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.
Tangerine
Bobby Troup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With her eyes of night and lips as bright as flame
Tangerine, when she dances by
Senoritas stare and caballeros sigh
And I've seen toasts to Tangerine
Raised in every bar across the Argentine
Yes, she has them all on the run
But her heart belongs to just one
Tangerine, she is all they say
With mascara'd eyes, and chapeaux by Dache
Tangerine with her lips of flame
If the color keeps, Louis Philippe's to blame
And I've seen clothes on Tangerine
Where the label says from Macy's Mezzanine
Yes, she's got the guys in a whirl
But she's only fooling one girl
She's only fooling Tangerine
Bobby Troup's song Tangerine is a celebration of a beautiful woman named Tangerine, who is admired by both men and women for her stunning features and charming personality. Troup's skillful use of metaphor and imagery helps paint a vivid picture of this alluring woman. The lyrics describe Tangerine's eyes as being "of night," which suggests a deep, emotional quality. Her lips are likened to flames, which connotes both desire and danger, adding to her allure.
The song paints a picture of Tangerine as a woman who enjoys being the center of attention, with everyone from caballeros to senoritas admiring her beauty. Despite all the attention she receives, Tangerine is apparently faithful to only one person. It's interesting to note that the identity of this person is not revealed in the lyrics, leaving the listener to wonder who has captured Tangerine's heart.
Overall, Bobby Troup's lyrics in Tangerine are a testament to the enduring allure of beauty and the power it can hold over others. Through the character of Tangerine, Troup captures both the thrill and the danger that can come with being desired by many.
Line by Line Meaning
Tangerine, she is all they claim
Tangerine is everything that people talk about her - beautiful, mesmerizing, and captivating
With her eyes of night and lips as bright as flame
Tangerine has dark eyes that are enchanting, and her lips are bright like a flame
Tangerine, when she dances by
When Tangerine dances, all eyes are on her
Senoritas stare and caballeros sigh
The women and men who see Tangerine dance are fascinated by her beauty
And I've seen toasts to Tangerine
People raise their glasses in honor of Tangerine in every Argentine bar
Raised in every bar across the Argentine
Tangerine is famous all over Argentina
Yes, she has them all on the run
Everyone is chasing Tangerine because of her beauty
But her heart belongs to just one
Tangerine has someone special in her life, despite all the attention from others
Her heart belongs to Tangerine
Tangerine loves herself deeply
Tangerine, she is all they say
Everything that people talk about Tangerine is true
With mascara'd eyes, and chapeaux by Dache
Tangerine wears mascara that emphasizes her eyes, and she wears hats made by famous designer Dache
Tangerine with her lips of flame
Tangerine's lips are red like fire
If the color keeps, Louis Philippe's to blame
If Tangerine's lipstick stays on for a long time, it's because of the high-quality makeup brand Louis Philippe
And I've seen clothes on Tangerine
Tangerine is well-dressed, and her clothes are noticed by others
Where the label says from Macy's Mezzanine
Tangerine's clothes are from Macy's Mezzanine, a famous department store
Yes, she's got the guys in a whirl
Men are crazy about Tangerine and can't stop thinking about her
But she's only fooling one girl
Tangerine is misleading everyone because she only cares about herself
She's only fooling Tangerine
Tangerine is the only one who believes her own lies
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHNNY MERCER, VICTOR SCHERTZINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind