Vicki Lawrence sang the original hit song, which went to #1 and gold in 1973. The film uses nothing but the song title, and Lawrence had nothing to do with the film.
According to Wikipedia, 'The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia' is "a Southern Gothic song" written by Bobby Russell and performed in 1972 by his then-wife Vicki Lawrence. Reba McEntire covered it in 1991.
This movie, unforgivably to some, changes the lyrics to the classic hit 1972 Vicki Lawrence country-gothic title song.
Kristy McNichol's previous picture, Kleine Biester (1980), was also filmed in Georgia. The summer camp scenes were filmed at Camp Daniel Morgan at Hard Labor Creek State Park, in Rutledge, Georgia, about 50 miles (110 km.) east of Atlanta, Georgia. Other filming locations include Atlanta, Madison, Eatonton, and Covington.