First Time Hearing Jeannie C. Riley "Harper Valley P.T.A." Reaction | Asia and BJ 

OK.... My mom (RIP) was extremely beautiful & young when I had to go to a PTA meeting with my mom.... It was 1969, I was 7 & my mom wore her Go-Go boots with matching suede leather mini skit outfit & hat (she made the vest, skirt & cap).. She sang Harper Valley PTA all the way to my elementary. I guess by the time the PTA sent a note home about me, she'd had enough. We were from Texas & we had moved to Michigan just 2 years earlier. Due to my oldest brother having a proper Texas Southern Drawl.... The PTA told my mother he had a speech impediment, most likely a deafness, & should hold him back in school. I was horribly shy with a super high IQ, so I was a wall flower & got in trouble for "refusing to participate". So, to the PTA meeting we went. The school was only 3 blocks away & she sang that song at the top of her lungs all the way.... Mom took no shit. I still smile at this memory

I love the fact that the narrator is the daughter who is proud of her mother.

six year old me idolized Loretta Lynn, Tanya tucker and Jeanie C. Riley. These are my songs, babies

Props to the guy playing the guitar in the beginning of the video.....

This was actually made into a movie and TV series starring Barbara Eden of “I Dream Of Jeannie”fame.

The artist that wrote this song Tom T Hall Wrote this song about his mother when he was a child in Kentucky....😊

Back in the day, ice would often be delivered to people’s homes. The “increase” in her ice consumption hints that, Mrs. Taylor had much more frequent visits from the delivery man.

One point you missed that makes this song all the more beautiful... the PTA was complaining about the _mother's_ skirt being too high, not the daughter's. So... they sent a frickin' note home with a middle schooler complaining about what a crappy parent the mom was. Her response was awesome. There's a movie (as there is with a few of Jeannie C Riley's songs) from 1978 starring the wonderful Barbara Eden (Jeannie from "I Dream of Jeannie") if you're interested. And a TV series from the early 80's, in which Barbara Eden reprised her role. I don't remember ever seeing the TV series, but the movie was fun.

This song by Jeannie C.Riley and "Ode To Billy Joe" by Bobby Gentry were the class of female country singers at the time,and swung that genre in a different direction.

I love her delivery on this song! Written by Tom T. Hall.

This was fun y’all. It sounds like something my Mom would do. She was a little lady but she didn’t let nobody push her...or us kids around. RIP Mom. I miss you.

For a little context of the times back then...... There was a reference to a secretary who had to leave town is a reference to the guy getting his secretary pregnant. Single motherhood/unwed mothers were basically shamed and often left town to avert the scandal. There were terms and phrases about "a girl in trouble" or, "they HAD to get married" or "make an honest woman out of her" that were all related to pregnancies out of wedlock. So, if the guy didn't marry the woman (making her an honest woman), she often left town in disgrace. Different times. 😲😟

Just a small clarification. She says "Well there's Bobby Taylor sittin there and 7 times he's asked me for a date. And Mrs. Taylor sure seems to use a lot of ice when he's away" . That part is referring to Mrs. Taylor drinking a lot when her husband is out of town, because he's cheating on her, like he tried to do with Mrs. Johnson. I was 14 when this song came out, and I can't speak for other places, but this was a scandalous song in the rural country area I grew up in. It was a completely different time, a completely different life style.

This song was written by the great Tom T. Hall, country legend who passed away a year ago.. Great story-teller, if you check out some of his other songs. It was a huge crossover country-pop hit in 1968.

Great reaction Asia and BJ. Nope didn't have time for no PTA 😂. This song is a comical way at raising awareness to people who judge through their own hypocritical eyes, and those who have the courage to stand up to them. 💪

Beautiful Jeannie C. Riley and Bobby Gentry with those great voices!

I just discovered the other day that there is A Return to Harper Valley PTA. It's like part two. I was floored. I love this song but part two was a shock. I enjoyed it. Great reaction you two.

Jeannie C. Riley is best known for her 1968 country & pop hit "Harper Valley PTA". But she had some other songs such as "The Girl Most Likely", "There Never Was A Time," "The Rib," "The Back Side of Dallas," "Country Girl," "Oh Singer," & "Good Enough To Be Your Wife". Later she became a born-again Christian and began recording gospel music during the late 1970's.

And that was a live performance. True talent

Now that is Gangster! Love this song. You two are awesome.

I was a PTA Mom for a couple years and this is basically true 😆🤣

Love it! Oh yes, the PTA of yesteryears! You two did great reviewing this!

This is still one of the best songs to me!!! I like the comments by Asia and BJ, most have not tried to hear old time country music because they are one genre shows…..this is a beautiful classy show, I hope to see more from it, Asia and BJ not only are classy but look classy together in this show…..keep on keeping it real you two, peace out you just got a real fan today!!!

The reference to "Peyton Place" is connected to the book/movie/TV show about a small town that has more than its share of scandals among the people living there.

The PTA is just another type of HOA. A place where the participants risk having the power go to their heads, and attempt to tell others how to live. This song was also made into a made for tv movie.

Always loved this one. It was huge when it first came out.

*One of the most memorable movies of my childhood.. Harper Valley PTA stands out in the top 10. have watched that movie tons of times.. legends Barbara Eden & Nanette Fabray. still cracks me up all these years later. and the song? brilliant... hell it spawned a hit movie & a TV show. 70s good times*

BTW, "Peyton Place" was a book that came out in the early 60's or late 50's that had a lot of things like what's in the song. So that line about Harper Valley being a little "Peyton Place" would have hit extra hard when the song came out. BTW, the song was written by Tom T. Hall, who had a good career himself as a singer.

When I saw the title I knew you’d be in for a shock lol. 😂😂😂😂

Still love this song. Loved singing this song back in the day in Karaoke.

When Jeannie C. Riley became a Christian, she released a sequel called Return to Harper Valley. At that point she was a devout Christian so the song came from her Christian perspective. I really enjoyed it and this time, her daughters own child is in Harper Valley High School. It catches up with all the people from the Harper Valley PTA

Tom T. Hall wrote the song, and Yes, it was about a real life experience. It was Jeannie C. Riley's breakout hit in 1968. It was a HUGE blockbuster hit for her.

I was a kid in elementary when this song came out. Mini skirts were the bomb.

I remember when this hit the charts. It was big!!

Asia & BJ, this is an old song that I grew up on. Oh Lord! Watching Asia’s face and then BJ looking at Asia like she’s crazy was priceless! I love watching people react to this video! Love love love it!

Great reaction. You two are a great pair. Yeah, this was so well received to the Public they made it into a movie. 😅

Love this song from growing up! One of my faves

Back in the day living in them small towns... Even now people all in your business in a small town... You have to see the movie it's a classic...

Great song, my favorite from my childhood. "The day my momma socked it to The Harper Valley PTA" Love it

Great reaction!!! Great song. Some of the lines in Jeannie C. Riley's only major Pop-crossover "Harper Valley PTA" (1968/US#1, UK#12) haven't aged very well, though. The point of the song still translates beautifully, but some of the phrases and pop culture references are lost on younger folks. Hell, I'm middle-aged, but this song came out almost a decade before I was born. I didn't really know it till the '00s, myself. I heard it a few times as a kid, but I never paid attention to the lyrics. * "Mrs. Taylor seems to use a lot of ice, whenever he's away" ...means that Mrs. Taylor is as adulterous as her husband, Bobby. "Uses a lot of ice" was a euphemism for cheating on one's husband while he's working. It was a dated phrase already at the time, since refrigeration and home freezers had become common by 1968, but it's a reference to the fact that delivery men were often left alone "unsupervised" with housewives (fueling other Pop culture phrases as "the milkman's son" and "the postman always rings twice" which was also the name of a popular film). * "Mr. Baker, can you tell us why your secretary had to leave this town?" ...*STRONGLY* implies that he got her pregnant and she was forced to move in shame rather than to have the baby out of wedlock or seek a legal abortion. (Abortion wouldn't be a legal option until 1972 and this was in 1968). In "polite society" having a child out of wedlock was still seen as some sort of crime back then, even though it was still quite common. Wealthy and middle-class women and girls were often shipped away or married off to a friend of the family, quickly. Poor women and girls were often disowned and left to fend for themselves. It was just sexist, classist nonsense, but it's how things were. * "This is just a little Peyton Place and you're all Harper Valley hypocrites" ...references the then-popular soap opera, Peyton Place (1964-69). This was essentially calling out her local PTA for being gossipy, backstabbing, and melodramatic. * "The day my momma socked it to the Harper Valley PTA" ...uses a variation on the then-trendy AAVE phrase "sock it to me" which translates to "tell it to me straight". It was a phrase popular in the late 60s, mostly made mainstream from its use on the TV comedy show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, but with a longer legacy thanks to its use in popular music - most notably with Aretha Franklin "Respect", Friends of Distinction "Grazin' in the Grass", The Isley Brothers "It's Your Thing", and Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels "Devil with a Blue Dress On". Missy Elliot had a hit with "Sock It to Me" in 1997, but the phrase's original meaning was long-obscured by the 1990s. Anyway, this is a fabulous track and a super-fun reaction, but for anyone under retirement age, a lot of the best lines aren't easily understood. I hope this helps y'all a little if you were feeling kinda lost. :)

She also did a follow-up to this. It is good too!

asia you have a million dollar smile beautiful i love your reactions

I love it!! Always have!! She went up in there and called them out!! Boom!

Love her gogo boots!💃

I loved these story telling country gossip songs 🎵 ❤ so 70s

Thanks, this is still a great song. I remember it on the radio back in 68. Keep playing requests.

I love the sound of that resonator guitar ( also known by the brand name Dobro ) 1968 I think wow I was only a year old when this was recorded

I love this song.

I love you guys ! Had this record when I was in 9th grade. BUT APPRECIATE IT MUCH MORE NOW ! THANKS FOR SHARING THE FUN . . .

Glad to have found your channel. Jeannie C. Riley: Harper Valley PTA. 1968. I heard the 5th Dimension video Stone Soul Picnic from 1968 as well. My favorite from them is AQUARIUS/ LET THE SUNSHINE IN 1969. These songs were my first introduction into music. I was about 4 in 1968 and 5 in '69. So my decade is the '70's and '80's. Love Seals and Crofts. Sumner Breeze 1972, and you'll love Diamond Girl 1973 also. Jim Seals sadly just passed away. Keep up the good work! Love the videos!

An oldie but goodie. I love this song. So happy y'all did a reaction to it. ❤️

Barbara Eden was the truth when flick came out!! “Harper Valley P.T.A.” was a movies from way back when I was little. Excellent choice, Asia and BJ!!

I am that mama. Been there with the news media. I love this song.

Cute cool song played on the radio in '68-69 when we just moved to Atlanta from Detroit. '60s had so many unique songs!

She put all of them on blast!! Shes like you say my skirt is too short, I should be raising my daughter this way, well let me tell you something… I loved it.! I remember the show, loved it too.

My mom had this record back then and played it so much that I had the lyrics memorized, long before I was old enough to understand half of them. LOL 🙂

They made a movie about it. Harper Valley PTA with Barbara Eden

I was part of the PTA in the 90's. The gossip is real! Nosiest bunch I have EVER seen! I told them I wouldn't be a part of that. And when they took things seriously give me a call.

Looked like a 60s Beehive hair style to me. The beehive is a hairstyle in which long hair is piled up in a conical shape on the top of the head and slightly backwards pointing, giving some resemblance to the shape of a traditional beehive. It is also known as the B-52 due to a resemblance to the distinctive nose of the Boeing B-52 Strategic Bomber. Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 - 23 July 2011) a British singer and songwriter, had one.

The actual “video “ of the movie is the best lol it shows them all as she’s giving it to them lol

1968, perhaps the greatest year in pop music, offsetting the chaos of that year. MLK, RFK, the height of the Vietnam war. Harper Valley PTA went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 9/21/68. It sold six million copies that year. Two weeks later Hey Jude took the top spot.

I haven't heard this song in around 40 years... great reaction guys.

I was a kid when that was big, I loved it. Song was written by Tom T. Hall.

Jeanie C is WIRKING those white go go boots!!!!

I was in 7th grade when this came out.....Dad had the HiFi on in the morning when we were getting ready for school and work. ... well he thought this song was funny and danced around in his boxer shorts. He'd never done that before or again. Years of therapy was required! LOL

Great show! I remember my momma listening to this song when I was a little girl. I’m 64

my grandma ♥ this song!

This was the title track to a movie in the early 70s. My next door neighbor (Rita Rose or Rosenbaum) used to tour with her back then as another singing act.

I was a second or third grader at the time of the Harper Valley PTA. I enjoy 20 and 30 something reactions to this song.

Omg, she (the girl reacting to this song) is SOOO gorgeous and he is just TOOO handsome for words. But yeah, that's a helluva song and jeannie c riley had SUCH a voice. Probably the most perfect voice for "Harper Valley Pta". I LOVE this song sooo much.

Love that song bought it when it came out and still enjoy it very much!

Country Western songs have relatable stories for everyone. Some sad, some funny.

As an 11 year old I was taken to a show that had several country stars there: Jeannie C Riley, Johnny Cash, Mel Tillis, Jerry Lee Jones, and Connie Smith. I’ll never forget Jennie C Riley signing an autograph for me on a little red heart. No longer have the heart but have the memories.

Was my childhood this music, Rip, old fulla, my Dad was a country Man these songs remind me of him❤

I was fortunate to see her perform this live, I was about 10 and still remember.

Wow. I can't believe I'm actually subscribed to a channel that reacted to one of my family members. Great reaction you two. 😄 I know she had certain well-known hits but being an oddball I always loved the one you didn't hear much about like, "Shed Me No Tears". My grandmother had a cassette tape of her songs that she passed down to me and I instantly fell in love with that particular one. You could truly feel the emotion she put into it

Asia, your laugh is such a tonic every time, love you guys!

They made a movie off that I think. Also there's a part 2 to that song that she did later

My wife was part of the PTA , just to help out with fund raising, she quit when the person in change was stealing the funds....ouch.

Remember growing up to this classic, my late mom would play the old 45 on the stereo, wow, the old 45's. Vinyl albums, 8- tracks, players, and cassettes. Now we listen to CD's!!! Boy have times changed, LOL.

I really need to listen to part two!! Same singer

Tea was spilled that day.

I have watched you both a few times and you bring me joy, so I have now subscribed, you have me now, a old lady from the UK, bring it on.

Jeannie C Riley was my first concert. I was 4 or 5 my parents and Aunt and Uncle took me my siblings and cousins. She was a newer artist..I think...because the concert was in a high school gym in Wichita Kansas.

She also played the title role in the movie Harper Valley PTA. She's also very pretty.

A very ICONIC song that crossed over from country charts to the pop charts and was a NUMBER 1 song on both....she told TRUTH to power & put them in their place !

I've watched a ton of your reactions --- this was my favorite!

One of my most favorite songs of all time

I love watching your reactions to these songs. Just found you all tonight. So I've spent my evening watching a lot of your reactions. You've gotten a new follower. Love y'all!! This one cracked me up because I could see my mom doing something like this. Knowing her she probably did. lol

Song was written by Country Storyteller Tom T Hall his songs I Love, Country Is, I Like Beer, Old Dogs, Small Children and Watermelon Wine,

I remember when this song came out. You have to realize this was decades ago. Back in those times most women were stay at home moms. PTA members were the bankers wife the upper class women and men who thought they did no wrong. They put up a front in their town like they were happy married and good Christen folk. They went an hour away to play cuz no one knew them. They talked down any single parent. If that single mom went out with a man they were trash. I love that song. That would have been me addressing the PTA

You two both made this song fun for me😆

Jeannie C. was raised north of me about 20 miles in Anson, Texas. For decades the city ordinance was No dancin in Anson

One of my mother's absolute favorite songs......

I love you guys !!!!!!!! But where did Asia get that the Nurse sent home a note ??? LOL u go Girl

I loved your reactions to this song!!!

I was in grade school in the late 60s and early 1970s and yep PTA was a huge thing back then.

I love your reactions. You guys always make me smile. I was in school during the 70's and the PTA was the gossip of all.

Thanks for listening and reacting

Wow she’s 🔥 and who’d of thunk this songs lyrics would be relevant today. BJ DANG, you know bout the PTA 💯 facts, lol. Yeah, my Mom was in the PTA 🤣 but she raised us to believe, if you can wear a mini skirt, hell yeah.. do it!