28 November 2025 - Nicolette Larson - Lotta Love

In a past life, this would have gone on Totally Covered. Or, maybe it did.  But I don't really think of it as a cover.   

Nicolette Larson was from Helena, Montana.   She was a backup singer for many artists, including Neil Young.... and she and Linda Ronstadt both sang backup on his 1978 album Comes A Time, which featured this song (Larson did not sing backup on that song).  Larson and Ronstadt have different recollections on how her version came to be.  Ronstadt said - in 2013, in her memoirs - that she made the suggestion and Larson's producer was appreciative.  

Larson's story is more colorful.  Her recollection was that she found a demo version of the song on a tape on the floor of Neil Young's car.... and he gave her the song.  

She took Young's melancholic song and turned it upbeat, with strings and horns.... and made herself a classic. Held until October 1978 - waiting to see if Neil would release it as a single (he did not - although it did end up being a B-side) - her version - her debut single - ended up being a top 10 pop hit, her biggest by far. 

It wasn't easy to find a real live version of this song.  A lot of her early ones were on TV and were lipsynced.

However, this performance from 1991 - six years prior to her untimely death - show that she still had it.

This live recording from 1978 is absolutely spectacular.  

27 November 2025 - Gelli Haha - Spit

Sometimes, serendipity plays a role.   Today is one of those days. And I am thankful for that!

Angel Abaya was born in Boise, Idaho, and joined the Boise music scene at the age of 18.  She's definitely Idahoan...

Her latest (not really debut) album - Switcheroo - was released under the stage name Gelli Haha, because it moved from her earlier work (as Angel Abaya), which was guitar-driven pop, to more electronic, playful pop. 

It was the right call. I have to say, I really enjoy this sound quite a bit, and the album is one of my favorites of the year. 

This song is a highlight of the album, with it's overabundance of 's' words..... and let's be clear, the red aesthetic isn't just a stage persona - it's a lifestyle choice for her.  

She has not performed live as Gelli Haha MUCH, but when she does, she leads with this song.  Stick around for the rest of the performance, because it very well might be the most fun you'll have listening to music this year. 

Also - was NOT joking about the red.

26 November 2025 - 7 Seconds - Young Till I Die (and a surprise)

7 Seconds formed in Reno, Nevada during the rise of punk in 1980.   Although there have been significant lineup changes, they're still around and still performing. And yes, Kevin Seconds and Steve Youth - the real life Marvelli brothers - are still there. 

This song is from their 1984 debut album The Crew - regarded by many as one of the greatest hardcore albums ever recorded.  And, really, it's raw and angry and energetic.... and somewhat stoic.  Written by Kevin Seconds, it has an almost straight-edge feel.... but it ain't straight-edge.  

So, this song was released in 1984.  

Thirty years later, they performed it in Moscow with arguably more energy.

But if you know them before this post, you probably know them for their cover of the Nena classic song "99 Red Balloons" (yes, the English version).

It's spectacular.

This is the one song they can't not play.   And it's always just as spectacular.

As Kevin says during this performance EARLIER THIS YEAR, they first performed this song in 1982.

In 2025.... 45 years after they formed.... it still sounds spectacular. 

25 November 2025 - Philip Bailey & Phil Collins - Easy Lover

Today, we talk about Colorado.  

We're not talking about Phil Collins.  We can discuss him another day.  

Philip Bailey was born in Denver, Colorado, which is why he's here today.  In his prime, he was known for a four octave vocal range - and served as one of the two lead vocalists for the legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire.  

But he also had a solo career - and while he had a few hits, none eclipsed this collaboration with the Genesis drummer, which was a huge hit worldwide.  The story behind this one is quite simple - Collins was also a pretty well-regarded producer, and he was hired to produce Bailey's 1984 album Chinese Wall.  At the end of the sessions, Bailey asked Collins to co-write a song with him.... this song.  They had a great time writing it, and so they recorded it right away (and you can actually hear in this video some of the raw sessions from that - which I love).  

It ended up being just great just as they did it.  

And, at this point, I'd usually overwhelm you with their individual live performances of the song.  

Not today.  This is #AmericanAutumn, not #UKNovember.  So, here's Bailey performing the song live with Kenny Loggins.  Kenny's just not as good a match - but Bailey's voice is fantastic.  

24 November 2025 (Special Edition) - Jimmy Cliff - Many Rivers To Cross

It was announced this morning that famed Jamaican singer the Honourable Jimmy Cliff OM, who had a career that started in the early 1960s, passed away today - from a seizure followed by pneumonia.  He was 81 years old.

That title refers to the Jamaican Order of Merit, an award celebrating great achievement by their citizens or by others that have had a huge impact on Jamaica in the sciences, arts, or any other endeavor.  He was the only living reggae musician to receive that honor. 

His career was full of hits and accolades, including this one, which he originally wrote and recorded in 1969.  Others - most notably Annie Lennox, UB40, and Cher - made this song into a much bigger hit that Cliff did (it was a French hit, oddly, a place where he had a lot of hits).  He certainly had much bigger hits.  

I chose this one as a fitting tribute because of this heartfelt and well-received performance from the 2003 Glastonbury festival.  

His voice and his passion will be missed. 

24 November 2025 - 311 - All Mixed Up

Did you know 311 were from Omaha?

And that THIS was actually both their biggest pop and airplay hit song, not "Down"?  Yep, it got more airplay in 1996.... although, let's face it, they both got a fairly large amount. 

I always kind of had a soft spot for 311, and even though I wasn't a fan of reggae, I liked this reggae-infused song quite a bit.  

The song - written by Nick Hexum and SA Martinez - gets its title and theme from an early Elvis Presley interview, where he described himself as "All Mixed Up" over his fame. Seriously/

The band is still together and largely unchanged. In fact, they did a pretty excellent Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR studios last year....on March 11th, by the way... and this made me realize something I didn't really notice prior...

The song is a duet - between the two songwriters (Martinez is wearing the jean jacket and bald head, with Hexum taking lead). How did I not realize that?

21 November 2025 - Kansas - Carry on Wayward Son

OK, this one's a little on the nose. 

Kansas, the band, is right from the state capitol of Topeka, founded in 1854 (that's the order, guys. Order of founding of the state capitol.  Now you know). 119 years later, a band called White Clover - which would become Kansas - formed there.  

This song, from their fourth album - 1976's Leftoverture - would serve as the lead single and the band's first top 40 hit, peaking at #11.  Written by guitarist Kerry Livgren, who wrote a LOT of the band's earlier music, it was the last song recorded for the album.  Livgren described the song as autobiographical and as being "beamed down to him" - foreshadowing a preachier sound that would follow his being born again in 1979.   

Anyway, this is one of the greatest classic rock songs ever written.  Fight me. 

AND THE WORD "MY" DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE TITLE!!!!!

Fifty years on, Kansas persists.  

This performance from 2009 features original vocalist Steve Walsh, who still has it (he did NOT when I saw him a few years later, but from what I could tell, it was an off night).  He would retire from performing in 2014, but he gave it everything he had until the end.

Kansas has had a few vocalists since Walsh left, (although Ronnie Platt since 2014) but still, they tour.  And they sound really good.

They even sounded good in 1982, after Steve Walsh left the first time - and John Elefante (chosen because he didn't take issue with Kerry Livgren's turn to Christian music) took over as vocalist.

20 November 2025 (Special Edition) - The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored

Yeah, breaking the format for one post, because there's no way to fit him in.   

Mani, the stage name of Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist Greg Mounfield, has passed away.  And, we really hadn't explored The Stone Roses or any of the Madchester scene yet, but now, looks like we're doing this. 

Mani wasn't a founding member of the Stone Roses, but he was a member for both its breakthrough in the late 1980s and their reformation in the early 2010s - which means his bass was key to defining their trippy, mellow rock sound that was so well respected for a short while.  

This was the first song on their debut album and an early single, and was a modern rock hit in the US and a pop hit in the UK and elsewhere.

The big surprise came in 2011, when they reformed after a 20-year hiatus.  That's Mani on bass, too.  

I am genuinely sad about this one.  He will be missed terribly. 

20 November 2025 - Neon Trees - Everybody Talks

When it came to Utah, you almost got more Carmen Rasmussen.  

Instead, you get Provo-based Neon Trees, best known for this song.  Now, this was by no means their only hit - they previously had a top 20 hit with "Animal" - but it is their biggest, peaking at #6 in the US in 2012 and becoming a recognizable hit worldwide. 

Primary vocalist (and songwriter) Tyler Glenn wrote the lyrics, and it had a real hidden meaning.  His ex-girlfriend had spread rumors that Glenn was gay....

.... which he WAS, but even when this song was released, he was not out of the closet yet.   He is now, and happy, and I could not be happier for him.  And, he got a great song and a story out of it. 

It's been awhile since I shared one of these, but remember when Taylor Swift used to bring out guests?

Newark, NJ.  Not Utah.  But still.  It's cool.  

It's also cool that Tyler Glenn is as sassy as Taylor Swift. 

But I happen to like the band's Guitar Center session the best.  The pregnant pause at about 1:20 is just..... joyous.

19 November 2025 - Soundgarden - Outshined

I'm not a monster.  Of course I'm gonna do a second Washington post and do one of those giants of grunge.

And of course I chose Soundgarden, mostly because of their recent Rock and Rock Hall of Fame induction. 

This song, written by Chris Cornell, was their crossover hit that put them on mainstream rock radio's radar.  One of the flagship singles from their 1991 Badmotorfinger album, the song is written in 7/4 time, which musicians are out there saying "wow, that's weird" to, and the rest of you are going "whatever". 

This video was set in a steel mill, and the band absolutely hated it despite its success - but this is what we've got. 

But all of my fans in Canada who watched MuchMusic probably don't recognize that video - which played a lot on MTV - because there is a yellowish-tinged video for this song that was played in Canada.   

So, we've got this, too. 

But THAT video was really THIS alternative video without a blue filter.

Seriously.  

So, we've got THIS, too.

What we no longer have is Chris Cornell, who passed away in 2017.

And, Soundgarden officially broke up in 2017 when he did pass.  However, the surviving members have reformed with a new vocalist - Shaina Shepherd - as Nudedragons, and yes, that's an anagram for Soundgarden.

They ain't bad.  

But she ain't Chris Cornell.

19 November 2025 - Mudhoney - Suck You Dry

Mudhoney - formed from the ashes of Green River - were among the godfathers of the grunge sound in Seattle, with their debut single "Touch Me I'm Sick" being their early defining single.

This song was from their 1992 third album and major label debut, Piece of Cake.  You can tell they didn't try very hard on this one - but still, the songs were energetic and fun and exciting and..... grungy.  This was the big single that got a lot of MTV airplay before grunge faded away with the demise of another band that shall remain nameless. 

Mudhoney didn't fade away, though.  They kept making grunge music and they kept playing.  This performance - on Seattle station KEXP in tribute to Sub Pop Record's silver jubilee - finds the band playing this song.... on top of the Space Needle?

The acoustics weren't bad, honestly. 

18 November 2025 - The Glenn Miller Orchestra - In The Mood

Glenn Miller was born in 1904 in Clarinda, Iowa.  

This recording, originally made in 1939 by his orchestra, would be one of the biggest selling swing songs of all time.   It is currently enshrined in the Library of Congress and the Grammy Hall of Fame.  

And it still slaps.  

Glenn Miller disappeared over the English Channel at age 40, in 1944 (why he was there during active wartime is another story entirely), ending a career that had one of the biggest highlights in music history.  

And that's why we're featuring a jazzy swing song today. 

17 November 2025 (Special Edition) - Todd Snider - High, Lonesome, and Then Some

I held this until Monday, even though Todd Snider died over this past weekend.  But, additionally, Todd Snider was born in Oregon, and in 2021, he was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. 

A little behind the scenes look - before his untimely death, as I was writing these posts, this artist and this song were absolutely in consideration for being the Oregon representative in their own right, before he died.  

It's kind of a shame that I had to put the Special Edition tag on this one, because he is also from Oregon, which is today.  

Anyway, this song was released just a few weeks ago, from an album of the same name.  If you'll excuse me, I need to go listen to it now. 

17 November 2025 - Everclear - AM Radio

How can Everclear - and specifically this song - a tribute to the mellow gold formats found on AM radio in the 1970s - and video - in which Art Alexakis is literally wearing a Portland Trail Blazer jersey - NOT be the representative for Oregon?

Just ignore Greg Eklund's Lakers jersey.  We're not paying attention to that. 

Written by the band, the song includes a couple of samples (and that meant more songwriters) and a ton of 1970's nostalgia.  See if you can catch all of it. 

Of course the band is still performing the song 25 years later - and it's still a crowd favorite.

14 November 2025 - Buddy Holly & The Crickets - Peggy Sue

You want one more from Texas?

What about this 1950s sensation - the Crickets - formed in Lubbock, TX in 1957.  Now, Buddy Holly was already established as a musician himself - and he co-wrote this song and released it as a single himself in September 1957, billed as Buddy Holly, and not The Crickets.  

