Billboard #1 Hits: #207: ” Harper Valley P.T.A.- Jeannie C. Riley. September 21, 1968. #1 for 1 week.
- Single: “Harper Valley P.T.A.”- Jeannie C. Riley
- Record Company- Plantation Records
- Genre: Country
- Written by Tom T. Hall
- Time: 3:16
- B-side: “Yesterday All Day Long Today
- Album-Harper Valley P.T.A.
- Grade: A+
- Peaked at #1 on Billboard Hot 100 1 week. #1 on US Country singles chart. #12 in UK Singles Chart, #1 in Australia and Canada.
When I was a little Hans- this song always reminded me of “Ode To Billie Joe” and I guess there was a reason. Singer Margie Singleton went to singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall and asked him to write a song an “Ode To Billie Joe” style song. Tom T. wrote it- and offered it to Skeeter Davis who rejected it-[bad career choice } Billie Jo Spears and Margie Singleton both recorded it but it was Jeannie C. Riley who had the life changing hit with it. “Harper Valley P.T.A’ went to #1 on both the pop and country charts- Riley was the first female artist to accomplish that- a decade later Dolly Parton did with “9 To 5.” Jeannie C. Riley would win a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Harper Valley P.T.A.” Jeannie C. Riley had been working as a secretary for Passkey Music when Mercury records producer Shelby Singleton received a demo of Riley’s voice. He was starting a record label- Plantation Records- and he worked with Riley on this song which he thought had potential. Turns out he was correct. Jeannie C. Riley went on to have a number of country singles become hits- but this was her one and only Top 40 hit on the Billboard Pop chart.
I love love love this song. I know she produced a follow-up version to this song, which in my view totally ruined it. There is a time to be silent and a time to speak up. It was definitely the time for the woman in the song to speak up. The sort of narrow-minded, judgemental hypocrits in the song do so much harm. As for Ode to Billy Joe- one of my favourite songs ever. I have looked up interviews with Bobbi Gentry online and although she denies it is about a specific incident- to me it has to be.
Confronting hypocrisy is kind of my thing I think, so Harper Valley PTA is very near to my heart.
By the way there is video of her on You Tube, singing it relatively recently.
Will look for it- I haven’t heard of her in years.
I tell my youngsters that song lyrics used to be really powerful. They used to change the world.
I was thinking about it- if that song came out today- it wouldn’t have made the same impact- it would be a ‘so what” kind of thing- times have changed as far as behavior goes.
I like lyrics which show real feeling whether or not I agree with the sentiments.
I wld have walked in in a short skirt and told them where to stick it too.
*would
Wow I had no idea I was so passiinate about these rwo songs. Ode to Billy Joe speaks to my soul for some reason.
No question one of my 100 favorite so all time and more towards the top of the 100 than the bottom.
The nearest I can find nowadays I think is Eminem.
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