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86-422: " Ode to Billie Joe " is a song by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry released by Capitol Records in July 1967, and later used as the title-track of her debut album . Five weeks after its release, the song topped Billboard's Pop singles chart . It also appeared in the top 10 of the Adult Contemporary and Hot R&B singles charts, and in the top 20 of the Hot Country Songs list. The song takes

172-503: A B-side for the song. Gentry planned to sell "Ode to Billie Joe" to Capitol Records, and she decided that recording the demo herself was cheaper than using a professional singer. The song's recording happened soon after Gentry's session that yielded "Mississippi Delta" in February 1967, while Bobby Paris assisted her in the studio in exchange for guitar session work on some of his own studio recordings. Gentry intended to have Lou Rawls record

258-527: A Grammy award , and also provided horn and string arrangements for Blondie 's 1980 album Autoamerican , including for the US and UK No. 1 hit " The Tide Is High ". In the mid-1970s, Haskell worked with the band Steely Dan , providing orchestration on their 1974 album Pretzel Logic and arrangements and horn on their 1975 album Katy Lied . In 2009, well into his eighties, he provided "a lovely, understated string arrangement" on David Rawlings' album A Friend of

344-671: A Jody Reynolds concert at a club in Palm Springs in 1966, Gentry asked if she could sit in on one of Reynolds' recording sessions. This led to an invitation to sing on two duets with Reynolds: "Stranger in the Mirror" and "Requiem for Love". The two songs were released in September 1966 by Titan Records, but failed to chart. Gentry recorded a demo at Whitney Recording Studio in Glendale, California, in February and March 1967. Her sole ambition originally

430-649: A gated community near Memphis, Tennessee . According to another report the same year, Gentry lived in a gated community in Los Angeles. Gentry married casino magnate Bill Harrah on December 18, 1969. The couple divorced April 16, 1970. On May 16, 1970, it was announced that Gentry was engaged to be married to Stanley Dorfman, the producer and director of her BBC television series Bobbie Gentry . She married Thomas R. Toutant on August 17, 1976, and she divorced him on August 1, 1978. On October 15, 1978, Gentry married singer and comedian Jim Stafford with whom she had

516-506: A "potent lyric content that is worth the unusual length of the disk". The Los Angeles Times critic Leonard Feather considered it an "aural parallel" to the film In the Heat of the Night (1967), deeming them both "sardonic, knife-edge studies of human nature". Feather concluded Gentry added "a durable new dimension" to American "contemporary folklore". The New York Times commented on the success of

602-524: A Friend . In addition to composing and arranging, Haskell would often act as conductor and selected the musicians used. His birthday is widely reported as 1936 because he lied about his age, figuring he would get more work if people thought he was younger. A statement from his daughter published by The Musicians Union of Los Angeles gives the correct birthday in 1926. Haskell was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for

688-459: A Goldfish Bowl . His composition "The Silly Song" became the theme song of American television's The Hollywood Squares . He composed a variety of film scores such as A.C. Lyles ' Westerns and arranging "Weird Al" Yankovic 's title song for Spy Hard . In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Haskell was the arranger of choice for The Grass Roots . He arranged the signature string section on Chicago's song " If You Leave Me Now ", for which he won

774-533: A Woman Out of Me", did not reach the same heights as "Fancy", reaching only number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gentry would be nominated for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards . Gentry released Patchwork in April 1971. It has been described as a collection of short stories in song, ranging from country and pop to blues, stitched together with cinematic interludes to form

860-461: A brief sample of a wailing baby after the words "she and Billy Joe was throwing something off the Tallahatchie Bridge." A 2008 episode of Saturday Night Live parodied the song where Kristen Wiig and host Paul Rudd play a married singer-songwriter couple who perform "Ode to Tracking Number." Jill Sobule 's album California Years (2009) featured "Where is Bobbie Gentry?", which used

946-445: A budget of $ 1.5 million (equivalent to $ 8.49 million in 2023). Warner Bros. commissioned Herman Raucher to write an adaptation of the song for the upcoming film; Raucher's adaptation and novel were both titled Ode to Billy Joe . Gentry was present during the shooting and contributed a musical score. At the time of the production, she told United Press International that the film would "answer many questions left unanswered by

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1032-615: A cohesive whole. Patchwork was Gentry's first entirely self-written and -produced album. Its first single: "But I Can't Get Back", was a small hit, peaking at number 37 on the Billboard Top 40 Easy Listening chart and number 93 in Canada. Gentry would release one more single for Capitol in August 1972, "The Girl from Cincinnati". Around the time Patchwork was released, the entire executive board that had been at Capitol throughout Gentry's career

1118-540: A cover of the song in French, entitled "Marie-Jeanne." In the song, the main character is a man, while Marie-Jeanne jumps off of the Garonne bridge. A parody by Bob Dylan entitled "Clothes Line Saga" , originally recorded in 1967, was released on the 1975 album The Basement Tapes . It mimicked the conversational style of "Ode to Billie Joe" with lyrics concentrating on routine household chores. The shocking event buried in all

1204-526: A cover of the song that reached number 40 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles. Ray Bryant 's version (an instrumental ) reached number 89 on Billboard's Hot 100 and number 34 on their Adult Contemporary chart soon after. King Curtis charted with his cover (another instrumental version) at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, also in 1967, and at number 6 on the R&;B chart . Also in 1967, Joe Dassin released

1290-438: A decisive step beyond her debut. This concept album drew inspiration from Gentry's Mississippi Delta roots. Most of its sound comes from Gentry, who played almost every instrument on its tracks, including piano, guitar, banjo, bass, and vibes. Nonetheless, Capitol's Kelly Gordon, producer of Gentry's first work for the label, also received the entire producing credit for The Delta Sweete. The album earned Gentry two more entries on

1376-457: A double bass. Haskell felt the song sounded like a film and decided to write the arrangement as if it were a score. Gordon then overdubbed Gentry's recording with the strings. He determined that "Ode to Billie Joe" would be the A-side of the single. Haskell later claimed that a seven-minute recording of the song existed, but that Gordon cut it to under five minutes for radio airplay. The existence of

1462-509: A duo, Ruby and Bobbie Meyers, for a short time. Gentry took her stage name from the 1952 film Ruby Gentry , which she had seen on television. In the film, Ruby (played by Jennifer Jones ) was a poor but beautiful girl from the backwoods, who ended up marrying the town tycoon. After graduating from high school, Gentry moved to Los Angeles to enter UCLA as a philosophy major. She supported herself with clerical jobs, occasionally performing at nightclubs and country clubs, and when she appeared in

1548-524: A farm by her paternal grandparents. She grew up without electricity or plumbing. Her grandmother traded one of the family's milk cows for a neighbor's piano, and, at age seven, Gentry composed her first song, "My Dog Sergeant Is a Good Dog". Gentry lived in Greenwood, Mississippi , with her father for a few years and learned to play the guitar and banjo. At age 13, Gentry moved to Palm Springs, California , to live with her then-remarried mother. They performed as

1634-449: A few episodes, she was pretty much co-directing the show because she had such great ideas. [But] the BBC wouldn't have it, wouldn't have an artist credited as a director or producer, so the credit went to me as producer and director. But she definitely contributed as much as I did creatively to the show. She was just full of ideas." John Cameron , the music arranger for her BBC shows noted, "She

1720-448: A fine of $ 180 (equivalent to $ 1,500 in 2023) for people who jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge and the other bridges of the area. The county estimated that between 40 and 50 men had jumped off the 20-foot-high (6.1 m) structure, but none had died. The bridge collapsed in June 1972 after a fire and a new one was built in its place. In 2013, a memorial marker for the song was added south of

1806-668: A month of pressing, on August 21. Ode to Billie Joe replaced the Beatles ' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at the top of the Billboard 200 and reached No. 5 on the Billboard Black Albums chart. Gentry won three Grammy Awards in 1967, including Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance . She was also named the Academy of Country Music 's Most Promising Female Vocalist. In February 1968, Gentry took part in

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1892-536: A motion picture based on the song in 1967, but she rejected them, preferring to wait for an offer from a movie maker who would "portray Billie Joe and his girlfriend in a serious, sensitive manner." In 1975, Gentry and Shayne accepted an offer from Max Baer Jr. , who decided to direct the film. Baer said his interest was to have two unknown young people "because the audience has to believe they are Bobbie and Billie Joe." The film would be shot on location in Mississippi with

1978-513: A philosophy major, before transferring to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music . After she met Jody Reynolds at one of his concerts, Gentry took part in a recording session with him to sing two duets. Singer-songwriter Jim Ford introduced Gentry to record companies and music publishers. Ford took Gentry to Del-Fi Records , where he presented "Ode to Billie Joe" to the label's A&R man Barry White . Ford claimed credit for writing

2064-475: A revue at Les Folies Bergeres nightclub in Las Vegas , Bob Hope encouraged her to keep performing. She worked as a fashion model, and on June 29, 1962, United Press International circulated a wire photo of Gentry that included Cheryl Crane , daughter of Lana Turner . Gentry transferred to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music , where she took classes in composition, music theory and arranging. While attending

2150-479: A seven-minute version has not been confirmed. Meanwhile, a manuscript of a draft of the song donated by Gentry to the University of Mississippi contained verses that were not included on the final recording. "Ode to Billie Joe" takes the form of a first-person narrative by the young daughter of a Mississippi Delta family. It offers fragments of dinnertime conversation on the day that a local boy, an acquaintance of

2236-765: A son, Tyler Gentry Stafford. Gentry and Stafford divorced in September 1980. Gentry also had partial ownership of the Phoenix Suns NBA team from the team's inception in 1968 until 1987. Gentry charted 11 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and four singles in the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart . Beth Orton recorded a song titled "Bobby Gentry" featured on her The Other Side of Daybreak album. Jill Sobule recorded "Where Is Bobbie Gentry?" for her album California Years . Gentry's 1969 composition "Fancy" provided

2322-461: A stalemate. Since Gentry was unwilling to release an album with Capitol on the terms offered, she found herself unable to release an album on another label, meaning she was left with no choice but to wait out the remaining option period of her contract. In 1974, she hosted a summer replacement variety show on CBS called The Bobbie Gentry Happiness Hour . The show, which was her version of Glen Campbell's hit series The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour ,

2408-639: A successful run of variety shows on the Las Vegas Strip . In the late 1970s, Gentry lost interest in performing, and retired from the music industry. News reports conflict on the subject of where she lives. Gentry was born Roberta Lee Streeter on July 27, 1942, near Woodland in Chickasaw County, Mississippi , to Ruby Lee (née Shipman; November 28, 1920 – April 2, 1989) and Robert Harrison Streeter. When her parents divorced shortly after her birth, her mother moved to California, leaving Gentry to be raised on

2494-489: A top 10 country hit for Reba McEntire in 1991. In 2011, producer and singer Joe Henry said Gentry's writing influenced him early in his life. In September 2018, an eight-disc box set, titled The Girl from Chickasaw County: The Complete Capitol Masters , featuring all of Gentry's recordings for Capitol was released. In February 2019, Mercury Rev released Bobbie Gentry's the Delta Sweete Revisited , which

2580-453: A transition in her career: In an attempt to re-brand Gentry as a blue-eyed soul singer, it featured fewer self-penned regional songs and more systematically chosen cover songs. Recorded in Nashville and produced by Kelso Herston, the album's 10 tracks included only two originals. The title track was released as the first single, but it failed to go above number 113 on Billboard' s Bubbling Under

2666-493: A wedding ring. Gentry told The New York Times in 1969: "I had my own idea what it was while I was writing it, but it's not that important. Actually it was something symbolic. But I've never told anyone what it was, not even my own dear mother." The single "Mississippi Delta"-"Ode to Billie Joe" was released in July 1967. Paris was given a co-producer credit on the single with Gordon. Five weeks after its release, it reached number 1 on

Ode to Billie Joe - Misplaced Pages Continue

2752-428: Is distraught and not eating. She mentions the "young preacher" Brother Taylor visited the house earlier and that they would have dinner with him on Sunday. As an afterthought, the mother adds the preacher saw Billie Joe with a girl that "looked a lot" like the daughter and that "she and Billie Joe was throwin' somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge." A year later, the brother marries and moves to Tupelo, Mississippi , while

