“The film explores the budding relationship between McAllister (Benson) and Bobbie Lee Hartley (O’Connor), who corresponds to the unnamed narrator of the original song. Hartley and McAllister struggle to form a relationship despite resistance from Hartley’s family, who contend she is too young to date. They develop the relationship, despite the odds in their way. One night at a party, however, McAllister gets drunk. In his inebriated state, he makes love to another man dressed in drag, though later he reveals he knew what he was doing. He bids an enigmatical goodbye to Hartley. Overcome with guilt, McAllister subsequently kills himself by jumping off the bridge spanning the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi.

Throughout the film Hartley voices her concerns that she will always remain a child, until she throws her ragdoll from the bridge, marking the point at which she begins moving towards adulthood. This also explains the other enigma of the song, where the object thrown from the bridge remains a mystery.”

But I bet at this moment (9 am) Madame Telling Tales is putting the finishing touches on a Sopranos opus

I’m not claiming to be an “intelligent person” -

but I agree about Jewell, and I would add Natalie Merchant (in all capital letters!), and Tracy Chapman. Honestly, I’ll add Lisa Lenox (aka DeeDee Doodlebop!) to this list; that woman can flat-out sing.

And for my money - Eddie Vedder is it! Got a budy who always loved Neil Young - and who was always politely cool to my extremely high opinion of Vedder/Pearl Jam….until Young and Pearl Jam collaborated so nicely a few summers back.

Music is such a personal thing; it either strikes your heart (in the pleasureable or the painful sense) or it doesn’t.