Confused as to why I have "& The Crickets" in the title here? 

Because The Crickets were always there. 

This performance - from December 1957 and The Ed Sullivan Show - featured the band.  And, c'mon - Jerry Allison, another co-writer of the song (along with Norman Petty) was the drummer for the Crickets and on this song, which really leans hard on the eclectic drum beat to guide it. The rest of the Crickets also performed on the recording...

... which really sounded a lot like this.  So, enjoy this classic performance. 

14 November 2025 - Kelly Willlis - Don't Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim

Kelly Willis is an extremely talented singer and songwriter who spent a lot of time living and performing in Austin, TX.  Actually, because of her nomadic background, I could have put her in Virginia (where she went to high school) , or North Carolina, or even Kansas.  But Texas is where she has made a lot of her music.

Besides, no matter where I put her, she'd be the second post of the day.  

Anyway, she's a fantastic singer/songwriter.  But she didn't write this one.  It's a cover, of a song originally performed by Kirsty MacColl - who is British.  It is a delightful folk song but Kelly Willis puts a bit of twang on it - and makes it her own, so much so that a lot of people think it IS hers.   

From her 2002 album Easy, here it is.  

14 November 2025 - St. Vincent - New York

Today is Texas day, so what better time for.... a song titled for another state?   Yeah, I didn't really think this one through.

But Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, grew up in Dallas.  SHE is from Texas.  

And "New York" is not a typical St. Vincent song.  There's no amazing guitar solos.  It's an unironic piano ballad about the end of a relationship.  Originally featured on her Massseduction album, the song was co-written by Clark and Jack Antonoff, who also both produced the song (and album).

It's kind of a sad song, but also kind of beautiful.   It has become one of my favorite songs of hers.  

And yes.  She does swear. 

This is not the only version of "New York" that Annie Clark recorded.   

As a bonus track on the Japanese version of her Daddy's Home album, St. Vincent teamed up with Japanese musician Yoshiki to rerecord the song.  It's similar but not the same.   

More remarkable is the MassEducation piano version of the song - this album featured piano versions of the songs from Massseduction.  It's even more stripped down - a lot of it is acapella, honestly.   

This is my favorite version of the song. 

Of course, this is a song she's performed many, many times.  One of my favorites was her acoustic guitar rendition of the song from the BAM Virtual Gala in 2020.

Contrast this with her Austin City Limits performance, which is still emotional, but also far from stripped down.  

13 November 2025 - fIREHOSE - Walking The Cow

This is the only song during this whole American Autumn thing I'm doing that is being featured twice.

You see, this song was originally performed by and written by West Virginia's Daniel Johnston.  This version was from this San Pedro, CA band's album Flyin' The Flannel.  

For those unaware, fIREHOSE was formed from the ashes of The Minutemen - after leader d. Boon passed, a man named Ed Crawford from Ohio - you could say he's Eddie From Ohio but that's a different band - pestered Mike Watt to the point of moving to San Pedro and offering to be their lead vocalist..... which is where Ed fROMOHIO came to be and where fIREHOSE came to be.  

Anyway, Ed doesn't sing this song, although he is the guitarist.  Mike Watt provided vocals and boom stick.  George Hurley, of course, is on the skins. 

Mike Watt also had a solo career for a bit (probably still does - it's pretty econo, though) and recruited a lot of people to perform live with him - like Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder - and yes, he did this song live. 

13 November 2025 - Huey Lewis & The News - Heart And Soul

For our second California post....let's talk about the darlings of the San Francisco Bay area.  

We are talking about Huey Lewis and the News and NOT ANY OTHER BAND. 

This song was the band's second US Top 10 hit, reaching that in 1983 as the lead single from their album Sports. Written by songwriting team Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, this song was originally performed by Exile, but this version was more popular and garnered a Grammy nomination (that lost to The Police).  

The song itself is one of my favorites of theirs, and would remain a fan favorite even as it was eclipsed by later hits. 

Huey's story has a saddish ending - he started going deaf and performed as long as he could, but he did eventually lose his hearing to the point where he could no longer sing.  A cochlear implant allowed him to hear speech, but not music and no longer allowed him to sing.

Which is a shame, because he never lost his stage presence, even 30 years after his hitmaking years.  

13 November 2025 - Doja Cat - Stranger

Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini was born in Los Angeles, California in 1995.  

You probably know her better as Doja Cat, and she is the quintessential Californian.  She gives a cool, multitalented vibe.

A couple of months ago, she released her latest album, Vie.  It is, in my opinion, unexpectedly excellent - one of my favorites this year, and a return to real pop music.  This is one of the album tracks that got a music video - a video with more than a little debt to North by Northwest.   It is indicative of how excellent the whole album is.   

12 November 2025 - Prince and the Revolution - When Doves Cry

I could not do Minnesota and not give a nod to Prince Rogers Nelson - whose middle and last name you may not have known.  

From his semiautobiographical movie Purple Rain and album of the same name, this song opens side 2 of the album.  It was clearly meant to be a (slower) dance song, but, in an unusual move for the period, there is absolutely no bassline.  It's unconventional, with just guitar, drum machine loop, and synthesizer.  

It's also a song I hated in 1984.  All these years later, I get it a lot more, and it's one of my favorites by him. 

As genius as the simple song was, the live version - this was from Japan in 1990 - may be even more dynamic. 

12 November 2025 - Soul Asylum - Somebody to Shove

Gosh, it was tough to choose what to go with when it came to Minnesota.  

Soul Asylum, a band I was listening to long before their breakthough Grave Dancers Union was released, and that album came out in 1992, a vulnerable time for me.  I was in a position in college where I knew who this hot band getting all the MTV airplay was - and trying to convince them that the earlier stuff was better....

.... which wasn't true. Grave Dancers Union is arguably their best album, so it's great that it was the one that broke through.  This was the first single - and a huge hit song.  Plus, it was boisterous while remaining accessible, which was something I liked about the band. 

I know, when I start posting these things, I always get asked "but, Tony, has your sister seen them live?"

Why yes, she has!!!! And they still sound great!!!

11 November 2025 - The B-52's - Dance This Mess Around

This is our 1900th post on this blog, and I can't think of a more appropriate song.

"Dance This Mess Around" was the third single from Athens, Georgia band The B-52's 1979 debut album.  Written by the whole band - which at the time was a five-piece - the lead vocals on this song were taken by Cindy Wilson.  

So, why did I choose a 1980 live version of this song to lead the post?  Because it very quickly became a live performance favorite.  You can see just how passionately Cindy Wilson performs the song.  It builds slowly and relatively quietly, but builds louder and faster as she expresses heartbreak over having no one to dance with.  The rest of the group picks it up and cheers her up, and it works! They don't even get a chance to do all sixteen dances!

There were a few years in the 1990s where Cindy Wilson left the band for awhile (her brother, Ricky, also a band member, had passed away in the mid-1980s).  During her time away, the band did NOT perform this song.

But when she came back, they performed the HELL out of this song. 

So, here we are, in 2025.  Do you think it's still a live favorite, even as there are only three members left (Keith Strickland no longer touring with the band)?

Yes.

The question you SHOULD be asking is if my sister saw them live - but you know the answer.  

Cindy Wilson calling herself out for being out of key is utterly charming - but also, the out of key desperation is the POINT of the song.  

10 November 2025 - The White Stripes - Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground

I remember the first time I heard the White Stripes (from Detroit, Michigan - which of course is today's state).  

October 19th, 2002.  Technically, it was probably October 20th, in the early morning hours.   My ex-wife and I were in bed and watching SNL. We saw the musical guest was someone we had never heard of, and she wanted to turn it off before the musical guest came on.  

I insisted we not do that.  And, for once, I won one. 

This is what we were greeted with.

She didn't like them. I LOVED it. (This may have been part of the reason she's my ex-wife now) I was completely into this, and wanted to hear more, so I that week went seeking out more of their music - including the studio version of this song, with lyrics by Jack White and music by Jack and Meg White.  

For the uninitiated, yes, those are their government names.  Jack was born Jack Gillis but took his wife's name when they got married in 1996.  And yes, Meg was that wife, and by this point, they had been divorced for two years - clearly amicably, but the band didn't last forever.

The destruction projected in this video tells me that it was a very personal song for both of them - it is speculated that it was about the end of their marriage, although neither has confirmed or denied that.    

Edit: They were literally just inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which I did not know when I wrote this post.  Congratulations!

7 November 2025. - Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. ft. Faith No More - Another Body Murdered

I've talked about a lot of these days being hard.  

I wasn't looking forward to American Samoa.  

However, it wasn't hard at all.  

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. are a hip-hop group from American Samoa (although they were based in California for most of their career).  This was probably their best known song, a collaboration with San Francisco band Faith No More.  An early hip-hop/rock fusion song, it was a sign of things to come for music - a preview of later acts such as Limp Bizkit.  