2838-569: The Billboard Hot 100 and, on the year-end chart, place number three. The single reached number eight on the Billboard Black Singles chart and number 13 on the UK Top 40. It sold more than 3,000,000 copies worldwide. In 2001, Rolling Stone magazine listed "Ode to Billie Joe" among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time . Following the single's success, the producers quickly assembled

2924-530: The Billboard Hot 100 chart and was third in the Billboard year-end chart of 1967, earning Gentry Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1968. Gentry charted 11 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and four singles on the United Kingdom Top 40. Her album Fancy brought her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. After her first albums, she had

3010-589: The Associated Press in November 1967, Gentry called the song "a study in unconscious cruelty." She also said that audiences were still asking her what was thrown off the bridge rather than noticing "the thoughtlessness of people expressed in the song," adding that what had been thrown was unimportant. She said people suggested to her it was a draft card, or a bottle of LSD pills. The songwriter clarified that she knew what it was, but said she considered it irrelevant to

3096-507: The Billboard Hot 100. "Okolona River Bottom Band" peaked at number 54, while her cover of "Louisiana Man" made it to number 100. Although the album failed to match the success of its predecessor, only reaching number 132 on the Billboard 200, critics have called it one of the unacclaimed masterpieces of the 1960s. Following The Delta Sweete , Capitol released Gentry's third album, Local Gentry , in August 1968. It failed to appear on any of

3182-535: The Billboard album charts, but did peak at number 83 on the Cashbox Top 100 Albums chart. In September, one month after the release of Local Gentry, the artist's third album of 1968 came out. Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell features duets with label mate Glen Campbell . Their chemistry made the partnership a great success. The album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Top LP's chart and number one on

3268-633: The Billboard Hot 100 . By the sixth week, the single had sold one million copies. It also appeared at number 7 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, at number 8 on the Hot R&;B singles chart, and number 17 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Billboard's year-end chart placed the song at number 3, while Canada's RPM placed it at number 16. In Australia, the song reached number 4 on Go-Set 's National Top 40. Meanwhile, it peaked at number 6 on

3354-618: The Irish Singles Chart . On the New Zealand Listener chart, the song reached number 3. In November 1967, Life published an article about the song's success after a visit with Gentry and her parents in Mississippi. Gentry showed the journalists a bridge in Money, Mississippi , that featured the characteristics of the one she wrote about as she clarified: "this is what I had in mind" she continued: "The river isn't very deep here, but

3440-521: The Italian Song Festival in Sanremo competition, as one of two performers of "La Siepe" by Vito Pallavicini and Massara. Capitol released the song concurrently as a single, backed by another Italian tune also recorded by Gentry, "La Città è Grande" by Pallavicini and De Ponti. Gentry's second album, The Delta Sweete , was released in February 1968. In its musical ambition, the album represented

3526-489: The New York Times in 1974 that she originally produced "Ode To Billie Joe" and most of her recordings, adding that "a woman doesn't stand much chance in a recording studio. A staff producer's name was nearly always put on the records." Gentry expressed the desire to gain more control over the production of her songs and recordings. The staff of Billboard welcomed the release as "fascinating material and performance" with

Ode to Billie Joe - Misplaced Pages Continue

3612-462: The Tallahatchie Bridge ." The verse is repeated through the song as the story develops to "heighten the mystery." Unmoved, the father comments that "Billie Joe never had a lick of sense" before asking for the biscuits and adding "there's five more acres in the lower forty, I've got to plow." The brother then expresses his surprise, but continues eating his meal. The mother notices her daughter

3698-688: The Top Country LP's chart. It was also certified Gold by the RIAA and earned Gentry and Campbell the Academy of Country Music award for Album of the Year. Gentry was also nominated for Top Female Vocalist. In 1968, Gentry was invited to host her own variety show on BBC Two in the UK, making her the first female songwriter to front a series on the channel. The initial six episodes of Bobbie Gentry were broadcast weekly from July 13 to August 17, 1968. It featured musicians from

3784-559: The arranger of choice for Ricky Nelson , arranging and producing around 75 records for the artist, including such hits as " There's Nothing I Can Say " and " Hello Mary Lou ". In 1960, he accompanied Elvis Presley on accordion on the "G.I. Blues" soundtrack . Almost four decades later, he provided arrangements on Sheryl Crow's album The Globe Sessions . In 1960, Haskell entered the motion picture soundtrack industry as an uncredited orchestrator for Dimitri Tiomkin 's The Alamo . The following year he composed his first score, Love in

3870-585: The 1960s list. The song was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2023, based on its "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage." In 1999, the 1967 recording of "Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry on Capitol Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame . In August 1967, Margie Singleton released

3956-443: The A-side of her first single, that initially got Gentry signed. Her original demo of "Mississippi Delta" was the version issued, but "Ode to Billie Joe" acquired a string arrangement by Jimmie Haskell , dubbed onto the original recording at Capitol. The day after the string session, Capitol's A&R team decided to make "Ode to Billie Joe" the A-side. The single was released on July 10, 1967. It would spend four weeks at number one on

4042-583: The Afternoon" (written by Mac Davis , Rita Grimm and Yvonne Norman), would be released on the 1992 European compilation album Ode to Billie Joe . Gentry appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on Christmas Day 1978. She attended the Best of Vegas Awards on March 21, 1980. On May 10, 1981, Gentry was one of many celebrity guests to take part in An All-Star Salute to Mother's Day . During

4128-589: The Hot 100 chart and only reached number 164 on the Billboard 200. Gentry's cover of " I'll Never Fall in Love Again " was released as the second single in the UK, where it became a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart . The album reached number 21 on the UK Albums Chart . In 1969, Gentry taped four television specials for Canadian television station CFTO-TV Toronto for North American syndication. April 1970 saw

4214-546: The Mississippi countryside, as well as guests such as Donovan , the Hollies , Glen Campbell , James Taylor , Randy Newman , Elton John , Alan Price , Billy Preston , and Pan's People . Two further, six-episode series were broadcast from June 18 to July 23 1969; and February 1 to March 15, 1971. The series was produced and directed by Stanley Dorfman , who was engaged to be married to Gentry in 1970, and credited Gentry as his co-director. Dorfman told author Tara Murtha, "After

4300-477: The RPM Top Singles and Adult Contemporary charts, respectively. After hearing "Ode to Billie Joe" on the radio, Tony Joe White was inspired to write songs. White felt that his own life experience resembled that of Billie Joe, as he inhabited a similar place during his childhood and he remarked that the song was "real." Soon after, White composed " Polk Salad Annie " (1969). By 1969, Leflore County established

4386-456: The Tallahatchie Bridge." Bobbie Gentry Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter ; July 27, 1942) is an American retired singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in America to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 with her Southern Gothic narrative " Ode to Billie Joe ". The track spent four weeks at No. 1 on

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4472-413: The audience had found more meanings than she had intended. Gentry mentioned that theories of the time included a baby, a wedding ring and flowers. While she indicated that what happened at the bridge was the motivation behind Billie Joe's suicide, she also left it open to the listener's interpretation. Gentry said she had no answer and her sole motivation was to show "people's apathy". In an interview with

4558-424: The current is strong." Gentry was photographed crossing the bridge for the story. The single was nominated in eight categories at the 10th Annual Grammy Awards and won three: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance , Best New Artist , and Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals . By 1969, Gentry estimated the single had sold three million copies. Gentry sued Paris to have his co-producer credit removed, claiming she

4644-451: The father dies of an unnamed virus. Even though she expresses no sadness over her father's death, the daughter notices her mother is still distraught by it. Rather than consoling her, she routinely picks flowers and throws them off the bridge. The song became a success because it created listener curiosity, given that Gentry did not mention what was thrown off of the bridge or why Billie Joe committed suicide. It features perfect rhymes from

4730-465: The first time in November 2023 on BBC Four . From 1968–1971, while in the UK recording her own series, Gentry also made numerous guest appearances on other BBC shows. These included a one-hour special for the In Concert series, broadcast on October 30, 1970; and Glen Campbell's own BBC Two special, broadcast May 6, 1970. Gentry's fifth album, Touch 'Em with Love , came out in July 1969. It marked

4816-511: The first to the sixth line of every verse. Meanwhile, the fifth and sixth lines of the song repeat the rhyme of "ridge" and "bridge" in every stanza. The composition does not have a chorus. The musical phrases begin with pickup notes , while melismas and downbeats are used for the rhymes. In August 1967, Gentry told the Los Angeles Times she wanted to show "people's lack of ability" to empathize with others' "tragedy." She pointed out

4902-407: The form of a first-person narrative performed over sparse acoustic guitar accompaniment with strings in the background. It tells of a rural Mississippi family's reaction to the news of the suicide of Billie Joe McAllister, a local boy to whom the daughter (and narrator) is (unknown by the rest of the family) connected. The song received widespread attention, leaving its audience intrigued as to what

4988-592: The midst of forgotten poesy". Nixon Smiley wrote in his piece for the Miami Herald that "not since William Faulkner wrote As I Lay Dying has anything come out of Mississippi as earthy and as fundamental" as 'Ode to Billie Joe.'" Smiley determined that upon "casual hearing there seems to be nothing great about the song, the lyrics or the rendition," but that it "captivated both the young and old." He noted disc jockeys were "surprised, even flabbergasted," and "sometimes disgusted". The Montgomery Advertiser found

5074-438: The mother, who noticed but did not understand her daughter's lack of appetite, while later the daughter is unaware of the similarity of her mother's behavior after the father dies. Gentry explained that both characters had "isolated themselves in their own personal tragedies" and remained unconcerned for the others. The songwriter compared the end product to a play. On the object thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge, she commented that

5160-470: The mundane details is a revelation that "The Vice-President's gone mad!." Dylan's song was originally titled "Answer to 'Ode'". Bobbie Gentry re-recorded the song for the film Ode to Billy Joe , with the spelling of the name changed to "Billy." Gentry stated that the original spelling had been a typographical error; this is corroborated by her original handwritten lyrics of the song. "Ode to Billy Joe - Main Title"

5246-432: The mystery of the title character's suicide is revealed as a part of the conflict between his love for Bobbie Lee Hartley and a drunken homosexual experience. Warner Bros. Records released a soundtrack of the score by Michel Legrand, including a re-recorded version of "Ode to Billie Joe", re-titled "Ode to Billy Joe" to match the film's title, with Gentry stating that the original spelling was an error. Warner Bros. released

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5332-430: The narrator and Billie Joe threw off the Tallahatchie Bridge. Gentry later clarified that she intended the song to portray the family's indifference to the suicide in what she deemed "a study in unconscious cruelty," while she remarked the object thrown was not relevant to the message. "Ode to Billie Joe" was nominated for eight Grammy Awards ; Gentry and arranger Jimmie Haskell won three between them. Gentry's writing

5418-482: The narrator, jumped to his death from a nearby bridge. The account is interspersed with everyday, polite, mealtime conversation. The song's last verse conveys the passage of events over the following year. The song begins on June 3 with the narrator, her brother and her father returning from farming chores to the family house for dinner. After reminding them to wipe their feet, the mother announces she received news from Choctaw Ridge: "Billie Joe McAllister jumped off

5504-567: The nearby Music Mill Studio). After an advance single: " Steal Away ", had an unsuccessful February 1978 release, the album was shelved. "Steal Away" - a remake of the 1964 Jimmy Hughes hit which had inaugurated FAME Studios’ hit streak - had as its B-side: the Patti Dahlstrom composition "He Did Me Wrong, But He Did It Right": these tracks plus three additional tracks from Gentry's 1977 recording sessions: "Slow Cookin'" (written by Abby Marable), "Sweet Country" (written by Gentry), and "Thunder in

5590-526: The new bridge as part of the Mississippi Country Music Trail. Rolling Stone included "Ode To Billie Joe" at number 419 on its 2003 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. The publication also listed it at number 47 on its 100 Greatest Country Songs in 2014; Richard Gehr deemed the track a "sultry country blues that drifts downstream on Gentry's ominous acoustic guitar." Meanwhile, Pitchfork placed it at number 144 on its 200 Best Songs of

5676-641: The new version as a single and Capitol re-released the original version, which gave Gentry two concurrent chart placings with the same song. The re-recording would go on to be Gentry's last single to chart, meaning that her first and last chart entries are the same song. In 1977 Gentry reunited with producer Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals to record an album for the Curb Records division of Warner Bros. Records (unlike Gentry's 1969 Fancy album, Gentry's 1977 recording sessions with Hall were not at his FAME Studios but at

5762-403: The release of Fancy , Gentry's sixth album in three years. Like 1969's Touch 'Em with Love , it contains only covers, except for the artist's self-penned title track. Most of the album was recorded at Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with producer Rick Hall . " Fancy ", released as the album's first single, became Gentry's biggest hit since "Ode to Billie Joe", peaking within

5848-439: The rest of the album from the 12 demos Gentry had recorded, completing overdubs in a matter of days. The result was a unique combination of blues, folk, and jazz elements that rounded out Gentry's recollections of her home, coming across more as a concept album than a hastily assembled collection of songs. Capitol pre-ordered 500,000 copies—the largest pressing of a debut album in the label's prior history. The album hit stores within

5934-567: The same melody in a lyrical sequel. The narrator, seeking the reclusive Gentry, claims to be the abandoned child of Gentry and Billie Joe. In 2016, Lorrie Morgan covered the song at a slower pace for her 2016 album Letting Go   ... Slow . Morgan commented on recording the song with producer Richard Landis : "Richard purposely slowed the record down to make the musical passages through there really feel kind of spooky and eerie. Everything just felt so swampy and scary. Everybody has their own interpretation of that song and just what they threw off of

6020-433: The song "hard to classify." It remarked that it "has [a] rhythm and blues beat, and it's clever," and also noted the presence of mystery. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram called it "one of the most haunting songs of the year." The Honolulu Star-Bulletin wrote that "the lyrics are too much" and that "after a few listenings, the subject matter becomes clear, and the message gets across." The review pointed out that "musically,

6106-400: The song four weeks after its release. Critic John S. Wilson felt the song was "a most unlikely candidate for success," as it was "long by radio programming standards" and he considered the topic "nothing startling, nothing strange, nothing particularly original," Wilson remarked the lyrics had "something to say about indifference ... which, after a couple of clarifying hearings, drifts off into

6192-436: The song is as fine as it is lyrically inventive" and that it "grips with heretofore taboo themes." In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #51 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking. Following the success of the single, Capitol Records received 500,000 pre-orders for Ode to Billie Joe , surpassing the label's record held by the Beatles ' Meet the Beatles!   Gentry began receiving offers to make

6278-428: The song, telling White he had brought Gentry along because he felt he could not sing it himself. The composition impressed White, and Ford expressed an interest in selling it to him. White took the song to Del-Fi Records president Bob Keane , who did not like it and refused to make a purchase. Capitol Records producer Kelly Gordon received Gentry's demo for " Mississippi Delta ". Gordon liked it, and he asked for

6364-585: The song. Larry Shayne, Gentry's publisher, warned Gordon against adding a rhythm section to the track. Shayne was a friend of David Axelrod , Capitol Record's main A&;R man. He sold Axelrod recording rights to the song for $ 10,000 (equivalent to $ 91,400 in 2023). Gordon liked Gentry's vocals on the demo, but he decided to add a sparse instrumental arrangement to the recording. Gordon called Jimmie Haskell , who prepared an arrangement for string sextet with four violins and two cellos . Jesse Erlich played one cello like

6450-442: The song." The film starred Robby Benson as Billy Joe and Glynnis O'Connor as Bobbie Lee. It was released in 1976. In the adaptation, the pair throw a rag doll off of the bridge, while a homosexual experience with the owner of the sawmill is established as the reason for Billy Joe's suicide. "Ode to Billie Joe" reappeared on the charts in 1976. It charted at number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100, and in Canada at numbers 92 and 42 on

