Ode to Billie Joe

Dublin Core

Title

Ode to Billie Joe

Subject

United States
U.S. South
suicide

Description

"Ode to Billie Joe" is an account of how each of the members of a Mississippi family take the news of Billie Joe McAllister's suicide. A number of ambiguous details in the narrative, which emphasizes loss and was released in 1967, lend itself to a discussion of the Vietnam War, which was approaching its peak, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Creator

songwriter: Bobbie Gentry

Date

1967

Rights

Teach with Music and Film collects links to audiovisual material openly available online. The copyright and related status of these materials have not been evaluated. Please refer to the direct link for additional information about the copyright status of these materials.

Language

English

Type

genre: country

Coverage

United States

Is Referenced By

McCann, Ian. 2016. “The Life of a Song: ‘Ode to Billie Joe.’” The Financial Times. July 1. 
Jory, Patrick. "Bobbie Gentry: An Attempt to Solve One of America’s Greatest Mysteries." In The Oxford American Book of Great Music Writing, edited by Maurizio Peleggi, 293-5. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2012.

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