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.
Jeepers Creepers
Bobby Troup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the weatherman says it's raining
You'll never hear me complaining
I'm certain the sun will shine
I don't care how the weather vane points
When the weather vane points to gloomy
It's gotta be sunny to me
When your eyes look into mine
Jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those peepers?
Jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those eyes?
Gosh all, git up, how'd they get so lit up?
Gosh all, git up, how'd they get that size?
Golly gee, when you turn those heaters on
Woe is me, got to put my cheaters on
Jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those peepers?
Oh, those weepers, how they hypnotize!
Where'd ya get those eyes?
The lyrics to Bobby Troup's song 'Jeepers Creepers' are about a person who is optimistic, carefree, and confident in the face of gloomy circumstances. The singer expresses that they do not care about the predictions of the weatherman or where the weather vane points to because they are certain that the sun will shine. They then go on to express their admiration for their lover's eyes, which they refer to as 'peepers.' The singer is amazed at the brightness and size of their lover's eyes and is left feeling hypnotized by them.
The overall message of this song is that no matter how dark things may look, there is always something to be thankful for. The singer's positive outlook on life is not only admirable but also infectious. They want their lover to be just as optimistic and carefree as they are by allowing their love to be the ray of sunshine in their life. The reference to the lover's 'peepers' could also imply that their love is keeping them awake at night, making them keep their eyes open, just like how Jeepers Creepers refers to something peeking through the cracks.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't care what the weatherman says
I pay no attention to the predictions of the meteorologist
When the weatherman says it's raining
Even when the weatherman reports rain, it doesn't bother me
You'll never hear me complaining
No matter what the weather may be, I won't grouse about it
I'm certain the sun will shine
I'm absolutely positive that the sun will eventually come out
I don't care how the weather vane points
The direction the wind blows holds no significance to me
When the weather vane points to gloomy
Even when the wind is blowing towards the direction of gloomy weather, I remain undeterred
It's gotta be sunny to me
In my eyes, it has to be sunny, regardless of the wind or the forecast
When your eyes look into mine
All I need is a loving look from you and the world will be bright
Jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those peepers?
Wow, where did you get those beautiful eyes?
Jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those eyes?
How did you come to possess such captivating eyes?
Gosh all, git up, how'd they get so lit up?
Goodness gracious, how did your eyes become so bright and luminous?
Gosh all, git up, how'd they get that size?
Wow, how did your eyes become so large?
Golly gee, when you turn those heaters on
Oh my, when you give me that special look
Woe is me, got to put my cheaters on
I need to put on my eyeglasses to fully appreciate the sight of your mesmerizing eyes
Jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those peepers?
Where did you acquire those alluring eyes?
Oh, those weepers, how they hypnotize!
Oh my, those eyes have such a captivating effect on me
Where'd ya get those eyes?
Once again, where did those enchanting eyes come from?
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY WARREN, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind