Musings of a Popular Folk Rock Song

 Folk Rock is often one of the most overlooked subgenres of rock. Many think of Neil Young or Bob Dylan at the thought of folk rock, but there was a one-hitter, female folk rock artist who made the charts in 1967.

Bobbie Gentry's Ode to Billy Joe

Out of Houston, Mississippi came a young woman named Bobbie Gentry. In July 1967 she released her debut single, Ode to Billy Joe, which became a top hit within the first three weeks of issue, and even a massive international success.

A Word About The Song

The lyrics are told from a first-person "I," perspective. The song tells the story of a local boy, Billy Joe McAllister, known to a Mississippi Delta family who jumped of the Tallahatchie Bridge. While most of the family is unmoved, the narrator's brother is intrigued and the narrator herself loses her appetite. Towards the end of the song, a year had gone by; the narrator's brother got married and moved out. Her father died of a virus and the mother is now depressed.

It rose questions...

To this day, some of the lines have raised questions among fans and others. In particular, the line "And you and her was dropping off the Tallahatchie Bridge." Many have speculated WHAT exactly was thrown

Gentry has been posed that question numerous times. In a November 1967 interview, she explained that the line was left up to the listener's imaginations, but merely said "Suppose it was a wedding ring."

Another think never answered - even over fifty years later folks, is WHY Billy Joe McAllister jumped off. One possible theory exists that the girl he was with the day before did not want to get married, so he threw a ring in the river and jumped off in an attempt to get it the next morning.

There are more lyrics

The truth is, the song was intened to be a b-side to one of Gentry's earlier recordings - Mississippi Delta, and as such was written as an extended version. It was shortened in order to be issued as genuine A-sie. 

While most of the extra verses have gone, there is one lost verse left.

"People don't see Sally Jane in town anymore ... There's a lot of speculatin, she's not actin like she did before ... Some say she knows more than she's willin to tell ... But she stays quiet and a few think its just as well ... No one really knows what went on up at Choctaw Ridge ... The day that Billy Jo McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge."

With this, we can infer that Sally Jane the gril that was with Billy Joe in the middle of the song. 

It became a movie

Nine years later, Warner Brothers recruited Herman Raucher to write a screenplay and novel. The poster stated "based on a true story," and it was even revlead that Billy Joe died in 1953. Gentry herself stated that the song was slightly inspired by the murder of Emmett Till. 

Location, Location, Location

Finally let's talk about the location of where this song took place. The Tallahatchie Bridge crosses the namesake river located ten miles north of Greenwood, Miss. The bridge was destroyed in a 1972 fire, but rebuilt the following year. Contrary to popular belief, the bridge is only 20 feet high, making suicide all but impossible. It's fair to see, then, that Billy Joe may have been shocked by the sudden cold river water, or swept by a current. However, the local officials have long put safety nets underneath the bridge to deter jumpers. The photo below is taken from the November 1967 issue of "Life Magazine." It depicts Gentry crossing the original bridge.

Thie Mississippi Delta itself refers to the northeast corner of the state bordering with southwestern Tennessee. Tupelo, referred to in the last verse, is the birthplace of...

THE KING

Ode to Billy Joe has been covered mutiple times. Shery Crow performed an awesome rendition during her Storytellers session on VH1 even with a solo. Sadly, while the solos is good, her version features only the first two verses.