Bobbie Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe | REACTION/REVIEW 

The first time I met my wife was when I walked up to her and told her she looked like Bobbie Gentry. She knew who Bobbie was and told me it was one of the best compliments she ever heard.

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.

In later interviews, Bobbie Gentry said the main point of the song was not what happened between the song's protagonist and Billie Joe on the bridge, but the callousness of her family's reaction to Billie Joe's suicide and not realizing the extent of her relationship with him. That's why she glossed over some details like whether she was Billie Joe's lover or just a close friend, or what they threw off the bridge. The places mentioned, such as Choctaw Ridge and the Tallahatchie Bridge, are real, and still to this day draw visitors familiar with the story to see the places where it may have happened. Thanks for not interrupting the song, playing the original album version and for a great reaction.

I will always remember this song. Great, great, great!

Back in the '70s (yeah, I'm old), they made a whole movie based on this song. It stared Robbie Benson as Billy Joe, and explained the reason why he jumped.

She also produced this record. Great reaction, you are one of the few reactors who got the song 😶🔥🔥

I'll never forget the movie, it told the whole story about Billy Joe.

You did a great job interpreting the lyrics Biz. Lots of different meanings of what was thrown off the bridge but you were right on to catch how ‘matter of fact’ the conversation at the dinner table was. That was what Bobby Gentry wanted to convey. ✌🏽

such a haunting song!

Killer song. Killer voice.

You got it, exactly. Gentry talked about the casual acceptance of tragedy in that song.

THEY MADE A FILM TO THIS BIZ!😊I THINK IN ( 85 ) IF I RECALL RIGHT!

Go Biz Go

I live in Carroll County and life goes on and conversations over supper happen every night just the same. Life goes on.

The music sets such an atmosphere, you can almost feel the heat and humidity. Strings were perfect, too.

Wooooooooooooooo woooooooo no ghost watching ....woooooooo

I grew up with this song and it always intrigued me. Great storytelling and really kind of a mystery.

❤Love this haunting, southern gothic song!

But what did they drop off the bridge ????? Baby??? Hmmmm??? That’s the theory

Great reaction. Thanks Biz.

Amazing story telling song

Welcome to “Southern Gothic”….another must hear of Southern Gothic is: Dolly Parton - Down from Dover

You should watch this live amazing

Ode to Billy Joe is a 1976 American drama film, directed and produced by Max Baer Jr., with a screenplay by Herman Raucher, and starring Robby Benson and Glynnis O'Connor. It is inspired by the 1967 hit song by Bobbie Gentry, titled "Ode to Billie Joe.. You have to see this movie guys.

Isn't this a great one? She really does it well. She wrote and produced it.

One of her best compositions and performances is her song “Fancy”. Great storytelling, and the arrangement and her vocals are quite soulful. Many only seem to know a cover by Reba McIntyre( which I personally do not like), and they either don’t remember or don’t know about the original. I think you’ll enjoy it.

She did a live version of this song you should check it out. I think it’s better than the studio version.

This is great but I prefer the live version.🔥❤️

DAMNNNNN BIZ, YOU'VE NEVERRRR DONE THIS ONE BEFORE, GEEZ!!! 😊TIMELESSSSS CLASSIC!👍

What were THEY throwing off the brindge...The 2 of em were throwing a bundle into the river....

Reppin' Carroll County, Arkansas!!!.

It's meant to be a mystery but your theory is as good as any. She said it's about people's indifference and cruelty toward one another.

Very good analysis and commentary Biz. I've heard this song probably a hundred times, growing up, but never imagined that Billie Joe jumped because they had a fight and she broke up with him. 💔 Duh, it seems pretty obvious now - must be because I never had the SCHLYRICS !!!! LOL...

I grew up to this song.

Lucinda Williams did an awesome cover of this song. It’s very bluesy. Highly recommend anything by Lucinda.

☮️💙💙💙🔥🔥😎morning from upstate NY!!

Forgot about this gem

Hey I live in Rhode Island too brother. I thought I heard you say you used to live in RI also.

LOL bro "that was aggressive"

She was a part owner of the Phoenix Suns way back when

RIP Billy Joe lol damn

I got to see her Las Vegas show in 1978. My parents had that album from ten years earlier. This song was played on just about every genre of radio station. There was rock, country, r&b. It’s one of the most played records you’ll hear.

The strings add a nice dramatic touch. And the lyrics, scathing. Her father asked for peas and her mom shamed her for losing her appetite after hearing about the death of her friend. Then she relates their deaths with the same matter of factness at the end. Speculating about the story in this song was a national pastime for several years way back when. Was he distraught over their break up or was it about an unwanted pregnancy or something else? The TV movie exploded the something else angle.

Good morning.

The movie was very interesting. 👍

Now you need to watch the movie Ode To Billie Joe, very good movie

Watch the movie - it explains everything.

I've missed you!

We didn’t get much suicide on the radio. And then. The movie. And just trying to figure life out as a kid back then. It’s like. TOM DOOLEY

What her and Billy were throwing of the bridge was a a baby hence the suicide by Billy

Great song, personally I like the live version from the BBC, I find the strings better. Great reaction

Oh, I'd like to see more Bobbie Gentry, yeah. So was hot. Peace

Lol,Billy Jo was r ed by 3 Bullies older than him at the fair . They were sweet on each other. Billy couldn't live with what happened to him. I think theirs a movie on the words to this song. I watched it. I don't remember the name.

💖

There is a movie of the same name you may want to watch to understand the full scope of the song lyrics.

What did they throw off the bridge, a baby??

Check out Teddy Swims loose control

Thankfully, "Ode to Billy Joe" is a fictitious story. None of this happened, yet Gentry wrote it as a telling of the unconscious cruelty of a family receiving bad news and how they casually cast off the underlining humanity of someone's pain.

Never heard that theory. You may have it.

No not close need to see the movie to know the story .

No one spends all summer paying tribute to someone they dumped. Like her mom she doesn't seem interested in moving on. If you think about what they might have thrown off the bridge the song can get very dark.

There was a lot of speculation on just what they threw off the bridge. It seemed to center on a baby or an aborted fetus.

She called this song a study in unconscious cruelty.

Mr Biz...... Bobby Gentry said the song was about unconscious cruelty....... Billy Joe killed himself, his girlfriend is sitting right there and nobody really cared........ Billy's gone, to bad, please pass the black eyed peas........... I think they were throwing a miscarriage over the bridge.

I think her and Billy Joe threw a baby that she either aborted or miscarried off the bridge? I remember this song too . Thanks Biz

The live version is better lol

Mis-carriage?

It seems like she and Billie Joe did the thang and had an auto abortion or stillborn and THATS what they threw off. Billie Joe couldn't handle the loss and joined his child.

Not clear if she broke his heart or he was taken by depression. She said the song was about casual cruelty.

I prefer her live version

Thanks for your reaction! As usual, your instincts and interpretations are on point as Bobbie Gentry stated this song was a study about "unconscious cruelty". The family is sitting around the table talking about it like it was just a day's event and "pass the biscuits please" not seeing or concerned about how the teenage daughter is feeling about his death. Great story telling country song with a bit of a gothic feel. I think you would also enjoy Jeannie C Riley's "Harper Valley PTA"

You got gist of the song immediately. Some still can't figure it out.

Dude. This freaked us all out as kids teens bro

You should check out the video. It’s great.

This a great song, excellent story telling and a very talented artist. Bobby wrote this song, she was raised in the Mississippi Delta

👍👍Excellent, this is a great ballad. 🖖❤

✨LoL❕Great Reaction❕I LOVE Your Insight of This. This Song is So Iconic, That a Movie Was Made About it Decades Later, it Was Kind of a Flop, With a Disappointing Explanation & End. The Song Was Written by Bobbie Gentry, an Awesome Singer/Songwriter & Story Teller With Most of Her Songs. Check Out Another Song Called “Fancy”, With The Shlyrics!✨🫶🏼✨💖✨🫶🏼✨☮️✨

In the ABC movie, the couple had an argument, and a reddy bear , Billy won at the carnival for her, was thrown off the bridge, ...she left, next morning, she got the news. again 70s movie of week , and censors...I get it...but this iconic folk song...pretty sure ..a teddy bear wasn't thrown off that bridge. 😢..

Good old song.

If i remember correctly this is considered "Southern Gothic" music

Very unique song... classic.

LOL at I was F paying attention!!

🫣🌉🦘🫣 lol