6536-442: The story and deliberately left that interpretation open. Gentry remarked that the song's message revolved around the "nonchalant way" the family discussed the suicide. She also said that what was thrown off of the bridge was included because it established a relationship between Billie Joe and the daughter, providing "a possible motivation for his suicide the next day". The interview ended with Gentry's suggestion that it could have been

6622-434: The television special she performed "Mama, a Rainbow" from the musical Minnie's Boys for her mother who was seated in the audience. This would prove to be Gentry's final public performance. The last time Gentry appeared in public was when she attended the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 30, 1982. Since that time, she has not recorded, performed or been interviewed. One 2016 news report stated that Gentry lived in

6708-516: The top 40 in the US, Canada, and Australia. Of the song Gentry herself said, "Fancy is my strongest statement for women's lib, if you really listen to it. I agree wholeheartedly with that movement and all the serious issues that [it stands] for—equality, equal pay, day care centers, and abortion rights," she explained to After Dark magazine in 1974. The album's first European single, a cover of " Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head ", peaked at number 40. The album's second North American single, "He Made

6794-639: Was adapted for the 1976 film Ode to Billy Joe . The song appeared on Rolling Stone 's lists, 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and Greatest Country Songs, while Pitchfork featured it on their 200 Best Songs of the 1960s list. In 2023, the song was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry . Singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry was born in Chickasaw County , Mississippi . After her parents divorced, she continued to live there with her paternal grandparents. At age 13, Gentry moved to California to live with her mother. She graduated from high school and entered UCLA as

6880-520: Was called a "reimagining of Bobbie Gentry's forgotten masterpiece". In 2020, she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame . Jimmie Haskell Haskell was born in Brooklyn , New York. He entered the music business in the 1950s doing arrangements for Imperial Records . His first professional arrangement was a chart of " Nature Boy ", sold to Lionel Hampton . He became

6966-460: Was fired. A major restructuring at Capitol took place as parent company EMI tried to seize back control and rekindle the label's dwindling profits. This saw the artist roster slashed from 247 to 81 alongside extensive cuts to production and marketing budgets. With none of the executive board left that had known and worked with her, negotiations stalled over the renewal terms of Gentry's contract, and this failure to reach an agreement with Capitol created

7052-470: Was issued as a single in April 1976. It peaked at No. 65 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Capitol Records, Gentry's label when the original 1967 recording was released, reissued it as a single in June 1976 to capitalize on the film's success. Sinéad O'Connor performed the song in 1995 on the compilation album Help , a fundraiser for the charity War Child . This downtempo version of the song includes

7138-408: Was not renewed for a full season. In 1975, Gentry wrote and performed "Another Place, Another Time" for writer-director Max Baer, Jr. 's film Macon County Line . Following the film's success the song was released on a promotional 7-inch single . In 1976, Baer directed the feature film Ode to Billy Joe , based on Gentry's hit song and starring Robby Benson and Glynnis O'Connor . In the movie,

7224-419: Was pretty much the alpha female in the group – [producer] Stanley Dorfman's assistant Kate and choreographer Flick Colby were the only other prominent females in the crew. She certainly didn't have a support group like Dusty [Springfield]. "The series garnered widespread recognition and was syndicated globally. All but five of the 18 episodes were wiped by the BBC and those surviving were rebroadcast for

7310-540: Was the recording's sole producer. Paris's credit was removed on the album release. Soon after she left Capitol Records, Paris sued Gentry for $ 100,000 and the label for $ 300,000 in punitive damages for failing to pay him one fifth of the royalties from the song's sales. Gentry and Paris testified against one another in the 1973 case. The jury awarded Paris one percent of the total royalties from "Ode to Billie Joe" and "Mississippi Delta", that amounted to $ 32,277.40 (equivalent to $ 221,500 in 2023). Gentry told Penny Anderson of

7396-433: Was to write songs to sell to other artists, telling The Washington Post that she only sang on the recording of "Ode to Billie Joe" that she took to Capitol because it was cheaper than hiring someone to sing it. Gentry signed with Capitol Records on June 23, 1967, where staff producer Kelly Gordon would produce Ode to Billie Joe as his first full-length album for the label. But it was "Mississippi Delta", intended as

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