What do these three songs have in common?

"Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry.

"A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash.

"Harper Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley.


1.  I purchased all of them yesterday on Itunes.

2. They were all on the radio when I was around the 4th and 5th grades, and my older sisters played their radios constantly so music is a big part of my childhood memories.

3.  I can picture every detail of our upstairs at 709 N. Broadway, Cleveland, Oklahoma when I hear these songs.  I can see Cheryl's bedroom wallpaper and OpArt poster, the blue shag carpet, the window air conditioner.  All those things went away when we had our house fire, the whole upstairs was redone after that.

4. All three songs are stories.  I like those kinds of songs. (I also like "She's Leaving Home" by the Beatles and "99 Red Balloons" by Nena, they tell good stories too.)

 "Ode to Billie Joe" always haunted me, because I couldn't figure out why Billie Joe jumped off the bridge, or what he and the singer were throwing off the bridge the day before.  I read on Wikipedia that the writer, Bobbie Gentry, said she didn't know why they did that either, so all answers are just conjecture.

"A Boy Named Sue" is pretty funny.  His dad names him Sue to make him tough.  But its too bad the dad didn't just stay around to be his dad instead.

"Harper Valley PTA" shows the hypocrisy of a small town.  Reminds me of Cleveland, Oklahoma where I grew up.  Population 2,000.  Where there was a lot of prejudice against us because we were Mormons.