During her career, she has won four Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards. She performed a new concert show, The Showgirl Must Go On, live five nights a week at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2011 (together with Cher and Elton John).
Otto Titsling
Bette Midler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It concerns two of my favorite subjects:
industrial theft . . . and-a t-ts!
Mmm, what a combo! This is the story . . .
that we women wear today was a German scientist
and opera lover by the name of Otto Titsling!
This is a true story.
His name was Otto Titsling.
What happened to Otto Titsling shouldn't happen to a schnauzer.
It's a very sad story. I feel I have to share it with you."
Otto Titsling, inventor and kraut,
had nothing to get very worked up about.
His inventions were failures, his future seemed bleak.
He fled to the opera at least twice a week.
One night at the opera he saw an Aida
who's t-ts were so big they would often impede her.
Bug-eyed he watched her fall into the pit,
done in by the weight of those terrible t-ts.
Oh, my god! There she blows!
Aerodynamically this bitch was a mess.
Otto eyeballed the diva lying comatose amongst the reeds,
and he suddenly felt the fire of inspiration
flood his soul. He knew what he had to do!
He ran back to his workshop
where he futzed and futzed and futzed.
For Otto Titsling had found his quest:
to lift and mold the female breast;
to point the small ones to the sky;
to keep the big ones high and dry!
Every night he'd sweat and snort
searching for the right support.
He tried some string and paper clips.
Hey! He even tried his own two lips!
Well, he stitched and he slaved
and he slaved and he stitched
until finally one night, in the wee hours of morning,
Otto arose from his workbench triumphant.
Yes! He had invented the worlds first
over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder. Hooray!
Exhausted but ecstatic he ran
down the street to the diva's house
bearing the prototype in his hot little hand.
Now, the diva did not want to try the darn thing on.
But, after many initial misgivings,
she finally did.
And the sigh of relief that issued forth
from the diva's mouth
was so loud that it was mistaken by some
to be the early onset of the Siroccan Winds
which would often roll through the Schwarzwald
with a vengeance!
Ahhhhh-I!
But little did Otto know,
at the moment of his greatest triumph,
lurking under the diva's bed
was none other than the very worst
of the French patent thieves,
Philippe DeBrassiere.
And Phil was watching the scene
with a great deal of interest!
Later that night, while our Brun Hilda slept,
into the wardrobe Philippe softly crept.
He fumbled through knickers and corsets galore,
'til he found Otto's titsling and he ran out the door.
Crying, "Oh, my god! What joy! What bliss!
I'm gonna make me a million from this!
Every woman in the world will wanna buy one.
I can have all the goods manufactured in Taiwan."
"Oh, thank you!"
The result of this swindle is pointedly clear:
Do you buy a titsling or do you buy a brassiere?
"Ohhh! Thank you!"
Bette Midler's song "Otto Titsling" tells the story of a German scientist and opera lover named Otto Titsling, who invented the modern foundation garment for women. The song is a mix of humor and commentary on the fashion and beauty industry. However, the story of Otto Titsling is a sad one. He was an inventor who faced failure before inventing the modern bra. He was inspired by an opera singer whose large breasts caused her to pass out on stage. This led him to invent the first over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder, the modern bra. But, his invention was stolen by a French patent thief, Philippe DeBrassiere, and he missed out on the opportunity to profit from his invention.
The song draws attention to the objectification of women but celebrates the ingenuity of Titsling's invention. It provides a humorous take on the product that revolutionized the fashion industry for women. The song also discusses the issue of industrial theft and how the idea of intellectual property is threatened by it. Otto Titsling is a classic example of an inventor whose invention was stolen, and he missed out on the opportunity to profit from it. Overall, "Otto Titsling" is a clever song that explores interconnected themes of beauty, fashion, ingenuity, and theft.
Line by Line Meaning
Otto Titsling, inventor and kraut,
Introducing the singer, Otto Titsling, as a German scientist and inventor.
had nothing to get very worked up about.
Otto was unsuccessful in his inventions and felt hopeless about his future.
He fled to the opera at least twice a week.
To escape his failures, Otto found solace in attending the opera frequently.
One night at the opera he saw an Aida
Otto observed a female singer named Aida during one of his opera visits.
who's t-ts were so big they would often impede her.
The performer had large breasts that were hindering her performance on stage.
Bug-eyed he watched her fall into the pit,
Otto witnessed the woman falling into a pit on stage because of her breasts.
done in by the weight of those terrible t-ts.
The woman's breasts caused her to fall and potentially get injured, leading Otto to realize the need for better breast support.
Oh, my god! There she blows!
Otto was shocked by the incident and exclaimed in disbelief.
Aerodynamically this bitch was a mess.
Otto humorously described the woman's problem with her large breasts as a result of their weight and shape.
Otto eyeballed the diva lying comatose amongst the reeds,
Otto saw the fallen performer lying motionless in the water among the reeds nearby.
and he suddenly felt the fire of inspiration
This event sparked an idea in Otto's mind regarding a creation to support women's breasts.
flood his soul. He knew what he had to do!
With a newfound drive, Otto realized what he had to invent to solve the problem he had just witnessed.
He ran back to his workshop
Otto returned to his laboratory to start working on his invention.
where he futzed and futzed and futzed.
Otto worked tirelessly on his invention, fine-tuning it and testing various materials and methods.
For Otto Titsling had found his quest:
Otto had discovered his life's purpose in creating the perfect bra for women.
to lift and mold the female breast;
Otto's goal was to create a bra that could properly lift and shape women's breasts.
to point the small ones to the sky;
Additionally, Otto wanted the bra to help small-breasted women look fuller and more prominent.
to keep the big ones high and dry!
At the same time, Otto aimed to create a bra that could support and keep larger breasts dry.
Every night he'd sweat and snort
Otto worked tirelessly and with much effort to create his invention.
searching for the right support.
Otto tried various materials and methods to find the best support for his bra invention.
He tried some string and paper clips.
Otto experimented with different materials such as string and paper clips to create his invention.
Hey! He even tried his own two lips!
Otto attempted to use his own lips to provide support in his bra's design.
Well, he stitched and he slaved
Otto tirelessly worked on his prototype, focusing on the details and making numerous adjustments.
and he slaved and he stitched
Otto continued to work hard on his invention, dedicating much of his time and energy to its creation.
until finally one night, in the wee hours of morning,
After much work and dedication, Otto had a breakthrough in the early hours of the morning.
Otto arose from his workbench triumphant.
Otto was proud of his creation and felt that he had achieved his goal.
Yes! He had invented the worlds first
Otto realized he created the first-ever bra and was proud of his accomplishment.
over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder. Hooray!
Otto's invention was humorous, and he playfully gave it a fitting name.
Exhausted but ecstatic he ran
Otto was both tired and thrilled after creating his invention.
down the street to the diva's house
Otto went to the singer's home to present her with his creation.
bearing the prototype in his hot little hand.
Otto proudly brought along his prototype to show the singer.
Now, the diva did not want to try the darn thing on.
The performer initially refused to try Otto's creation on.
But, after many initial misgivings,
Despite her reluctance, she eventually agreed to try it on after some convincing.
she finally did.
The singer eventually wore Otto's creation, despite her initial hesitation.
And the sigh of relief that issued forth
After putting on the bra, the singer let out a loud sigh of relief.
from the diva's mouth
This sigh of relief came from the singer wearing Otto's creation.
was so loud that it was mistaken by some
The singer's relief was so loud that some people misunderstood what was happening.
to be the early onset of the Siroccan Winds
Some people thought the sound was the beginning of a wind storm that would occasionally occur in Germany.
which would often roll through the Schwarzwald
The Siroccan winds would often pass through the Schwarzwald forest in Germany.
with a vengeance!
These winds were known to cause destruction and were feared by Germans living in the Schwarzwald area.
Ahhhhh-I!
A celebratory exclamation from Otto after the success of his invention.
But little did Otto know,
Otto was unaware of what would happen next.
at the moment of his greatest triumph,
Right after his invention's success, something occurred that could spoil his victory.
lurking under the diva's bed
Philippe DeBrassiere, a French patent thief, was hiding under the singer's bed.
was none other than the very worst
Philippe was known as the worst thief in regards to stealing patents from inventors.
of the French patent thieves,
Philippe was infamous for stealing patents from inventors across France.
Philippe DeBrassiere.
The name of the thief stealing Otto's invention was Philippe DeBrassiere.
And Phil was watching the scene
Philippe was hiding and watching as the singer tried on Otto's creation.
with a great deal of interest!
Philippe was intrigued and interested in Otto's invention and potential to steal the patent for himself.
Later that night, while our Brun Hilda slept,
When the singer, Brun Hilda, went to sleep later that night,
into the wardrobe Philippe softly crept.
Philippe snuck into Brun Hilda's closet with intentions to steal Otto's invention.
He fumbled through knickers and corsets galore,
Philippe searched through Brun Hilda's different lingerie items trying to find Otto's invention.
'til he found Otto's titsling and he ran out the door.
Philippe eventually found Otto's invention and stole it, running from the singer's home.
Crying, "Oh, my god! What joy! What bliss!
Celebrating his success in stealing the patent, Philippe exclaims in elation.
I'm gonna make me a million from this!
Philippe plans to manufacture and sell Otto's invention for a profit.
Every woman in the world will wanna buy one.
Philippe's plan was to sell the bra to women all over the world.
I can have all the goods manufactured in Taiwan."
Philippe intends to manufacture the bra in Taiwan to save on production costs.
"Oh, thank you!"
An ironic ending to Otto's story, as his patent was stolen but Philippe still says thank you to him.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BETTE MIDLER, CHARLENE SEEGER, JERRY BLATT, MARC SHAIMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Coleen Wilson
on Wind Beneath My Wings
lovely song