky
The lyrics, the ache in her voice, the gentle strum of the guitar, is a spell that puts one into a living dream of a love tragedy.
If you remember the '60s, you weren't really "there."
@@williammason9789 Huh? You be need to clarify your statement.
@@winstonwhiteside9525 I think he means if you didn’t do enough drugs to forget the 60s you didn’t really experience what they were all about.
Absolutely agree! How I wish she were still performing! 💜💜💜
@@williammason9789 this a ridiculous statement what year were you born mr. brilliant
EVERY “3rd of June” I celebrate this classic!
Damn right !!!
Me, too!!
My late friend was a DJ. He played this song for me every year. He was murdered on May 29 of this year. I so miss him
Bobbie was simply one of the best. She wrote her music and had number one hits out of it. She's so talented and it's a shame she left the spotlight for so many years. We love you Bobbie!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Absolutely love her beautiful voice . Simply love this song .
This has proven to one of those songs that can't be covered. There is something unique, almost eerie about her voice and her emotional ethos. This is like a small tragic one-act play about the days and lives of the people mentioned. And the lingering unanswered mystery
Imo her pain is real. Why else would she write it
Had never thought of this but it is so true.
Tammy Wynette did it some justice, but NO ONE can touch the original.
Sacred
@@jeffscott8323 Agree. She never did a bad job doing this song live but this particular one is my favorite. She wrote, produced and performed her own material and, she was attractive enough to be a fashion model.
One of the best examples of story telling through music, you can see EVERY word of this song in your mind... mesmerizing!!! Her lilting voice, intonations, just captivarying from the first time I heard it. Classic gem!!!
There’s a sad, tired, numbed quality to the vocal, beginning to end.
This and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Amen. This song is absolutely amazing 👌
Perfectly said.
Just like supper time chatter about day’s happenings
Im 57 years old and have loved music my whole life , from bluegrass , country to rock and blues.
This is the best song I have ever heard that takes you into the story and lyrics. You can not listen to this song and not see it playing in your head like a old movie wile starring off into space.
Its like a southern gothic novel put to music.
All this time it was guy's boss...cool movie
Great song-- Beautiful lady!
Well said. So true.
perfect
jeez i have the 45
The timing in this song, the phraseology is nothing short of brilliant . You won’t find another example of that treatment
And we went, back to the house to eeet!, and still!!
You know, don't seem right?
No, you will not sir!!
One of the BEST SONGS ever written ….truly EPIC✌🏽😎🇺🇸🌉
this is so 'off hand' subtle, it forces you to listen hard, hard...and it breaks your heart
It's worth being old now, to have been young then.
Yes I agree with you it is
Absolutely true.
16ft dips in a hole
Totally worth it.
wickedpissa25 I feel sorry for the generations coming up; they have no clue what they missed out on
It's almost like she wears this song. Her eyes, her expression the sadness.
My thoughts exactly....I remember it as a child, and it always made me wonder why this kid jumped off of the bridge. She was very attractive, and the way she sang the song was so effortless. She was telling a prolific, traumatic story and it was all relevant and interesting at the same time. Sheer perfection in the delivery of a timeless song......
JANEY, This song feels SO VERY REAL, I don't even
think it's JUST A SONG, it's
also a STORY as well.
@The Muffin Man And OH SO VERY REAL.
Her false eyelashes are hilarious. Lol.
manic hairdo no they're great they look so 60s
I'll never forget the movie Ode to Billy Joe. It really knocked me for a loop. I wasn't expecting the plot. It's free here on RUclips sometimes but once was enough for me.
For me, this song is attribute to my cousin Bobby Gail, I was very found of her, she committed suicide shortly after this song was released. I think of her every time I hear this song.
Never forgot her
Keep your spirits up and on high true and am here to appreciate life 🙏 Appreciate yourself in check
Well, I'll be. 50 years ago, my father's production company, KPA Films, filmed Bobby, on location at her Grandparent's home where she grew up. I was 13, and allowed to "help out". The film was for a special that was going to premier on BBC. The footage of Bobby walking on the bridge was part of it. She impressed me as open, honest and a little sad. She showed me real southern hospitality. I still have the photos and the memories.
Awesome…
*@Global Avenger* ☘️ That's a lovely memory to have. They don't make 'em like Ms Bobby anymore.
Cool moniker btw.! 😋
COOL! 😎
You were given a unique gift. Thanks for sharing this story.
that's awesome.........
"There was a virus going around and Papa caught it and he died last spring..." Line hits a little harder these days.
You aren't kidding
@@tinaturner7710 is Phenomenal and Simply The Best!
@Druid Riley, For sure.
Don't sneeze, this thing is really catching.
Fuck me the feels hit hard with that line.
Haunting and stirring. A beautiful voice of Americana. Blues and Country in a blend of perfection. A slice of apple pie.
I was a leather jacket wearing long hair rocker when I heard this incredible song it captured my imagination and attention and still does after all these decades, Bobby Gentry I love you .
Songs that tell stories are always the best. A skill that is sorely lacking in these days. I remember this song from my early childhood.
I felt that way about Lonesome Dove by Garth Brooks - also a story song that was one of the songs I remember loving when I heard it as a child.
Me too, I grew up in a home that was little bit country (alot actually lol) and little bit of rock and roll!! Dad was the country cow boy horse lovin type, Where Mom loved that 50s rock and roll. Had the best of both worlds. Great memories, I hope yours as well 🤗💞🌹🦋
Me too. 🤗✌️
That kind of Haunting feeling is really hard to achieve. This was really a piece of art!
Yes, truly a piece of art; poetry set to music, raw honest, perfect truth.
Everything Bobby Gentry wrote and sang was pure art.
Don't forget the people who produced and preserved this incredible performance.
Mark Housman yes, I was aware of that. He was sexually assaulted by his boss at the Sawmill.
She does it again in Fancy...."Southern Gothic" Is the perfect name for it I think.
Still love this song.2024.
This is a sublime performance from Ms Gentry no wonder no woman country music performer has dare covered it - it can’t be duplicated or one upped it totally stands on its own
Agreed. This Classic should never, ever be covered.
I've heard instrumental jams.
What a voice! No autotune here.
Perfection at its Best 🔥‼️💯
Really low soft true feeling.
With the meaning.
Country.!! ❤️
Bobbie Gentry walked into my pop's radio station in '67 with a guitar, a track and the clothes on her back. He listened. He broke it out on the radio. The requests kept coming. We have an original 45 on an Award for Broadcast that he received for breaking it and help make it a hit. As time goes by, the memory and honor grow more dear. He is 78 and still rocking🎤🎶🎸
Beautiful story
Alison Klein Great story,Thank you for sharing 👍
Alison Klein Your paps was just a kid.. Thanks for sharing your story..
Alison Klein what a great family story. your pops cool.
so cool. I love reading replies to videos like this one.
This is one of the best American songs ever written.
I can't think of a better one.
ShmuelWeintraub It’s Alright Ma by Bob Dylan
There can be none better because it is perfection.
Oh, c'mon. It's fun and mysterious but IT IS NO ONE OF THE BEST EVER WRITTEN YOU IDIOT.
@@russellcampbell9198 BULLSHIT.
Greatest story ever told. Folk Lore at it's finest.
Still absolutely breathtaking and devastating after all these years. As someone commented below. it's okay to be old now to have been young then.
Yup
You are so right . We grew up in the best era 60s 70s even the 80s
I so wish I could be back in the real time.
Love it. “Wendy-K” just put out a standard DEMO. Check it out please! She’s from the Mississippi Delta too.
ruclips.net/video/KKcSm8Dqn0c/видео.html
@@fionnualamurphy125 Born in 53 Ireland, this song was just so good for a country boy as a teenager.
It's ominous. It's vivid. It's sad. It's heartfelt. It's perfect. ❤
Perfect description.
You summed that song up perfectly! I'm proud to see a black woman that loves a good country song like me!
Im a white English boy and this song touched me as a kid. I'm 52yo living in Australia and it still touched me. Perfect song.....almost poetry.
@@jimjazz150 show us on the doll where the bad song touched you.
-the hyperbolic media
Kerra Johnson i love it
There has never been a song so sad, but sensual, lovely, timeless. and nostalgic. Those horns- priceless!!!
I love it, regards from Darling, South Africa 🇿🇦
@tonyeva42 Greetings from a teacher in the US. I love reading about your lovely country and its people. Thanks.
How about Honey by Bobby Goldsboro?
This is one of those timeless tunes. The one you remember from your childhood that your parents played on the old 8-track. It sure is a classic.
Melancholy , gloomy ,dark , dusky, mysterious, and beautiful song.
Well said and well put !! :-)
So sad.. this seems like such a true story.
You summed up this song along with her voice perfectly!
@@roxannareneerantz638 more than we know!
This is a southern Gothic masterpiece and I've always loved it. Rivals anything Flannery O Connor ever did.
Brilliant reply Thomas. It is like a sketch by Flannery. Spot on.
Faulkner
A Good Song is Hard to Find.
@@katynstevensmom Very very clever reply. One of my favorite American stories.
The snopes
Family
I grew up in New Orleans, spent summers where my mama grew up in Mississippi, a small town named Log Town. This beautiful song brings back the wonderful memories in Mississippi back in the 60's, the people, the way of life, gentle and thoughtful.
Every time I hear this song it brings back memories of the summer I spent in Kildare, Texas on my granddaddy's farm. What BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES!
Southern Gothic. A song from my youth. Loved it then and love it now.
God bless you Margaret
Margaret Gross yes those were the days. I miss it.
yep 100% Southern Gothic feel
rode my stingray bike with transistor radio in hand at age 10 thinkin what a cool tune
Southern Gothic. Haunting ominous and beautiful. It’s like a thousand page novel told in musical form.
It's the kind of song that puts you in a TRANCE-LIKE state of pure shock.
It was made into a movie and the writer novelised it the same year. I've never saw the movie but did read the novel. I then understood the song.
Bernard, how could anyone describe this 5-minute ballad with just 16 perfect words! What talent and insight.........keep writing.
I've never heard it called southern gothic. It fits though. Totally makes sense. Does feel like a novel set to music doesn't it?
I'm a writer and I've always been in awe of this. "Pass the biscuits, please." "What's happened to your appetite?" If you've ever been traumatized and found the reactions of the other people in your life somewhat inadequate to the emotional weight of it you can relate to this brilliant work.
She knows how to capture the culture, the feelings, and the times with a song. She was made for this.
This song never gets old
Glenn Quagmire, this song is not old at all. I can even imagine a group of young college millennials listening to this and starring off into a trance-like state as if they'd been sucked into the year 1968 as they watch Bobbi Gentry singing this haunting tale on an enormous movie screen in a lecture hall.
Catchy tune from a classy lady. Anybody listening in Sept 2019. Thank you all for the likes
Yep. September 15
18 September
Doubleplus good
Imma listening September 2019
Tonight, Bobby Gentry and her song was featured in Ken Burn's Country Music documentary.
One of the greatest songs ever to paint a life with words. Also at the the 4:08 mark, the lyrics: There was a virus going around, Papa caught it and he died last Spring. The more things change the more they stay the same.
Truth!
My pops had your name & he died thanks to the virus last summer. Damn cosmic coincidences.
.♪ ♩ ♫..and now mama just wears her mask and doesnt seem to wanna do much of anything.....♪ ♩ ♫
@@geneeric-jones4610 those people were smarter than to think a mask would work
Exactly💯
This and Billy, don't be a hero. I remember singing that song as a young child.
Doesn't make us old, right?
I was 2 yrs old when that song first come out in 1967. It's still a classic and so was the movie. I reckon instead of being old at 58, I'm vintage 58. Bobbie Gentry beat the Beatles with this song!! 😊
Who's still listening in 2019? Such great songs from this long gone decade.
Me
And me
I listen to it every day. Brings back wonderful memories. You ought to watch the movie and then you might understand the song a little better.
Texas here
I am
Today is the third of June 2021. One of the best songs ever. Through her art, for a brief moment, I can feel how it was to live in her delta even though I've never been there. Amazing.
Happy Billy Joe Day, yesterday.
I bet those black eye peas were good eaten
...and on my wedding anniversary. Hey, y'all!
How'ya doin'?
From Christi in and from a small town in Mississippi.
My birthday is 3rd June and this video was filmed 1968 the year I was born so I kinda feel connected I remember hearing it wen I was very small beautiful song
Hopefully you’ll never experience that Osiris moment.
Thatain’t no ✂️she✂️-now you know what was thrown over-ode to Osiris
Such a great song. . .story telling at its best. Simple but haunting. Love it!
Amazing orchestration behind the tune, too! Those strings! The violins, cellos, bass!
Incredible isn't it. There's a little fill at 02:59. Don't know why but every time I hear it I smile uncontrollably.
As I watch my civilization crumble, and my planet wither, I have to thank my lucky stars that I was born to witness the heights from which we've fallen.
AMEN :~b
I lived on tallahatchie river
You nailed it.
Baby. The Planet is just fine. Stop listening to the crazy Democrats. We're just fine. They just hate our Country. Teachers told them to and they bought it.
The Democrats are destroying this country by the minute. I'm old enough to remember when this was such a great country, and we all had a common purpose and common values.
You just can't beat southern belles. I married one.
Beautiful, passionate, loving, not afraid to get dirty...but don't piss them off. FIRECRACKERS!!!!!
It's working for you so far it seems.
Amen!!!!!!!
I love this song. You cannot remake this. It’s great the way it is. Wish we can go back to those days.
Is this based on a true story?
I love how she alludes to secrets about Billie, the visiting preacher and her own father without having to outright say what they are. It was the epitome of “don’t ask don’t tell” long before the phrase existed.
She is stunning. This song takes me straight back to the backyard as a little girl and hearing it in the distance from the kitchen window on WPLO am590 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Billy Joel didn’t jump off of the bridge , A Bigfoot took him away for killing it’s young. Body was never found
Absolutely stunning. Goodness me!
I see she studied philosophy. I'm also thinking hypnotism.
yes there is almost something mystical with her looks she is more sensual than sexy if that makes sense
@@rodneybrowne2932 it makes complete sense. The thing that makes her more captivating is there are no tattoos and her breasts and backside aren't hanging out of her clothing.
All class.
@@danielorbell4517 dont forget to whipe your feet
Bobby Gentry was a real Southern Belle
Right on !!
Brilliant woman. Just brilliant.
She was drop dead gorgeous.
Talented and beautiful,long before plastic surgery
But she paid her dues. Went to music/art school, played local clubs, wrote her own songs.
In the 60s when my family would be driving to our vacation in the summer if there were two songs that came on the radio my father would turn up the radio as loud as he could get it his favorite was Roy Orbison and then Bobbie Gentry I miss those days and my be safe be peaceful out there
The song, Bobby Gentry’s voice sounds like a hot Mississippi Delta day. I can feel the still windless day in a cotton field, sun beating down,sweat soaked hat rim and T-shirt. A song with a lot of passion and imagery.it was the summer of 1967 the year I was drafted. Both the song and my new adventure in the Army are memorable.
Drafted in 1965, discharged in 1967. "A dirty dusty Delta day" always remember the 3rd of June.
I grew up in the 60's and I still love this song to this day. She has a way of making you feel like you were there. You can visualize what was happening. She's such a talented singer.
Yeah she definitely was talented and i do remember this also when it first came out and i was just a kid .
Now do you remember another song that was kind of Haunting but it was more of a pop song and did not have the Elegance of this but it was Haunting in a different way ... it was called Timothy ( where on Earth did you go ) just wondering if you remember that ?
@@gardensofthegods I remember the song "Timothy".
Have you watched the movie?
I guess for the Repubs it beets Termination of a mistake .
You can close your eyes and see the story . It's Perfect!
The perfect songwriter always tells the story..and beautifully I might add. I sang this over and over growing up. Love the soothing quality of her voice . Brings back sweet memories of simpler times......
@BC FOSTER There has always been speculation about what was being thrown. The movie says one thing, but that was Hollywood's take. Do a Google search for more thoughts.
You can close your eyes and feel the story and you are correct, it's perfect!
It's alleged that the song was loosely based on actual events. Supposedly, Billy Joe impregnated the young girl he was in love with. Although, they cared deeply for each other, Billy questioned his sexuality after being seduced and molested (after being spurred on to over drink by some older men at a local county fair) Billy later shared this traumatic event with his sweetheart as well, his feelings that, he enjoyed it. His sweetheart was sympathetic to his situation and stood by him during his bouts of confusion and mixed emotions. The two vowed secrecy about the pregnancy. Unfortunately, the young girl miscarried. Distraught over the miscarriage, the young lovers wrapped their dead baby and threw it over the Tallahatchie Bridge. Not able to cope with his sexual feelings and the death of his child, Billy committed suicide by jumping off that same bridge. This very beautiful, emotional and moving film was unjustly underrated most likely because of it's homosexual overtones, teen sex and pregnancy. The two main young characters were exceptionally played by the awesomely talented Robbie Benson and Glynnis O'Connor. Some thought it was ahead of it's time. I felt it was right on time! It is one of my all time movie favorites and has since become apart of my "cherished collection" This film can be viewed in it's entirety on RUclips. Be prepared to shed some tears if not many.
Absolutely!!
I first heard this song in the 70's when they made the movie. Ode to Billy Joe was a sad film.
An amazing story song,she had quite an exquisite voice and extremely beautiful too😁
Anyone notice that the only time Bobby smiles during this performance is when she sings the line about her brother and Billy Jo puting the frog down her back. Like it was a fond memory that brought a bit of joy among the sadness of this story.
I was born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, you don't find many people from there, so it's a big surprise when you do!!
I remember this song well. Only 8 years old when it came out, but music like this stuck with me forever. So many great songs came out of that era.
I remember the movie with Robbie Benson. I've always loved this song...strange because it's so sad and melancholy. Yet I still sit quietly and listen to this heartbreaking ode often. It's simply beautiful.❤
She's almost hypnotically beautiful. I can't stop watching.
Classic 60s look
@@bobrand3895 yup, that was my first thought, i was going to say something akin to what you said. 60s women = appealing look
thank god you posted this, i thought something was wrong with me, lol. she's crazy sexy.
John D. She was a gorgeous lady, and as genuinely down to earth as a person could be. Nothing pretentious about her.
I saw her Ed Sullivan (I think) performing this song. I'd forgotten how beautiful she was...
Just things like the way she pronounces "Brother Taylor" and the slight rasp at just the right moments - hell, the whole thing is perfection.
One of the most evocative American songs ever!
I wished they would remake this movie into a love story. Great song and sang beautifully. Listening April 2024..
Me too. it's haunting ... I'm 68 years old and this song has never left me.
Actually they did make a movie about it way back in the 70's starring Robbie Benson. Great movie !
Wow she was a beauty
She was indeed quite fetching.... :-)
I was the only black child in my hood that liked this song. Born n 63
You just have good taste that all this song is just beautiful and loved by people who know a great song trust me I'm black born in 1958 and remember this one well.
Greetings from New Zealand 🇳🇿 👏. 7th June 2024
You can hear the South in Bobby's voice.
All of its colours and its peoples.
Beautiful.
I was working at a paint shop in Mishawaka, Indiana the summer of 1967 when this song was a hit. Three years later I flew as door gunner with a kid from Mishawaka. He was the crew chief. We both controlled the chopper's direction going down to insert troops on the ground under enemy ground fire.
I grew up on Zeppelin, John Lee Hooker, BB King, James Brown ... but it doesn't get much better than this. And on top of being an astonishing talent, Bobbie Gentry is as beautiful as any woman could possibly be.
Variety is the spice of life! At 62
I have embraced all kinds of music. Sorry, can't do opera!
So pretty, I know what I'll be dreaming about tonight...the Talahatchie Bridge and Bobby Gentry singing on it
Iron Butterfly, Vanilla Fudge, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Renaissance, Rush...
Led Zeppelin was the greatest rock band that ever played.
Two hearts
she was so hauntingly beautifl as is her song!!!
Was? She´s still alive as far as I know - and maybe she is still a beauty for her age??
"hauntingly beautiful" is a good description of her.
This is the mildest of Mississippi delta accents. Im from NC, i go to the Mississippi about once a month. I cannot order food from drive throughs most of the time... cuz i have no idea what the person on the other side is saying.
if you havent , watch the movie
@@beanbagpilot922 I know what you mean. I'm from Memphis. THE Mississippi Delta... But I guess since it's such a big city the accents aren't as thick or something, because if I drive 30 minutes South or east or west to a small town Ill end up talking to someone with an even thicker accent than mine. I LOVE it tho, and imitate it right back so I sound even more southern. Lol ❤😘
Both the Song and the Movie are classics. I get chills up and down my Spine every time I hear this song. I just saw the Movie on TV last week. I remember when the Song came out 1967. Wow
I graduated in May of 1967..
The strings in this song carry so much and are underappreciated, but thats only because the song writing is so incredible. The fall into the river at the end...amazing finish.
This is so f’in good. Sexy, sultry, bluesy. Paints a whole story you can visualize. Do you hear that orchestra in the background? Beautiful. They don’t make music like this anymore. Glad RUclips’s saving this for future generations.
Lenny Blue so good, that it doesn’t deserve vulgarity...
aint that the truth, i turn all my grandchildren onto this good music
The last violin riff brings to mind someone or something plunging to they're death or destruction. The perfect exclamation point on this ominous story.
@@vincentthompson1608 She might have known real stories for the locations in the song, things people did not talk about. She was very bright.
Not only that, but, no auto tune, just a pure, beautiful voice and a classy lady performing a beautiful song.
64 years young,.. How well I remember this being on the radio constantly! Stood the test of time. True classic!! Happy New Year, y''all!! 👍👍👍
That song played all summer when I was a 14 year old gas pump jockey and it will be in my heart forever and I love it 55 years later.
Comin up ta 62 in a couple months...
Agree... VVAgree!
Cheers n Have A Good Day.
👍👍👍
I'm 87 and I remember!
Right along with Delta Dawn and Harper Valley P. T. A.
@@brianatkinson1399 ......
Yes absolutely.
I'm 64 and remember this song very well.
I am only 60 but I remember that being on the radio as a young kid and I enjoyed it and to this day I still do and probably will hopefully for another 20 or 30 years if I'm lucky the music is I don't know how to describe it it is a very deep and coincides with what she is singing very good
So simple, but so affecting... A haunting work of brilliantly understated songwriting.
One of the greatest songs of all time. Brings a tear every time.
Me too!! I wasnt even born until 1970 so my older sister introduced me to the song...then the movie (yes I was about 5 and didnt understand anything much other than she really thought Billie Joe was cute") lol. Here we are heading into 2020 and this is still one of THE most hauntingly beautiful songs I have ever heard. And Ms Gentry was genius to get out of the spotlight when she did and live out her life in peace.
Ps...not sure if you're aware. The reason she wrote the song wasnt so much about Billie Joe and the why's, she was highly philosophical and was showing the mesh of a young boys death as "chatter" over the dinner table in between everything else. Love it
@@jojox9791 Yes. I'm aware. I picked up on that detail when I was 11 and lost someone. Our conversations were similar. I would often play it, but sometimes be afraid to play it.
So that's the biggest lesson it taught me. Don't be afraid to play music that makes you cry.
@@FrowningIke ✌
@@FrowningIke Very little really makes me cry, but music and songs, OMG, they tear jerk me all the time!
@@anthonydavid5121 Same here. I'm a hard grizzled old bastard but give me a certain song, or a puppy rescue video and I'm done!!! 😒
Everyone listen to this. This is what a pure Southern American voice sounds like. That's what makes this song so special and memorable. The utter PURITY of her voice/accent. You won't ever get that again.
Hear Hear...
Unlikely, but ya might. Blues ain't never goin' away.
@@nijo5427 well there not exactly making a big come back.
I was 16 yrs old in 1967, & remember this song well. She depicts life in The South with soulful clarity. When I listen to it now it makes me smile with a little ache in my heart. ❤️💔
Fabulous song. Always loved this and as good now as will be in twenty years.
I was a teenager in 1967 when this song came out. My dad would poke fun at the lyrics. Anytime we had black eyed peas, he use the phrase at the dinner table. “by the way, pass me the black eyed peas”.
I’m 67 now, still remember that.
That was a great period to live in.
Hi there, how are you doing?
You should have replied, "pass the biscuits please."
@@nijo5427 🤣
He should have realised exactly what he was mocking & repented................
This is a song that stays with you for decades. You might not hear it for a year or two but when you do hear it again you stop whatever you are doing, put everything down and just pause for a moment in this turbulent life and listen. Just listen and let your mind imagine every moment of this haunting story. And seeing Bobby sing and play it is just the best. What a beautiful woman and beautiful voice. A true American classic.
wHO TOLD YOU ALL THAT NONSENSE?
Love this song, always have and it’s still gold all these years later.
I love the way she sings her songs-- it's like you feel you are there and it reminds me of my youngest days singing along. 😊
Miss her too.
The song is like a whole film. i listened in Sweden, trying to understand the words. I started at ten, in fourth grade, to learn English, so in 1967, when this song came, I was into my second year of the language. I worked so hard to get the lyrics, but I heard this song only on the radio. I still love it.
But now you got it! We have to love RUclips...
Härlig musik,🇸🇪...
Och du kommer att älska Tony Joe White!🤗
She owns this song. No one has ever been able to sing this song, but her. It still gets me after all of these years, at 65 years of age in 2020.
Ms. L. Churchill
Ditto Les Churchill....I'm 65 in 2020.
I agree with you sister? I turned 62yrs old back in May, & I love this song & other oldies! ✌️💜👍🍀😁☮️🇺🇸
@@Mr_Ray. I listen to this right after Sunday Morning Coming Down.
73, July 23rd, 2020.
@@annek1226 Happy Birthday!