Early years
Gentry spent her childhood living with her father in Greenwood, Mississippi, where she attended elementary school and began teaching herself to play the guitar, the bass guitar, and the banjo. In her early teens, she moved to Palm Springs, California, to live with her mother, Ruby Bullington Streeter, graduating from Palm Springs High School in 1962. It was during this time that the teenage Roberta settled on the stage name "Bobbie Gentry," and began performing at local country clubs, encouraged by no less a Palm Springs celebrity than Bob Hope.
After a short career as a Las Vegas showgirl, Gentry moved to Los Angeles, attended UCLA (where she was a philosophy major) and worked clerical jobs while occasionally performing in local nightclubs. She later transferred to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music to hone her composition and performing skills.
Rise to fame
In 1967, Gentry recorded a demo and submitted it to Capitol Records executive Kelly Gordon, who quickly signed her to a recording contract and produced her first album. A 45 rpm "single" of two of her songs—"Mississippi Delta" and "Ode to Billie Joe"—was the first issue from this first effort, and even though "Mississippi Delta" was chosen for the "A" side, radio stations were quickly enamored with the quirky tale of Billie Joe McAllister and the mystery of his fate, as hauntingly performed and recorded on the "B" side. Bobbie Gentry had a monster hit on her hands, and Capitol Records had its newest superstar. Gentry went on to win three Grammy Awards that year, including "Best Vocal Performance by a Female", and "Best New Artist."
Gentry's follow-up albums, The Delta Sweete and Local Gentry, both produced by Gordon, were issued in 1968. Though critically acclaimed, neither album garnered the kinds of sales figures that were realized with Gentry's debut effort. The year 1968 also saw the release of an album of duets that paired Gentry with fellow Capitol alumnus Glen Campbell. Gentry and Campbell's harmonies resulted in a gold record and three hit singles, including a cover of the Everly Brothers hit "All I Have to Do Is Dream", which rose to No. 6 on the country charts in the winter of 1969.
Gentry toured briefly with Campbell and performed on a number of U.S. television programs and specials in the late 1960s. Her other notable singles include Doug Kershaw's composition "Louisiana Man" as well as a mellow version of a Burt Bacharach-Hal David song, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again". The latter went to No. 1 in Great Britain in 1970, a year after Dionne Warwick had a hit with it in the United States. 1970 also saw the release of another U.S. hit with the self-penned "Fancy," which rose to No. 26 on the Country chart and 31 on the Pop chart. (This enduring tale would later be covered with major success by Reba McEntire in 1991.)
Gentry would go on to record three more albums, while having earlier albums reissued under different titles. These last three albums, Touch 'Em with Love, Fancy, and the ambitious and highly regarded Patchwork, which consisted of all original material, were greeted enthusiastically by critics but, with the exception of the aforementioned title track to Fancy, failed to resonate with the public (though Gentry did generate a significant fan base in the United Kingdom).
Undaunted by declining record sales, Gentry sought other outlets for her creativity. She continued to write and perform, touring Europe and headlining a Las Vegas review in which she produced, choreographed, and wrote and arranged the music. In 1974, Gentry hosted a short-lived summer replacement variety show, The Bobbie Gentry Happiness Hour on CBS. The show, which served as her own version of Campbell's hit series The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, also on CBS, was not picked up for a full season. That same year, Gentry wrote and performed "Another Place, Another Time" for writer-director (and Beverly Hillbillies actor) Max Baer, Jr.'s film, Macon County Line. Baer would go on to direct a feature film take on Ode To Billy Joe, starring Robbie Benson, in which the mystery of Billie Joe's suicide is revealed as a part of the conflict between his love for Bobbie Lee Hartley and his emerging homosexuality.
By the middle 1970s, Gentry's sellability had waned significantly, and Capitol did not renew her contract. After some behind-the-scenes work in television production failed to hold her interests, Gentry decided to retire from show business. Her last public appearance as a performer was on Christmas night 1978, as a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She has deliberately remained out of the limelight ever since.
Personal life
She was married twice. The first, to casino magnate William F. Harrah in 1969, when she was 27 and he was 58, lasted only three months, a victim of her fame. The second, to novelty singer-songwriter Jim Stafford, ended in 1979, after only eleven months of marriage and the birth of a son, Tyler. The details of Gentry's personal life after her retirement are little known, but it is generally believed that she has settled into a happy life, and enjoys being a private citizen, unhindered by the scrutiny that fame brings. As of January 2003, she was living in Los Angeles County, California.
Reunion
Bobbie Gentry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can I mama, won't you please let me, mama can I, huh
That's the sweetest little dress, Sally where'd you get the pattern?
Made me one just like it out of yellow dotted swiss
Yes, I guess we got the earliest garden in the county
Beneath the strawberries are a heap of snappin greenbeans
(It's been so long since I saw you, Hows your family
Mama make Willie quit pulling at my hair!
Mama ouch! ouch! mama, just make Willie quit it!
Tommy, if ya don't put down that stick
I'm gonna wear you out with it, boy, be quick
Come quick, Sammy Jean stuck her finger in a Coke bottle
Can't get it out cause its stuck, stuck, stuck
(Dad finally had his operation
You know how he is at putting off things)
Now I told you my mama didn't raise no fool
I can do anything if I got the right tools
Mama can I huh, mama can I huh, huh
Can I mama, won't you please let me, mama can I, huh
The crops been failing, lord it sure is dry
You'd think that we'd a sprinkle by and by
(Family reunion)
Gonna tear you up, girl, gonna get a switchin'
Better tell your cousin that you're sorry that you hit her
(Abby MaGiunness in love with Aybel's oldest boy
It's opt to kill their ma)
If I told you once, it's been a thousand times
Quit askin' your uncles for nickels and dimes
Mama, make Willie quit it, pulling at my hair
Mama, ouch! ouch! mama, just make Willie quit it
I told you my mama didn't raise no fool
I can do anything if I got the right tools
(Family reunion)
Did it again, put her finger in a Coke bottle
Can't get it out cause it's stuck, stuck, stuck
(I heard this mornin' they dropped the Tallahatchie river
And found poor Billie gone)
Ah, a little head cold, that's all ya have
You fix it right up with a jar of Vic's salve
It's the first time ever that the family's been together
It's so nice that we all get along so well
(Family reunion)
He's got the money, you'd think that he'd try
And do something for his mama before she died
Now I don't mean to criticize your cookin', no I don't
But I think that ya could add a little bit of pepper
(Harvey, I'd love to have your recipe, is that the cake you served last Sunday)
I told you my mama didn't raise no fool
I can do anything if I got the right tools
Mama, make Willie quit, bitin' at me!
Mama, ouch! ouch! mama, just make Willie quit it!
Why yes, I guess
And don't ya look nice in your Sunday dress?
Doesn't Sally look tacky in her silly little dress?
You can see that she just doesn't know no better
(Can you imagine, she let her daughter Rosalie
Go off to Memphis by herself)
Mama, can I huh, mama can I huh, huh
Can I, mama, won't you please let me, mama can I, huh
Bobbie Gentry's "Reunion" goes through a series of disconnected conversations at a family gathering. The song was written by Gentry and produced by Kelly Gordon in 1968. In the beginning, a child asks her mother for permission to wear a dress, leading to a conversation between the mother and another family member about the pattern. The lyrics then give details about different crops and the characters’ lives, with a mention of a dropped river and a missing person. The family's dysfunctional dynamics are hinted at in the lyrics as well, with siblings fighting and one cousin hitting another.
Through the unconnected conversations, the song captures the energy of family reunions where people see the same faces year after year, but never really know each other any better. It's up to the listener to make sense of the different conversations and piece together what is happening at the reunion, creating a sense of depth to the song. "Reunion" can also be interpreted as a commentary on the complexity of interpersonal relationships and the desire for connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama, can I huh, mama, can I huh, huh
Asking the mother if she can do something
Can I mama, won't you please let me, mama can I, huh
Continued request to the mother to allow her to do something
That's the sweetest little dress, Sally where'd you get the pattern?
Commenting on the dress Sally is wearing
Made me one just like it out of yellow dotted swiss
Saying that she made a similar dress
Yes, I guess we got the earliest garden in the county
Talking about having the earliest garden
Beneath the strawberries are a heap of snappin greenbeans
Describing what is grown in the garden
(It's been so long since I saw you, Hows your family
Asking about someone's family whom she hasn't seen for a long time
Too bad about your boy)
Expressing regret for bad things happening to someone's son
Mama make Willie quit pulling at my hair!
Asking the mother to stop Willie from pulling her hair
Mama ouch! ouch! mama, just make Willie quit it!
Experiencing pain and insisting Willie should stop
Tommy, if ya don't put down that stick
Warning Tommy to put down the stick he is holding
I'm gonna wear you out with it, boy, be quick
Threatening to discipline Tommy if he doesn't act quickly
Come quick, Sammy Jean stuck her finger in a Coke bottle
Urging someone to come help Sammy Jean with a problem
Can't get it out cause its stuck, stuck, stuck
Explaining the problem Sammy Jean is having
(Dad finally had his operation
Mentioning that someone's dad had an operation
You know how he is at putting off things)
Commenting on someone's dad's tendency to put things off
Now I told you my mama didn't raise no fool
Asserting that she is not foolish
I can do anything if I got the right tools
Saying she can do anything if she has the necessary tools
The crops been failing, lord it sure is dry
Commenting on how dry the weather has been and its effect on crops
You'd think that we'd a sprinkle by and by
Expressing surprise that there hasn't been any rain
(Family reunion)
Referring to a family reunion
Gonna tear you up, girl, gonna get a switchin'
Threatening to discipline someone
Better tell your cousin that you're sorry that you hit her
Advising someone to apologize for hitting a cousin
(Abby MaGiunness in love with Aybel's oldest boy
Mentioning Abby's romantic interest in someone
It's opt to kill their ma)
Suggesting that Abby's interest in someone could lead to problems in the family
If I told you once, it's been a thousand times
Emphasizing that she has said something many times before
Quit askin' your uncles for nickels and dimes
Advising someone to stop asking uncles for money
Mama, make Willie quit it, pulling at my hair
Asking the mother to help with Willie's behavior
Mama, ouch! ouch! mama, just make Willie quit it
Experiencing pain and insisting Willie needs to stop
Did it again, put her finger in a Coke bottle
Referring to Sammy Jean getting her finger stuck again
Can't get it out cause it's stuck, stuck, stuck
Explaining the repeated problem with the Coke bottle
(I heard this mornin' they dropped the Tallahatchie river
Referring to news she heard about Tallahatchie river
And found poor Billie gone)
Mentioning that someone named Billie is missing
Ah, a little head cold, that's all ya have
Commenting on someone having a minor cold
You fix it right up with a jar of Vic's salve
Suggesting a remedy for the cold
It's the first time ever that the family's been together
Noting that the family is together for the first time
It's so nice that we all get along so well
Expressing happiness about the family getting along
(Family reunion)
Referring to a family reunion again
He's got the money, you'd think that he'd try
Commenting on someone having money and not using it to help a family member
And do something for his mama before she died
Suggesting that someone should do something for their mother while she is still alive
Now I don't mean to criticize your cookin', no I don't
Prefacing a criticism with a disclaimer
But I think that ya could add a little bit of pepper
Suggesting a way to improve the food being eaten
(Harvey, I'd love to have your recipe, is that the cake you served last Sunday)
Requesting a recipe and commenting on a cake that was served
Mama, make Willie quit, bitin' at me!
Asking the mother to help with Willie's behavior again
Mama, ouch! ouch! mama, just make Willie quit it!
Experiencing pain and insisting Willie needs to stop again
Why yes, I guess
Agreeing with something
And don't ya look nice in your Sunday dress?
Complimenting someone's appearance
Doesn't Sally look tacky in her silly little dress?
Making a negative comment about Sally's dress
You can see that she just doesn't know no better
Implying that Sally may not have good taste in clothing
(Can you imagine, she let her daughter Rosalie
Expressing shock about something Sally did with her daughter
Go off to Memphis by herself)
Finishing the statement about what Sally let her daughter do
Mama, can I huh, mama can I huh, huh
Asking the mother about doing something again
Can I, mama, won't you please let me, mama can I, huh
Continuing to ask for the mother's permission
Writer(s): Bobbie Gentry
Contributed by Dominic E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.