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.
Try a Little Tenderness
Bobby Troup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Them young girls they do get wearied
Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
But when she gets weary
You try a little tenderness
Oh man that
Un hunh
Just anticipating
The thing that you'll never never possess
No no no
But while she there waiting
Try just a little bit of tenderness
That's all you got to do
Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
But she has her greavs and care
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
Yeah yeah yeah
And it makes it easier to bear
Oh she wont regret it
No no
Them young girls they don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
Yeah yeah yeah
But its all so easy
All you got to do is try
Try a little tenderness
Yeah
Damn that hart (hard?)
All you got to do is know how to love her
You've got to
Hold her
Squeeze her
Never leave her
Now get to her
Got got got to try a little tenderness
Yeah yeah
Lord have mercy now
All you got to do is take my advice
You've got to hold her
Don't squeeze her
Never leave her
You've got to hold her
And never
So you got to try a little tenderness
A little tenderness
A little tenderness
A little tenderness
You've got to
Got to got to
You've gotta hold her
Don't squeeze her
Never leaver her
You got
Got got got to
Now now now
Got got got to
Try a little tenderness
Ye
The song "Try a Little Tenderness" by Bobby Troup is a plea to men to be more compassionate towards their female partners. The lyrics convey a message of empathy and kindness towards women who can become weary from the pressures of societal expectations. The line "she may be weary" refers to the demands of maintaining a youthful appearance and dressing a certain way, which can take a toll on a woman's self-esteem. The repetition of the phrase "try a little tenderness" emphasizes the importance of showing affection and understanding towards the female partner.
The chorus suggests that all it takes is a little bit of tenderness to make a difference in a relationship. The soft words spoken gently are more effective in calming a woman's fears than harsh or critical words. The final verse urges men to hold, squeeze, and never leave their female partners, imploring them to be more attentive and present in the relationship. Overall, the song highlights the importance of empathy, kindness, and compassion towards the female partner in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh she may be weary
She might be tired and emotionally drained
Them young girls they do get wearied
Young girls often feel overwhelmed and exhausted
Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
Constantly trying to impress with the same attire can become tiresome
But when she gets weary
When she gets tired or frustrated
You try a little tenderness
Show her some affection and empathy to comfort and support her
Oh man that
Wow, that is something else
Un hunh
Expressing agreement or confirmation
I know shes waiting
She is anticipating your attention and love
Just anticipating
Waiting eagerly and with excitement
The thing that you'll never never possess
She desires something impossible or unrealistic from you
No no no
Not going to happen
But while she there waiting
But while she is still waiting for you
Try just a little bit of tenderness
Show her a little bit of care and affection
That's all you got to do
It's not difficult, just showing some love can make all the difference
Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
Showing affection can sometimes seem cheesy or emotional
But she has her greavs and care
She has her own problems and struggles
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
Use kind and comforting words to show her love
Yeah yeah yeah
Agreeing or enthusiastic
And it makes it easier to bear
It helps her cope with her troubles and makes her feel better
Oh she wont regret it
She won't feel bad about showing vulnerability and accepting love
Them young girls they don't forget it
Young girls treasure moments of love and care
Love is their whole happiness
Love is the source of their joy and contentment
But its all so easy
Showing love and empathy is not that complicated
All you got to do is try
Putting in effort to show empathy and care can make all the difference
Damn that hart
Feeling emotional or overwhelmed
All you got to do is know how to love her
Understanding how to show love and care is all it takes
You've got to
It's necessary to
Hold her
Embrace her physically and emotionally
Squeeze her
Hold her tightly and lovingly
Never leave her
Be committed and devoted to her
Now get to her
Go show her some love and care
Got got got to try a little tenderness
You must show some empathy and care
Lord have mercy now
Expressing surprise or shock
All you got to do is take my advice
Just listen to me and show some love
Don't squeeze her
Don't hold her too tightly, let her be comfortable
And never
Under no circumstance
So you got to try a little tenderness
Be empathetic and show some care
A little tenderness
Show a little care and affection
You've got to
It's imperative to
Got to got to
Must
You've gotta hold her
You need to embrace her and hold her
Try a little tenderness
Show some care and empathy
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAROLE BAYER SAGER, DAVID W. FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind