Conversation so far:
What was Bobbie Gentry's Ode to Billie Joe story about?
Ode to Billie Joe is a first-person narrative of a Mississippi family's reaction to the news of the suicide of Billie Joe McAllister to whom the narrator is connected.
Was Ode to Billie Joe a popular song?
Ode to Billie Joe was a number-one hit in the US and Billboard ranked the record as the No. 3 song of the year.

Question: what inspired the story?
Self-contained rewrite: What inspired Bobbie Gentry's Ode to Billie Joe story?