What actually happened in “Ode to Billie Joe”?

According to The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, Ode to Billie Joe was originally seven minutes long, but was shortened to four minutes in order to make the song to fit more easily into AM radio playlists. This suggests that Ode to Billie Joe benefited from a suggestive "less is more" approach to songwriting as it got shortened for radio airplay. read more

The mystery created by Bobbie Gentry cast a spell over the entire country, and 45 years later people are still discussing what Billie Joe McAllister and his girlfriend threw off the Tallahatchie Bridge. read more

"Ode to Billie Joe" is a song written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry, a singer-songwriter from Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The single, released in late July 1967, was a number-one hit in the US and a big international seller. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 3 song of the year. read more