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.
Makin' Whoopee
Bobby Troup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another sunny honeymoon
Another season, another reason
For makin' whoopee
A lot of shoes, a lot of rice
The groom is nervous, he answers twice
Its really killin' that he's so willin'
Picture a little love nest
Down where the roses cling
Picture the same sweet love nest
Think what a year can bring
He's washin' dishes and baby clothes
He's so ambitious he even sews
But don't forget folks,
That's what you get folks, for makin' whoopee
He doesn't make much money
Five thousand dollars per;
Some judge who thinks he's funny
Says, "You pay six to her."
He says, "Now judge, suppose I fail?"
The judge says, "Budge, right into jail.
You'd better keep her
I think it's cheaper
Than making whoopee."
The lyrics of Bobby Troup's "Makin' Whoopee" portray the story of a man who marries for the second time, only to realize that marriage is not as glamorous as he had envisioned it to be. The song paints the picture of the honeymoon period, where everything seems perfect, just like another sunny honeymoon in June. The season changes, and life moves forward with another reason - making whoopee.
As the song progresses, the lyrics suggest that the groom might not be as thrilled and happy as he appears. The groom is so nervous that he answers twice, and despite his hesitation, he is eager to make whoopee. The song also sheds light on the reality of marriage once the honeymoon phase is over. The once romantic picture of a love nest morphs into one where the husband has to wash dishes and baby clothes and even sew clothes.
The lyrics finally conclude with the prospect of divorce as the husband only earns five thousand dollars, and the judge orders him to pay six to his wife. The man proposes to give up, but the judge insists he keeps her, citing that it's cheaper than making whoopee. The song speaks to the audience's emotions and highlights the harsh reality of marriage, while also throwing a subtle sense of humor to it.
Line by Line Meaning
Another bride, another June
There's another wedding, another bride and it's in the month June
Another sunny honeymoon
Another honeymoon and the sun is shining
Another season, another reason
It's yet another season, another reason for making love
For makin' whoopee
All this is leading to the couple making whoopee
A lot of shoes, a lot of rice
There's a lot of shoes and rice to be thrown around
The groom is nervous, he answers twice
The groom is nervous and answers the questions twice
Its really killin' that he's so willin'
It's funny how eager the groom is to make whoopee and it's really making him anxious and nervous
To make whoopee
The guy is super excited to have some intimate time with his wife
Picture a little love nest
Imagine a small and cozy love nest
Down where the roses cling
Someplace where the roses are growing
Picture the same sweet love nest
Picture that same love nest, but with a year of marriage gone by
Think what a year can bring
Just imagine what a year can do to them
He's washin' dishes and baby clothes
The husband is doing his share of household work like washing the dishes and the baby clothes
He's so ambitious he even sews
He's so driven and ambitious that he even sews clothes for the baby
But don't forget folks,
But it's important to note
That's what you get folks, for makin' whoopee
This is just what you get for indulging in love and making whoopee
He doesn't make much money
The guy doesn't earn a lot of money
Five thousand dollars per;
He earns only about five thousand dollars a year
Some judge who thinks he's funny
There's a judge who thinks he's clever
Says, "You pay six to her."
This judge asks him to pay six thousand dollars to his wife
He says, "Now judge, suppose I fail?"
The guy asks the judge what if he can't pay
The judge says, "Budge, right into jail.
The judge says that he'll go to jail if he doesn't pay
You'd better keep her
The judge tells him to keep his wife because it's cheaper than paying the fine
I think it's cheaper
The judge believes that keeping his wife is cheaper
Than makin' whoopee.
Than indulging in lovemaking and getting married again
Lyrics © DONALDSON PUBLISHING CO, TOBAGO MUSIC COMPANY, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind