Singer songwriter Tom T. Hall has said "Harper Valley P.T.A." is based on a true story from his childhood in Olive Hill, Ky. He says that single mom was "a free spirit" who challenged the small town's social conventions. She too showed up at a PTA meeting and berated the members for their "indiscretions" and hypocrisy.
My mom was from Olive Hill, Betty Joan Gee. But she left in the late 50s to marry my dad, a Manchester England type. He used to love visiting Kentucky. Small world. 😂😂
Sooo I can’t say for certain but I was told by my mother and grandmother that my granny might have been the mom in the song my mother was raised in Olive Hill though my grandmother wasn’t a widow she was a divorcee and my own mother was asked to leave the high school due to being with child and according to them granny lost her shit at the school meeting and had done it a few times in town when someone would make a comment about my mom supposedly Tom t hall was standing near by when she let loose on some ass hat
Guy I knew in High School. He was on the wrestling team. Raised by a single mom. And mom was *known* to be "loose". Never missed a date. Loved a party. Slept around. You know the type. She also never missed a PTA meeting. Never missed a school function. Never missed a wrestling match. Guy was on the honor roll. Never got in trouble and never missed a meal.
My dad said he hung out with Tom. They would hitchhike to Grayson, Ky. Tom would play the piano at the radio station. They would go to a house where he would play the piano while her husband was a pastor and when he would leave she would tell Tom play some boogie woogie .lol if more than that happened my dad never said. The two did meet up again when Olive Hill did for a while summer shows honoring Tom.
@@georgettawalker8617 A friend of mine knew Tom T. and Charlie Sizemore (bluegrass singer). She said she once went to party with Tom T. and Charlie. They had moon pies, Vienna sausage, and moonshine. That would have been over in Magoffin County, KY.
The line about the Mrs. Needing a lot of ice while her husband is away makes more sense if you know that ice was still being delivered at that time (by really strong men).
Haha. Well I didn’t know that was the line until now! 😁 I always thought she said Mrs. Taylor uses alot of “eyes” whenever he’s away. Meaning while hubby is away, she is winking (and flirting) at a lot of guys. Thanks for clearing that up. lol.
Written by legendary country singer songwriter Tom T. Hall about an experience he observed with a class mate’s mother in the 1940’s.. Barbara Eden (I Dream Of Jeannie) played the part of Stella Johnson in the 1978 Movie 🎥
80s kid here. Raised by a single mom (RIP) & I totally related to the daughter. People called my mom all kinds of things. That "loose woman" raised me to love myself enough to focus on education & getting out of poverty. She also knew the hypocrites...
Tom T. Hall wrote it based on something he had witnessed as a child in Olive Hill, Kentucky, in the 40s. The mother of one of Hall's classmates had drawn the ire of local school board members for her "modern ways" - the school taking it all out on her daughter. The mother gave them a hard dose of back-at-ya, something that just wasn't done, at the time.
Country music has always produced women singers who weren't afraid to "tell the truth" in their music. Jeannie C Riley confronted hypocrisy, Loretta Lynn praised The Pill, and Dolly Parton sang about the working woman. Their (and other women's) music was real life about strong women.
@toniblinson1652 I prefer the video with clips from movie. When Barbara Eden marches into that room... reaction smackdown. Thanks for listening! Amazing storytelling by Jeanne C
In 1970 they didn't want high school girls to wear pants because they'd be too distracting to the teachers and other students. When I was a senior in high school, 1971, they finally allowed us to wear slacks. They had be be part of a 3 piece suit, no jeans, etc. The reason we got to wear pants was because a bunch of us showed pictures we managed to take (no cell phones in the oldie days) of male teachers staring under the desks-- up skirting. The teachers were never admonished, of course, because it was the girls fault.
My grandma who grew up in the 50s was a wildcard. The only picture we have of her in a dress is their wedding photo. She always wore pants. All through my childhood she wore jeans and a sweatshirt. She was always wild and marched to her own drum
LOVE this song and the way she calls everyone out!!!!!!!! My son is 32 now; when he was in first grade, I worked full time (still do!) but thought I'd join the PTA to do the do it all Mom thing; I went to one meeting and never went back; couldn't stand the women; petty, petty petty. I determined my time was better spent at home with my son, lol!!!
Great! This is my karaoke song. No matter how much I drank I always remembered every word. Probably sounded like a cat being strangled, but I enjoyed myself.
@@michelle88960 This was the only song I sang at karaoke bc it's mostly talking really and I can't carry a tune in a bucket. When my daughter was about 3 months old I was singing her a lullaby and she literally scrunched up her face, turned her head away, and reached her hand up twds me as if to say no. Lmao. I never tried again.
If you want some more old school songs to listen to, I recommend these ones my dad listens to on occasion. *Big bad John by Jimmy Dean *Bad Bad Leeroy Brown by Jim Croce *Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford (popularized by Johnny Cash and has so many amazing covers, including one by Geoff from voiceplay) *The battle of New Orleans sung by Johnny Horton These are just I can remember off the top of my head. lol
@@lindalightfoot9837 Girl !!!!! You were cool. Mine were white and walking home from school one day we crossed thru a field and a mouse climbed up my boot and then down inside. You never saw a boot fly so high in the air. My brother wanted to stomp him but I stopped him. Lol.
I always disliked country music, but when this song came out!!!! I was about 5 & THIS SONG ROCKED!!!! Now, as an old woman over 60, I still laugh & enjoy this song as much as I did as a child. And Jeannie's voice was just perfection. I will love this song till the day I leave this world behind. Thank you Ms. Riley for many good memories & this song. 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
For CONTEXT OF THIS SONG to be fully understood, in 60s-80s, PTAs often acted like they were the 'unofficial' School Board, & not just a voluteer "conference" organization as a school's forum to get parents involved in activies & to improve grades with suggestions to teachers (not filtered by the Official School Board) & feedback from teachers.
BP your facial expressions crack me up! Love watching you react to songs I’ve heard my whole life knowing they are not going to go the direction you think. Lol
Love this song! My Mama was active in the PTA, and while she didn't, she could have rocked a mini skirt way up in her 70's, lol. And she had my back from hell to breakfast!
Not Only was this a HUGE hit on the pop and country charts in the day .. But a few years after it made a landslide on the billboard charts . They made a movie about the story with the same name ."The Harper Valley PTA" . Ms Riley's song of course was part of the soundtrack. My mother LOVE that song and literally cheered the first time she heard it .
1968 in a small town in Oregon it was my 😊Momma and us three girls. My Dad was on the USS Ranger in Vietnam and my Mom was treated this way. I was 6 and remember it clearly. This was our theme song until the day Momma passed. She “socked” it to them too. Years later, me her daughter, served for 20 yrs and retired from the Navy. I couldn’t have done it without the grit my Momma taught me. Thank you for this memory ❤
@@DanelleWilburn I love your mom taught you what real respect is about. I have 3 daughters too and I'm proud of how they stand. Taught em to be kind but also to take no shiii
She was widowed, means her husband died! It is based on a true story, not hers, but writer Tom T. Hall! Jeannie is my favorite all time singer, an awesome rabbit hole to go down. She has another song called "Satan Place" that is similar to this one, you'll love it! Then I'll give you many more if you want them! I loved your reaction!
Thank you for mentioning the go go boots! BP, if you haven't yet listened to, These Boots were made for Walking. You'll love that song! Multi artist covers, pick any one!! Take care
Reminds me of the old southern saying, "The higher the hair, the closer to God." Yes, Jeannie C. Riley was a country singer. A fair number of country songs were crossover hits in the '60s and got airplay on the Top 40's stations. Everybody knew them. Dresses in the '60s were not "to the ankles" they were about knee length or just below the knee. Then miniskirts came into fashion about the mid-1960s, and they were scandalous within the mainstream conservative society.
I would not be surprised if Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and Bobbie Gentry were some of her influences. I love love this song. She was a widow, and really who the hell was the PTA to be saying *anything* about how she raised her kid.
"Sink the Bismarck," by Johnny Horton also. "North to Alaska" was also a huge John Wayne film that Johnny Horton sang the theme song for. Another one you should check out is "El Paso," by Marty Robbins.
Thanks so very much for reacting to this song. It brings back many memories of my childhood. I would sit in my bedroom with an actual record player. Yes, they had those back in the day. Lol. I would sing as loud as I could. Over and over again. You just made my day. 😊😊😊😊
I'm so very glad you did this one! I knew you'd love it! ❤ They did a whole movie on it starring Barbara Eden. It's a great movie check it out sometime. 🙌🤗
Yes, the song "Harper Valley P.T.A." is based on a true story from the childhood of songwriter Tom T. Hall: The story The song is about a single mother who challenges the social conventions of her small town by attending a PTA meeting in a miniskirt and calling out the hypocrisy of the members. The inspiration Hall was inspired by a woman he knew as a child in Olive Hill, Kentucky, who was a single mother who stood up to the local aristocracy. The name Hall got the name of the school, Harper Valley Junior High, after driving past Harpeth Valley Elementary School in Bellevue, Tennessee. The song was recorded by Jeannie C. Riley in 1968 and was a number-one hit on both the Billboard Country and Pop charts. It was adapted into a 1978 film and a TV series that aired on NBC from 1981 to 1982.
Jeannie C. Riley had a great career, and yes, she is mostly considered country. This song, however, was a mega-hit of a crossover. And I mean mega. Everybody knew it and it's a true classic! Thanks for reacting to it.
Tom T. Hall wrote the song based on a real experience from his childhood. I'm glad he gave it to Jeannie C. Riley to make such an iconic musical statement though. Jeannie's voice and delivery was perfect and I'm sure Tom just couldn't do it justice in those go-go boots 🤣.
This song comes up on our playlist, the windows go down, and the volume goes up. Just because her momma was a widow doesn't mean she is weak and not able to stand up for herself and her family!
Amazing how the PTA jumped from wearing a miniskirt became a "loose woman". Funny how everyone here did the same, too. Yet friends of mine wore all the "fashions" but were "good girls" while "correctly dressed" girls did lots of stuff - put make-up on on the bus (& took off at last bell), rolled their skirts, unbuttoned a few buttons, did the "huggy kissy" anywhere away from parents... (Some going "away to see an aunt for some months.) And like Jeanne C. Riley sang, it leveled up to the adults: fashionable but morally conservative women and some whose clothing would meet Gram's approval but EVERYBODY knew about them... Some did have to move out of town b/c of pregnancy & some moved into town who weren't really "war widows w/ babies getting a new start". Loved the line about the widow who "should be told to keep her blinds completely down" that was a woman in our neighborhood whose bedroom was on same side as all the boys' rooms!😂 I guess that's what made this song so popular: 1. the unfair judgement of a (possible) innocent & 2. that there were all these "judgemental but guilty themselves" people in every town.
This song was based on a true story I think of the song writer I think it was his true story... Also Jeannie c Riley came out years later with an updated version "return to Harper valley"... With upgraded lyrics❤ huge hit back when I was a teenager...
Jeannie C. Riley became a Christian in the middle 70s. She then sang gospel music. Almost 20 yrs later, Jeannie recorded "Return to Harper Valley. " She asked Tom T. Hall to write a song about what happened to everyone in Harper Valley. It's a good song also. Tom T has written a lot of great songs for himself & other artist. "I like beer," "Old dogs, children and watermelon wine," "I love," " l remember the year that Clayton Delaney died,"
What's the ERA gonna give us that we don't already have? Now if you want to push for that in the Middle East where it's really needed - please be careful
Ah yeah, southern 60's kid here. I knew this song word for word when i was a kid, and Delta Dawn by Tonya Tucker too. I had family who resembled this song... 😅😉
This was a huge hit for Jeannie C. Riley on both country & pop charts. Radio stations back in the day played a mix of lots of different genres. Sadly, now all the stations are one lane (alll hip-hop, alll classical, etc.). So many younger generations simply aren't exposed to all the varying kinds of music. Thanks for playing this & your comments.
In the 60s, dresses came nowhere near your ankles. We wore them as short as we could get away with. This song was released in 1968. She has big hair, and we were getting our skirt length measured at HS. No shorter than 7 inches from mid knee. But being only 5 feet tall, I could usually get away with skirts 9 inches from mid knee. No Maxie's, or midis in sight back then.
I believe especially the preachers who do wrong is going to bust hell wide open. Love the video and thank you for your hard work. Love you and keep safe. Take care of your beautiful family.
I'm only 12 minutes into the reaction, when he paused to comment - and I'm just like OOOoooo, That Momma is about to SERVE SOME TEA to that whole snobby PTA !!! I just KNOW it!
😊❤ Hi Black P! 😅 I have always loved this song!! Love your reaction!! 🥰 I was born in 1961. But because I had older brothers and a sister, I was exposed to a lot very young. I can remember the 60's being a time of contradiction. Yes the era is known for the hippie movement, drugs and psychedelic Rock. But remember that all those young people had family that were still mentally in the 50's; which was all about keeping up appearances. 😉 Social changes take longer than most people realize. 😊 Luv ya! 😊❤❤
Love it, haven't heard this song in at least 3 decades. Thanks for the memories. The writer of this song Tom Hall wrote this song based on a story he heard when he was a kid about a lady in his town.
Tom T. Hall is a real story teller, he wrote this inspired by an actual event. You should check him out. The Great East Lubbock Onion Festival also introduces Joe Ely and you should check them and Mac Davis out. All this ties to Lubbock Texas and another great artist Buddy Holley
I can remember when this song first was released back in 1968 I think it was & it was quite the sensation. OMG, a woman, a WO-MAN told off the P.T.A.! *gasp & clutch them pearls* The song was a huge hit. Hats off to the song writer, Tom T. Hall, for writing this "eff you" song. I've always loved it. And it was, for sure, an "eff you" song.
This song was so .... Right for it's time. Even up in the 70's the hypocrisy, racism, class divide and judgement of others was so intense that she hit the nail on the head with this song. It's not only a song, but a bit of a trip back in time to what it was like when the song was released. Many times in history, the U.S. has gone through these phases. and you may relate to the one about Rap music when it first broke into popular music. Many of the adults of the time thougth RAP was causing the ills of society.
I met Jeannie c. Riley couple years ago. And we got to talking about that song and I asked her if it was a true story. She laughed and said no. It's not a true story. Tom t. Hall wrote it but man if it was that would been a hoot. She is such a beautiful woman still and such a kind soul.
I showed my 11 y.o. grandson this reaction video yesterday and he loved it. I had to give some definitions tho: mini dress, ice man, sock it to the pta, steel guitar (X Dobbro), Peyton Place. Thanks BP!
Years ago, when I was in the seventh grade, I sang this song at our school's talent contest and won first prize. Tickets to Libertyland in Memphis, Tenn. for me and my family.
This was my grandma's favorite song. She was just as wild as the woman in the song. She wouldn't take people's 💩. We have stories of her getting revenge on people that pissed her off
I grew up hearing a widow referred to as a "widda wumman". And we weren't anywhere NEAR the South! Hey, I'm just glad this song provided single moms with a new perspective....
Singer songwriter Tom T. Hall has said "Harper Valley P.T.A." is based on a true story from his childhood in Olive Hill, Ky. He says that single mom was "a free spirit" who challenged the small town's social conventions. She too showed up at a PTA meeting and berated the members for their "indiscretions" and hypocrisy.
I was coming to say exactly this 💯 😊
Olive Hill is exit 161 or 165 on 64 in Kentucky! Drive past it twice a week.
My mom was from Olive Hill, Betty Joan Gee. But she left in the late 50s to marry my dad, a Manchester England type. He used to love visiting Kentucky. Small world. 😂😂
I never knew it was based on a true story, but I loved watching the show back in the day!
Sooo I can’t say for certain but I was told by my mother and grandmother that my granny might have been the mom in the song my mother was raised in Olive Hill though my grandmother wasn’t a widow she was a divorcee and my own mother was asked to leave the high school due to being with child and according to them granny lost her shit at the school meeting and had done it a few times in town when someone would make a comment about my mom supposedly Tom t hall was standing near by when she let loose on some ass hat
In 1968 it was the first single recorded by a woman to hit #1 on Billboard’s country and pop charts, and won both a Grammy and a CMA award.
Yep! And ten years later it was a movie! Always loved this ❤❤
Wow crazy awesome
I remember! This came across my feed and I had to watch because I love the song!
@Denise-pn1tj they also made it into a TV show, briefly.
@ I’ve heard that. I never watched it. Must have came out when I was too busy running around to watch tv.
Guy I knew in High School. He was on the wrestling team. Raised by a single mom. And mom was *known* to be "loose". Never missed a date. Loved a party. Slept around. You know the type.
She also never missed a PTA meeting. Never missed a school function. Never missed a wrestling match. Guy was on the honor roll. Never got in trouble and never missed a meal.
My dad said he hung out with Tom. They would hitchhike to Grayson, Ky. Tom would play the piano at the radio station. They would go to a house where he would play the piano while her husband was a pastor and when he would leave she would tell Tom play some boogie woogie .lol if more than that happened my dad never said. The two did meet up again when Olive Hill did for a while summer shows honoring Tom.
@@georgettawalker8617 A friend of mine knew Tom T. and Charlie Sizemore (bluegrass singer). She said she once went to party with Tom T. and Charlie. They had moon pies, Vienna sausage, and moonshine. That would have been over in Magoffin County, KY.
@@randybryant4329 Must have run out of RC Cola. 🙂
@@danielallen3454 I've met people like that before a guy I grew up with always got the milf jokes about his mom
You gotta watch the movie!
The line about the Mrs. Needing a lot of ice while her husband is away makes more sense if you know that ice was still being delivered at that time (by really strong men).
Haha. Well I didn’t know that was the line until now! 😁 I always thought she said Mrs. Taylor uses alot of “eyes” whenever he’s away. Meaning while hubby is away, she is winking (and flirting) at a lot of guys. Thanks for clearing that up. lol.
Thanks for explaining the meaning of that line😅😊
@@suebee418- I always thought the same thing. The days of being young I guess
I always thought it meant she drank a lot when he was gone.... 😂😂
I've also read that "ice" was supposed to refer to diamonds, indicating that she dressed up more when he was away.
Written by legendary country singer songwriter Tom T. Hall about an experience he observed with a class mate’s mother in the 1940’s..
Barbara Eden (I Dream Of Jeannie) played the part of Stella Johnson in the 1978 Movie 🎥
What's the name of the movie?
@@Tyler-g5l ua-cam.com/video/SBR9WYojYRU/v-deo.html
@@Tyler-g5l Harper Valley PTA
There was also a TV Series that ran from '81 to '82.
thanks guys I never knew this song was turned into a TV show / movie, kind of like a modern equivalent of Peyton place
@@Tyler-g5l " Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978)
She called them out so good, gets me every time.
Same
80s kid here. Raised by a single mom (RIP) & I totally related to the daughter. People called my mom all kinds of things. That "loose woman" raised me to love myself enough to focus on education & getting out of poverty. She also knew the hypocrites...
Your mum sounds like an amazing lady!
I remember, raised in a small town and they said horrible things about my divorced mom. She showed them we both graduated college. Me and her
Tom T. Hall wrote it based on something he had witnessed as a child in Olive Hill, Kentucky, in the 40s. The mother of one of Hall's classmates had drawn the ire of local school board members for her "modern ways" - the school taking it all out on her daughter. The mother gave them a hard dose of back-at-ya, something that just wasn't done, at the time.
Country music has always produced women singers who weren't afraid to "tell the truth" in their music. Jeannie C Riley confronted hypocrisy, Loretta Lynn praised The Pill, and Dolly Parton sang about the working woman. Their (and other women's) music was real life about strong women.
I wonder if he knows Dolly Parton wrote and sang the I will always love you, she wrote about Porter Wagner?
Got to mention Patsy Cline and June Carter
In the late 70's there was a movie Harper valley PTA starring Barbra Eden it was filmed at my high school Lutheran High school in burbank
@toniblinson1652 I prefer the video with clips from movie. When Barbara Eden marches into that room... reaction smackdown. Thanks for listening! Amazing storytelling by Jeanne C
In 1970 they didn't want high school girls to wear pants because they'd be too distracting to the teachers and other students. When I was a senior in high school, 1971, they finally allowed us to wear slacks. They had be be part of a 3 piece suit, no jeans, etc. The reason we got to wear pants was because a bunch of us showed pictures we managed to take (no cell phones in the oldie days) of male teachers staring under the desks-- up skirting. The teachers were never admonished, of course, because it was the girls fault.
yes. I lived those days. Those ugly pants suits!
In my school the married basketball coach was sleeping with 16 student. No one said a word. This was 1974
My grandma who grew up in the 50s was a wildcard. The only picture we have of her in a dress is their wedding photo. She always wore pants. All through my childhood she wore jeans and a sweatshirt. She was always wild and marched to her own drum
Yep, I remember finally being able to wear pants suits to high school.
Yep, in the 80's I had a teacher who put the girls who liked to wear short skirts in the front row by the second semester of Freshman year.
LOVE this song and the way she calls everyone out!!!!!!!! My son is 32 now; when he was in first grade, I worked full time (still do!) but thought I'd join the PTA to do the do it all Mom thing; I went to one meeting and never went back; couldn't stand the women; petty, petty petty. I determined my time was better spent at home with my son, lol!!!
Good for you!
Great! This is my karaoke song. No matter how much I drank I always remembered every word. Probably sounded like a cat being strangled, but I enjoyed myself.
It sounds like we had the same singing teacher, and he lived in a glass!😂
😂As long as you had fun doesn't matter
😂
Hahaha. Doesn’t matter! You sang!
@@michelle88960 This was the only song I sang at karaoke bc it's mostly talking really and I can't carry a tune in a bucket.
When my daughter was about 3 months old I was singing her a lullaby and she literally scrunched up her face, turned her head away, and reached her hand up twds me as if to say no.
Lmao. I never tried again.
If you want some more old school songs to listen to, I recommend these ones my dad listens to on occasion.
*Big bad John by Jimmy Dean
*Bad Bad Leeroy Brown by Jim Croce
*Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford (popularized by Johnny Cash and has so many amazing covers, including one by Geoff from voiceplay)
*The battle of New Orleans sung by Johnny Horton
These are just I can remember off the top of my head. lol
16 tons of original a Merle Travis tune who was the hot guitarist before Chet Atkins actually inspired a lot of to Atkins
The cover that Geoff Castalucci did is absolutely fire!
ALL of these. 100%.
I haven't thought about the Battle of New Orleans in decades!! I loved that song as a kid.
Excellent songs!! Add Teddy Bear by Red Sovine
Classic. 😁This song always makes me happy. "The day my mama socked it to the Harper Valley PTA" still gives me chills and an internal "YES!!" 😂👊
There's facts, and there's truth. This song is three chords and the truth. Written by the late great Tom T. Hall.
Shoutout to that amazing steel guitar player!
A heavy metal guitarist born a generation too soon. Magnificent job. The song would be much poorer without his playing.
Dobro rather than a pedal steel
She was spilling all of the tea!!
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Still valid today.
It can be really interesting to watch how things play out in the game of judgment and mirrors. 😉
Those white "Gogo boots" were really popular
Mine were powder blue.
@@lindalightfoot9837 Girl !!!!! You were cool. Mine were white and walking home from school one day we crossed thru a field and a mouse climbed up my boot and then down inside. You never saw a boot fly so high in the air. My brother wanted to stomp him but I stopped him. Lol.
You betcha! I had 2 pairs ~ ♡
the ice reference - ice was delivered to homes as requested - always by men - that is why Mrs. Taylor also requested more ice when hubby was away
I thought the reason for using all that ice was because of drinking all day every day.
@@AngelaGoodwin-fh6fw And/or entertaining gentleman callers. lol
@@danmonges1539 Makes sense, lol!
She was getting friendly with the ice delivery guy …..
I thought it was for the alcohol she's chugging. You do learn new things, all the time.
Yes, this is definitely based on a true story, & was written by Tom T. Hall, a country singer(Luv this song from my childhood) 😊
As I understand it, Tom T. said that every song he wrote had some truth to it. The Storyteller.
I always disliked country music, but when this song came out!!!! I was about 5 & THIS SONG ROCKED!!!! Now, as an old woman over 60, I still laugh & enjoy this song as much as I did as a child. And Jeannie's voice was just perfection. I will love this song till the day I leave this world behind. Thank you Ms. Riley for many good memories & this song. 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
For CONTEXT OF THIS SONG to be fully understood, in 60s-80s, PTAs often acted like they were the 'unofficial' School Board, & not just a voluteer "conference" organization as a school's forum to get parents involved in activies & to improve grades with suggestions to teachers (not filtered by the Official School Board) & feedback from teachers.
They absolutely did in the 70's, and my parents didn't put up with it for 2 seconds.
Well,it is 2024 and many schools across the country are reverting back to this sanctimonious, judging others mentality.
BP your facial expressions crack me up! Love watching you react to songs I’ve heard my whole life knowing they are not going to go the direction you think. Lol
Love this song! My Mama was active in the PTA, and while she didn't, she could have rocked a mini skirt way up in her 70's, lol. And she had my back from hell to breakfast!
here's to remembering the music of past (that i grew up with), a fun one for you ray stevens the streak 1974...
Not Only was this a HUGE hit on the pop and country charts in the day .. But a few years after it made a landslide on the billboard charts . They made a movie about the story with the same name ."The Harper Valley PTA" . Ms Riley's song of course was part of the soundtrack. My mother LOVE that song and literally cheered the first time she heard it .
I remember this song from my childhood. Always one of my favorites.
1968 in a small town in Oregon it was my 😊Momma and us three girls. My Dad was on the USS Ranger in Vietnam and my Mom was treated this way. I was 6 and remember it clearly. This was our theme song until the day Momma passed. She “socked” it to them too. Years later, me her daughter, served for 20 yrs and retired from the Navy. I couldn’t have done it without the grit my Momma taught me. Thank you for this memory ❤
😍❤❤❤
@@DanelleWilburn I love your mom taught you what real respect is about. I have 3 daughters too and I'm proud of how they stand. Taught em to be kind but also to take no shiii
Thank you for your service. 🇺🇲😊
She was widowed, means her husband died! It is based on a true story, not hers, but writer Tom T. Hall! Jeannie is my favorite all time singer, an awesome rabbit hole to go down. She has another song called "Satan Place" that is similar to this one, you'll love it! Then I'll give you many more if you want them! I loved your reaction!
60s things were a time of huge transition. Mini skirts, wild jewelry, go go boots! It was fun!
Thank you for mentioning the go go boots! BP, if you haven't yet listened to, These Boots were made for Walking. You'll love that song! Multi artist covers, pick any one!! Take care
Reminds me of the old southern saying, "The higher the hair, the closer to God." Yes, Jeannie C. Riley was a country singer. A fair number of country songs were crossover hits in the '60s and got airplay on the Top 40's stations. Everybody knew them. Dresses in the '60s were not "to the ankles" they were about knee length or just below the knee. Then miniskirts came into fashion about the mid-1960s, and they were scandalous within the mainstream conservative society.
"The End of the World," by Skeeter Davis was one of my all-time favorites as a kid.
I would not be surprised if Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and Bobbie Gentry were some of her influences. I love love this song. She was a widow, and really who the hell was the PTA to be saying *anything* about how she raised her kid.
These little gems are the best!
My mom was a widow and Mrs Johnson. This was a hit when my sister and I were in school, my mom 😂😂hated this song so much
Huge hit and gave women power.
I still play this song on my guitar and sing it. And ode to Billy Joe.
"Sink the Bismarck," by Johnny Horton also.
"North to Alaska" was also a huge John Wayne film that Johnny Horton sang the theme song for.
Another one you should check out is "El Paso," by Marty Robbins.
Thanks so very much for reacting to this song. It brings back many memories of my childhood. I would sit in my bedroom with an actual record player. Yes, they had those back in the day. Lol. I would sing as loud as I could. Over and over again. You just made my day. 😊😊😊😊
I'm so very glad you did this one! I knew you'd love it! ❤ They did a whole movie on it starring Barbara Eden. It's a great movie check it out sometime. 🙌🤗
I agree - check out the movie sometime if you can!
Such a beauty and she delivered this song perfectly
This is one of my ALL time favorite songs!
Thank You! 💖
I LOVE this song! My mom would and did do stuff like this. Nothing more fierce than a southern mama done wrong!😂
Yes, the song "Harper Valley P.T.A." is based on a true story from the childhood of songwriter Tom T. Hall:
The story
The song is about a single mother who challenges the social conventions of her small town by attending a PTA meeting in a miniskirt and calling out the hypocrisy of the members.
The inspiration
Hall was inspired by a woman he knew as a child in Olive Hill, Kentucky, who was a single mother who stood up to the local aristocracy.
The name
Hall got the name of the school, Harper Valley Junior High, after driving past Harpeth Valley Elementary School in Bellevue, Tennessee.
The song was recorded by Jeannie C. Riley in 1968 and was a number-one hit on both the Billboard Country and Pop charts. It was adapted into a 1978 film and a TV series that aired on NBC from 1981 to 1982.
The 1960s was the decade that changed everything. Rowan and Martins Laugh-In introduced mini skirts and go-go boots. ❤
They also popularized the phrase "Sock it to me!" so the mother could sock it to the P.T.A.
I saw this come up on your channel and decided to join 😂. I've been watching about a year, but I'm crew now 🤟
welcome aboard!!!
Love this particular video of this song. That dobro player killed it!
Jeannie C Riley's performance was from Hee Haw that Black Pegasus viewed this song from. I recognized the set.
I’ve never heard this song! ❤ Thanks BP!
Jeannie C. Riley had a great career, and yes, she is mostly considered country. This song, however, was a mega-hit of a crossover. And I mean mega. Everybody knew it and it's a true classic! Thanks for reacting to it.
Tom T. Hall wrote the song based on a real experience from his childhood. I'm glad he gave it to Jeannie C. Riley to make such an iconic musical statement though. Jeannie's voice and delivery was perfect and I'm sure Tom just couldn't do it justice in those go-go boots 🤣.
This song comes up on our playlist, the windows go down, and the volume goes up. Just because her momma was a widow doesn't mean she is weak and not able to stand up for herself and her family!
There is a movie made off this song starring TV sitcom star Barbara Eden.
My daughter is a year and a half, she loves this song and tippy toeing by Loretta. It's an awesome song! Great video 😊
I remember this song being the theme of a movie. Cute song. 😊
I knew you would not keep a straight face on this one. Love it and you have a blessed day.
1970s film was made based on this- starring ' Dream of Jeannie' star Barbara Eden.
Really?? I have to watch it tonight lol 😊
Really?? I have to watch it tonight lol 😊
Amazing how the PTA jumped from wearing a miniskirt became a "loose woman". Funny how everyone here did the same, too. Yet friends of mine wore all the "fashions" but were "good girls" while "correctly dressed" girls did lots of stuff - put make-up on on the bus (& took off at last bell), rolled their skirts, unbuttoned a few buttons, did the "huggy kissy" anywhere away from parents... (Some going "away to see an aunt for some months.)
And like Jeanne C. Riley sang, it leveled up to the adults: fashionable but morally conservative women and some whose clothing would meet Gram's approval but EVERYBODY knew about them... Some did have to move out of town b/c of pregnancy & some moved into town who weren't really "war widows w/ babies getting a new start".
Loved the line about the widow who "should be told to keep her blinds completely down" that was a woman in our neighborhood whose bedroom was on same side as all the boys' rooms!😂
I guess that's what made this song so popular: 1. the unfair judgement of a (possible) innocent & 2. that there were all these "judgemental but guilty themselves" people in every town.
This song was based on a true story I think of the song writer I think it was his true story...
Also Jeannie c Riley came out years later with an updated version "return to Harper valley"... With upgraded lyrics❤ huge hit back when I was a teenager...
Jeannie C. Riley became a Christian in the middle 70s. She then sang gospel music. Almost 20 yrs later, Jeannie recorded "Return to Harper Valley. "
She asked Tom T. Hall to write a song about what happened to everyone in Harper Valley. It's a good song also.
Tom T has written a lot of great songs for himself & other artist.
"I like beer,"
"Old dogs, children and watermelon wine,"
"I love,"
" l remember the year that Clayton Delaney died,"
Women's Power! Support the ERA!
What's the ERA gonna give us that we don't already have?
Now if you want to push for that in the Middle East where it's really needed - please be careful
Ah yeah, southern 60's kid here. I knew this song word for word when i was a kid, and Delta Dawn by Tonya Tucker too. I had family who resembled this song... 😅😉
I've been waiting for this one! My parents had the record when I was a kid and I loved it!
This was a huge hit for Jeannie C. Riley on both country & pop charts. Radio stations back in the day played a mix of lots of different genres. Sadly, now all the stations are one lane (alll hip-hop, alll classical, etc.). So many younger generations simply aren't exposed to all the varying kinds of music. Thanks for playing this & your comments.
In the 60s, dresses came nowhere near your ankles. We wore them as short as we could get away with. This song was released in 1968. She has big hair, and we were getting our skirt length measured at HS. No shorter than 7 inches from mid knee. But being only 5 feet tall, I could usually get away with skirts 9 inches from mid knee. No Maxie's, or midis in sight back then.
And lots of young widows due to the war in Vietnam
Well, there were maxi or ankle length dresses at that time, but the hippie girls wore ‘em, pretty much.
Yes it was a true story. The writer of the actual song experienced/witnessed this when he was a child.
Always love this song!
I love this song, show, and movie. I’m grateful my mom showed them to me.
I believe especially the preachers who do wrong is going to bust hell wide open. Love the video and thank you for your hard work. Love you and keep safe. Take care of your beautiful family.
I knew you were going have your brains blown from this songs And her delivery is THE BEST!!!
Written by the greatest storyteller in the business, Tom T. Hall. He told a lot of great stories.
This was from the Wilburn Brothers show. A great duo in country music. Great harmonies.
From the time of, "Cover up those table legs, they're enflaming my passions!" 😂
I'm only 12 minutes into the reaction, when he paused to comment - and I'm just like OOOoooo, That Momma is about to SERVE SOME TEA to that whole snobby PTA !!! I just KNOW it!
Used to sing this all the time when I was a kid, back in the day. 😊
Greatest song about calling out hypocrisy ever written
😊❤ Hi Black P! 😅 I have always loved this song!! Love your reaction!! 🥰 I was born in 1961. But because I had older brothers and a sister, I was exposed to a lot very young. I can remember the 60's being a time of contradiction. Yes the era is known for the hippie movement, drugs and psychedelic Rock. But remember that all those young people had family that were still mentally in the 50's; which was all about keeping up appearances. 😉 Social changes take longer than most people realize. 😊 Luv ya! 😊❤❤
Love it, haven't heard this song in at least 3 decades. Thanks for the memories. The writer of this song Tom Hall wrote this song based on a story he heard when he was a kid about a lady in his town.
Great song. Written by the one and only Tom T. Hall.
This was one of the reaction videos I been waiting for!! 🎉
I knew you’d love it.
I've lovd this song since I first heard it. I'm 57, and my parents used to listen to it.
Tom T. Hall is a real story teller, he wrote this inspired by an actual event. You should check him out. The Great East Lubbock Onion Festival also introduces Joe Ely and you should check them and Mac Davis out. All this ties to Lubbock Texas and another great artist Buddy Holley
I can remember when this song first was released back in 1968 I think it was & it was quite the sensation. OMG, a woman, a WO-MAN told off the P.T.A.! *gasp & clutch them pearls* The song was a huge hit. Hats off to the song writer, Tom T. Hall, for writing this "eff you" song. I've always loved it. And it was, for sure, an "eff you" song.
This song was so .... Right for it's time. Even up in the 70's the hypocrisy, racism, class divide and judgement of others was so intense that she hit the nail on the head with this song. It's not only a song, but a bit of a trip back in time to what it was like when the song was released. Many times in history, the U.S. has gone through these phases. and you may relate to the one about Rap music when it first broke into popular music. Many of the adults of the time thougth RAP was causing the ills of society.
A little gem of a song at the time. I love seeing the reactions to this song.
8:00 facts. Lol
I met Jeannie c. Riley couple years ago. And we got to talking about that song and I asked her if it was a true story. She laughed and said no. It's not a true story. Tom t. Hall wrote it but man if it was that would been a hoot. She is such a beautiful woman still and such a kind soul.
FYI. There is a part II to this song called "Return to Harper Valley"
Thank you i did not know that
I showed my 11 y.o. grandson this reaction video yesterday and he loved it. I had to give some definitions tho: mini dress, ice man, sock it to the pta, steel guitar (X Dobbro), Peyton Place. Thanks BP!
Years ago, when I was in the seventh grade, I sang this song at our school's talent contest and won first prize. Tickets to Libertyland in Memphis, Tenn. for me and my family.
She spilled all of the tea. 😂
They did make a movie based on this song. You should check it out. It's HILARIOUS!!!!!!!
This was my grandma's favorite song. She was just as wild as the woman in the song. She wouldn't take people's 💩. We have stories of her getting revenge on people that pissed her off
I grew up hearing a widow referred to as a "widda wumman". And we weren't anywhere NEAR the South!
Hey, I'm just glad this song provided single moms with a new perspective....
Great song, so many memories brought back to me when I hear it now. Your reaction cracks me up once again 😂❤️✌🏻🎶
You need to look into Tom T Hall
Loved your reaction to this. She wrote a ton of great songs.
I grew up hearing this song and it still gives *me* goosebumps.
You have GOT to listen to that entire album! It tells a story. I'm not a country music fan but I have loved this album since I was 12 years old.