And they bring pride to the islands.  

6 November 2025 - Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains

I know exactly what you're thinking right now if you know this band.

"Shirley Manson is Scottish."

She is.   

The other members of the band are NOT - and Butch Vig is from Wisconsin.  Garbage was formed at his studio in Madison, WI. 

That's true.  It was called Smart Studios, and it was founded in 1983.  

So, of course, with three producers and a hell of a dynamic vocalist, you know they put on a great live show..... and they did.  This was from a festival in 1996.

But I'm sure ten years later, at Glastonbury 2005, they slowed down.... right?

Wrong.

Don't be fooled by this 2017 performance, guys.  Keep listening.  They, again, bring the angst and energy.

They are currently on a tour that they are alluding to being their last.... in 2025.   But, let's be clear - they're not stopping the touring because of their energy levels.  It's economic conditions.  But I think they're not done yet.   

5 November 2025 - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Refugee

Florida was too big a state for just one post - and people keep moving there.  

I don't know why.

They have alligators. 

However, they also had Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers (from Gainsville), who had a TON of hits, including this Top 20 hit from their 1980 breakthrough album Damn The Torpedoes.  Co-written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell, it was reportedly a tough song to record, with perfect being the enemy of good and a LOT of takes needed to get the song just right.

But they DID get it right, and the results brought us a raw, noisy, brash song. 

This song was a live favorite, and every time they did a benefit concert of some sort - like Farm Aid in 1985 (and Live Aid, too, by the way), this song was a staple.

Petty consistently said that this song was really hard on his voice.

And yet, in 2012, when they were STILL performing the song live, he STILL sang it largely in the same key.

5 November 2025 - Pitbull ft. TJR - Don't Stop The Party

Nowadays, big cities have more than one area code.  

Miami, FL is no exception.  

But it's usually more prestigious to have the original one, from when there was only one.

Miami's was 305.  

Mr. Worldwide is also Mr. 305.  

That's it.  That's the post.  

It's not actually the whole post.

Pitbull has made a career representing Miami and making fun pop/dance music.  He's not making a career winning awards (although he has plenty - including a Grammy for his 2016 album Dale which, for my English speakers, has two syllables), but rather, making fun, exciting music and putting on a hell of a show.

And you cannot deny it - this is a hell of a show. 

4 November 2025 - Chappell Roan - HOT TO GO!

Darin Chappell is a Republican member of the Missouri House of Representatives.  He represents the state's 137th House District - which is the Springfield, MO area.  

He's probably better known for being Chappell Roan's (maternal-side) uncle, though.  She grew up in Missouri....

.... so when it came time to record a video for the seventh and final single from her debut album, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, it completely made sense that she'd be bringing it home to Springfield, MO - which is where this video was recorded.  Also, yes, those are really her grandparents.  No word if her uncle ended up on the cutting room floor.  

Also, this is a fun song.  C'mon now. AND IT HAS A DANCE!!!!

You know, there are a lot of live performances I could have chosen here.   

So why did I choose the one she did with Olivia Rodrigo in a guest starring appearance?

Because 1) Chappell Roan got her big break as Rodrigo's opening act - but this was well after that.  2) This looks like two old friends GENUINELY having fun together.   

3) I wanted to save this impressive performance from Reading 2025 with literally 90,000 people doing the dance for last.

3 November 2025 - Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billie Joe

Choctaw Ridge is a REAL place in Mississippi.  So, by the way, is the Tallahatchie Bridge - it goes over the river of the same name in Money, Mississippi.

Literally Bobbie Gentry on the Tallahatchie Bridge in 1967

Bobbie Gentry was a great country songwriter who wrote this song.  The cool Southern Gothic classic would provide the title for her debut album in 1967, and it would go on to become her biggest (although not nearly only) hit. It was a top 20 country hit in the United States, but more notably, it was a #1 pop hit, and the #3 biggest pop hit of 1967.  

"Ode To Billie Joe" also won three Grammy Awards for Gentry - including Best New Artist in 1968. Although she'd be nominated again, she'd never win another. 

The song was a massive success and defined the rest of Gentry's career.   This performance from the BBC, interspersed with footage of her on... probably the Tallahatchie Bridge.... was lost for years, but it isn't anymore, and we bring it to you.

Here's another live performance from The Andy Williams Show in the early 1970s.  Her cool, raspy voice matched well with the literal true crime drama she wrote.... and this performance is captivating.