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.
The Lady Is a Tramp
Bobby Troup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She likes the theater and never comes late
She never bothers with people she'd hate
That's why the lady is a tramp
Doesn't like crap games with barons or earls
Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair
Life without care
She's broke, and it's "OK"
Hates California, it's cold and it's damp
That's why the lady is a tramp
She gets too hungry to wait for dinner at eight
She loves the theater but never comes late
She'd never bother with people she'd hate
That's why the lady is a tramp
She'll have no crap games with sharpies and frauds
And she won't go to Harlem in Lincolns or Fords
And she won't dish the dirt with the rest of the broads
That's why the lady is a tramp
She'd love the free, fresh wind in her hair
Life without care
She's broke, but it's "OK"
Hates California, it's so cold and so damp
That's why the lady
That's why the lady
That's why the lady is a tramp
Bobby Troup's song "The Lady Is a Tramp" is a tribute to a woman who lives life on her own terms. The song describes her as someone who does not conform to society's expectations and values her own independence above all else. She is unapologetically herself, refusing to put on airs or compromise her beliefs for anyone.
The first stanza of the song sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The lady in question is hungry for life, enjoying the theater and taking pleasure in the simple things. She does not waste her time with people she dislikes and knows her worth.
The following stanzas detail the ways in which the lady stands out from the crowd. She does not care for the superficial trappings of wealth and status, preferring a simple life where she can enjoy the wind in her hair without worrying about what others think. She hates the cold and dampness of California, preferring the warmth and freedom of the East Coast.
Line by Line Meaning
She gets too hungry for dinner at eight
She gets hungry early and cannot wait to have dinner at eight.
She likes the theater and never comes late
She enjoys watching live performances and always arrives on time.
She never bothers with people she’d hate
She avoids associating with people who she dislikes.
That’s why the lady is a tramp
This is the reason why she is different and stands out from others.
Doesn’t like crap games with barons or earls
She does not enjoy gambling activities with aristocrats.
Won’t go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
She refuses to go to a specific area of Harlem dressed extravagantly and expensively.
Won’t dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
She avoids participating in gossip with other ladies.
She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair, Life without care
She relishes the feeling of wind blowing through her hair and living life without worries.
She’s broke, and it’s 'OK'
She is currently without much money, but she is content with that.
Hates California, it’s cold and it’s damp
She has a negative opinion of California due to its cold and damp conditions.
She’ll have no crap games with sharpies and frauds
She refuses to participate in games of chance with con artists and swindlers.
And she won’t go to Harlem in Lincolns or Fords
She does not want to travel to Harlem in expensive or common vehicles.
And she won’t dish the dirt with the rest of the broads
She does not engage in gossip with other women.
That's why the lady is a tramp
This is the reason why she is unique and different from others.
She’d love the free, fresh wind in her hair, Life without care
She would enjoy feeling the sensation of the wind in her hair and living life without worries.
She’s broke, but it’s 'OK'
Although she does not have much money, she is content with her current financial state.
Hates California, it’s so cold and so damp
She dislikes California because of its cold and damp weather.
That’s why the lady, that’s why the lady, that’s why the lady is a tramp
This is the repeated reminder that her unique attributes make her stand out from others and that she is content with that.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind