47. Ode to Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry
Shared with the world in 1967, Ode to Billie Joe offered an interesting crossover between pop and country. The song tells the tale of the narrator and her family, all talking about the suicide of a local boy named Billie Joe McAllister.
Source: udiscovermusic.com
Gentry later called the song “a study in unconscious cruelty” as it shows the way the family simply fails to acknowledge the emotional effects of suicide, preferring to gossip instead. The original song was seven minutes long and had to be edited down to be more radio-friendly.