tom
Bronze Nostalgic Master
Posts: 101
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Post by tom on Sept 18, 2005 19:08:22 GMT -8
Is there a true story behind Bobbie Gentry's 1967 hit 'Ode to Billy Joe'? And what exactly was being thrown off the Talahassee Bridge (sorry if the spelling's wrong) when the Reverend saw the girl and Billie Joe?
Tom
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Post by M.Maestro on Sept 20, 2005 10:54:52 GMT -8
Is there a true story behind Bobbie Gentry's 1967 hit 'Ode to Billy Joe'? And what exactly was being thrown off the Talahassee Bridge (sorry if the spelling's wrong) when the Reverend saw the girl and Billie Joe? Tom "Ode To Billie Joe", a #1 record (4 weeks in August/September '67) that helped Bobbie Gentry win the Grammy for Best New Artist, told the story of a guy who kills himself by jumping of the Tallahachie Bridge. There really was a 'Tallahachie Bridge' (it collapsed in 1972) in Greenwood, Mississippi, but Gentry made up the story. Gentry replied in a 1976 interview to promoted a movie based on her song, "The message of the song revolves around the nonchalant way the family talks about the suicide. The song itself is a study in unconscious cruelty." A fantastic record that sold well over a million copies & is one of the great story songs of the Rock Era. MM
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tom
Bronze Nostalgic Master
Posts: 101
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Post by tom on Sept 23, 2005 19:07:57 GMT -8
Thank you, MM. I must admit I felt sure that it must have been based on a true story, which I suppose shows how well written the song was!
By the way - was it ever revealed what she and Billy Joe were actually seen throwing off the bridge. My theory was that she actually pushed Billy Joe off the bridge - or perhaps she had secretly given birth to his illegitimate baby, and it was the baby that was seen being thrown from the bridge, and that is why he committed suicide.
Tom
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