Bobby Troup was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He graduated from The Hill School, a preparatory school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, in 1937. He went on to graduate Phi Beta Kappa from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ) fraternity and the Mask and Wig Club.
His earliest musical success came with the song "Daddy" which was a regional hit in 1941. Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra recorded "Daddy", which was number one for 8 weeks on the Billboard Best Seller chart and the number five record of 1941. Glenn Miller and His Orchestra performed "Daddy" on their radio broadcasts, and The Andrews Sisters also recorded the song. In the same year, Troup's song "Snootie Little Cutie" was recorded by Frank Sinatra and Connie Haines with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Pied Pipers.
Upon graduating from college in 1941 he enlisted in the US Marines, but did not receive orders until January 1942. After completing officer training, he was assigned as one of two dozen white officers to direct recruit training at Montford Point, recruit depot for the first African-American Marines. By spring of 1943 he became recreation officer, in which capacity he was able to spearhead improvements to the facilities at Montford, including building a recreation hall, basketball court, and outdoor boxing ring. He was even able to get a friend to install a miniature golf course. During this time he composed the song "Take Me Away From Jacksonville" which was to become an anthem of sorts for the Marines at Montford Point, even extending to other areas of Camp Lejeune. By numerous accounts Troup was the most popular officer among the Montford recruits. In October 1944 he was promoted to Captain, given command of a depot company, and eventually deployed to Saipan where he served to the end of the war.
Bobby Troup's first marriage was to Cynthia Hare. They were married in May 1942 and had two daughters, Cynnie Troup (b. 1943) and Ronne Troup (b. 1945), both of whom had careers in the entertainment industry.
In 1946, Nat King Cole had a hit with Troup's best known song "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66". It became a popular standard recorded by many artists, including Chuck Berry (1961) and The Rolling Stones (1964). In 1987, Depeche Mode combined the tune with their own composition, "Behind the Wheel", released it as the B-side of "Behind the Wheel" and it became a radio hit on KROQ 106.7 FM in Los Angeles. In 2006, "Route 66" was featured in the animated movie Cars, and the movie RV with Robin Williams.
Troup met his second wife, torch singer Julie London, at the Celebrity Room, where he was singing. It was Troup who encouraged London to pursue her singing career, and in 1955 he produced her million selling hit record "Cry Me a River". London, previously married to actor Jack Webb (1947 to 1953), married Troup in 1959. They remained married until Troup's death in 1999.
Troup's own recordings in the 1950s and 1960s were not commercially successful. He made recordings for Liberty Records and Capitol Records, many with musicians from the West Coast jazz scene.
Troup also wrote the title song (sung by Little Richard) in the classic 1950s rock and roll movie The Girl Can't Help It. An instrumental rendition of his song "The Meaning of the Blues" appeared on the landmark Miles Davis album, Miles Ahead. Troup's hipster interpretation of the fairy tale "The Three Bears" is often erroneously credited to "anonymous" and re-titled "Three Bears Rap", "Three Bears with a Beat", etc. This song was first recorded by the Page Cavanaugh Trio and later by Western Swing bandleader Leon McAuliffe.
Circa 1969 Troup collaborated with entertainer Tommy Leonetti, penning the lyrics for Leonetti's song "My City of Sydney". Leonetti's original recording was used for many years in the close-down sequence for TV station ATN-7 in Sydney, and was also covered by Sydney punk band XL Capris.
In February 1999, Troup died at UCLA Medical Center of a massive heart attack; he was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills. His wife, Julie London died the following year, and her cremated remains were placed in the columbarium (Columbarium of Providence) niche, next to his.
In the mid-1950s, Troup was one of three regular panelists (along with Mel Blanc and Johnny Mercer) in the game show Musical Chairs, a Bill Leyden-hosted quiz program that aired locally on Los Angeles television for two years before NBC broadcast it in the summer of 1955. On the program, the viewing audience was encouraged to submit questions about music in an effort to stump the panel. The Troup Group provided much of the music in the game show. He also served as host of the ABC show Stars of Jazz featuring various jazz luminaries, particularly those working in Hollywood.
While he relied on songwriting royalties, Troup also worked as an actor, playing musician Tommy Dorsey in the film The Gene Krupa Story (1959). He played himself in the short-lived NBC television series Acapulco. Troup made three guest appearances on Perry Mason, and on two appearances, "The Case of the Jaded Joker" in 1959 and "The Case of the Missing Melody" in 1961, he showed his musical talents. In 1969 and 1970, he appeared as "Bobby" in two episodes of Mannix, where he was a lounge piano player who helped Mannix unravel cases. He again appeared as a piano player in a cameo on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries in 1978.
In Robert Altman's 1970 film M*A*S*H he had a memorable cameo as a disgruntled staff sergeant assigned to driving Hawkeye and Trapper John around in Japan. (His only line of dialogue is a repeated exasperation, "Goddamn army!") In 1972, Jack Webb, who had previously used Troup in a 1967 episode of the television series Dragnet, cast him opposite Julie London in the US TV series Emergency!. Emergency! was created by Webb, who had recently starred in a revival of Dragnet and was producing NBC's popular Adam-12. London and Troup had remained on cordial terms with Webb, who had used Troup (and his daughter Ronne) in episodes of Adam-12 as well as the revived Dragnet. On Emergency! Troup played Dr. Joe Early, one of the two emergency room doctors featured on the series, while London played head nurse Dixie McCall.
It Never Entered My Mind
Bobby Troup Lyrics
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I don't care if my hairdo is in place.
I've lost the very meaning of repose.
I never put a mudpack onmy face.
Oh, who'd have thought
That I'd walk in the daze now?
I never go to shows at night,
But just to matinees now.
And home I go.
Once I laughed when I heard you saying
That I'd be playing solitaire,
Uneasy in my easy chair.
It never entered my mind.
Once you told me I was mistaken,
That I'd awaken with the sun
And order orange juice for one.
It never entered my mind.
You have what I lack myself
And now I even have to scratch my back myself.
Once you warned me that if you scorned me
I'd sing the maiden's prayer again
And wish that you where there again
To get into my hair again.
It never entered my mind.
Bobby Troup's song "It Never Entered My Mind" is a poignant reflection on a relationship that has ended. The lyrics speak about how the singer's life is now without meaning, as they have lost the ability to find solace in their former hobbies and interests. The opening lines, "I don't care if there's powder on my nose, I don't care if my hairdo is in place," express the singer's lack of concern for their appearance, which was once so important to them. The following lines, "I've lost the very meaning of repose, I never put a mudpack on my face," further emphasize the singer's disinterest in their looks, as they have lost the ability to find relaxation through beauty treatments.
The song then moves on to how the singer never thought they would be in their current state of emotional turmoil, as they have lost the ability to enjoy themselves at night and only attend matinees. They are stuck walking in a daze, not sure how to move on from their past relationship. The lines, "Once you told me I was mistaken, that I'd awaken with the sun and order orange juice for one," indicate the singer's former partner's attempts to help them move on and find happiness again. However, it never entered their mind that they would never be able to do these things alone.
The final verse of the song speaks about how the singer was warned that if they were scorned, they would wish for their former partner's return. However, despite the pain they are feeling, the idea of being hurt again never entered their mind. Overall, the lyrics of "It Never Entered My Mind" speak about the pain of lost love and the difficulty in moving on from a past relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't care if there's powder on my nose.
The singer doesn't care about their appearance.
I don't care if my hairdo is in place.
The singer doesn't care about their hair.
I've lost the very meaning of repose.
The singer is restless and lacks peace.
I never put a mudpack onmy face.
The artist doesn't engage with beauty rituals.
Oh, who'd have thought That I'd walk in the daze now?
The artist is surprised at their current state of being.
I never go to shows at night, But just to matinees now.
The singer doesn't attend late-night events anymore, only matinees.
I see the show And home I go.
The singer attends shows but quickly leaves after.
Once I laughed when I heard you saying That I'd be playing solitaire, Uneasy in my easy chair.
The artist initially joked about becoming lonely and anxious.
It never entered my mind.
But they never truly considered the possibility.
Once you told me I was mistaken, That I'd awaken with the sun And order orange juice for one.
The artist's partner predicted their single lifestyle.
It never entered my mind.
But the singer never fully believed it would happen.
You have what I lack myself And now I even have to scratch my back myself.
The artist's partner had qualities they didn't possess, and now they're alone even for mundane things like scratching an itch.
Once you warned me that if you scorned me I'd sing the maiden's prayer again And wish that you where there again To get into my hair again.
The singer's partner warned of potential heartbreak and longing, especially for physical closeness.
It never entered my mind.
But the singer never imagined it could really happen.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind