# Why did Cole Porter think the pants of the Roxy Usher were "The Top!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253 "2005-08-30T14:46:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/1 "2005-08-30T14:46:25Z")
Why were these pants so fabulous? [You’re the Top Lyrics](http://www.lyricsondemand.com/soundtracks/b/bestofbroadwayamericanmusicallyrics/yourethetoplyrics.html) > [@](#): > > You’re romance, > You’re the steppes of Russia, > You’re the pants on a Roxy usher, > I’m a broken doll, a fol-de-rol, a blop, [Part of song here](http://home.comcast.net/~cpeek001/C.mp3) (1 meg DL) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/2 "2005-08-30T14:49:24Z")
My guess: they were probably very clean and well-pressed, with colorful and contrasting piping. Ushers back in those days looked pretty snazzy. “Pants” probably scanned better than “uniform”. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/3 "2005-08-30T15:03:00Z")
1. Because the pants (on both the boy and girl ushers) were tight and sexy. 2. Because “Russia” and “usher” is a clever rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/4 "2005-08-30T15:13:27Z")
Because Porter paid close attention to developments in men’s trousers. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/5 "2005-08-30T16:26:09Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Because Porter paid close attention to developments in men’s trousers. _snerk_ Also because a lot off the specific things that would be considered superlatives at the time seem pretty darn ordinary now. I mean, do you consider Pepsodent, cellophane, a turkey dinner, broccoli or a Waldorf salad to be “the top” now? Or are they all pretty ordinary everyday things? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/6 "2005-08-30T16:33:17Z")
[The Roxy](http://www.gabesplayerpianos.org/html/Roxy.html) was the ne plus ultra of New York theaters at the time, and showman Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel spared no expense to make everything as showy as possible. Down to the pants on his ushers, who wore quasi-military costumes and even drilled together. Porter was being sarcastic here, as he was with several other of the superlatives in that song. New York audiences would presumably get the joke references to current events, including magazine ads and celebrities in the news, but they haven’t dated well. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/7 "2005-08-30T16:39:26Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Because Porter paid close attention to developments in men’s trousers. Did the Rutles ever cover any of his songs? And what the heck is a blop? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/8 "2005-08-30T16:40:47Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > New York audiences would presumably get the joke references to current events, including magazine ads and celebrities in the news, but they haven’t dated well. You know, that could be a whole Cafe Society topic all to itself: “Songs that haven’t aged well”. I know another example would be Eartha Kitt’s “Monotonous” from the Broadway show “New Faces of 1952”…I’m something of a recent history buff so I recognized most of the folks she mentions, but had to look up the more obscure ones (like Sherman Billingsley). ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/9 "2005-08-30T17:00:50Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > _snerk_ > > Also because a lot off the specific things that would be considered superlatives at the time seem pretty darn ordinary now. I mean, do you consider Pepsodent, cellophane, a turkey dinner, broccoli or a Waldorf salad to be “the top” now? Or are they all pretty ordinary everyday things? Well, it _was_ 1934. You felt pretty swell if you could afford to eat anything but potatoes and day-old bread. Cellophane was still expensive, made from wood pulp, and used only for showy wrappings, and toothpaste was only slowly taking over from the old favorite, tooth powder in a little can. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/10 "2005-08-31T00:53:54Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > New York audiences would presumably get the joke references to current events, including magazine ads and celebrities in the news, but they haven’t dated well. So much for Porter’s effort to write the “We Didn’t Start the Fire” of 1934… Fun **Interrobang!?** trivia: my wife and I read the lyrics of “You’re the Top” to each other as part of our wedding ceremony. I can’t remember who got to be cellophane, though. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/11 "2005-08-31T05:33:11Z")
By the way, “steppes of Russia”? Was this some exclusive New York club or something like that, or really just a rhyme? Maybe Cole Porter was a connoisseur of various terrain types. Also, was “I’m the bottom, you’re the top” as much of a double entendre back then as it is today? ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/12 "2005-08-31T05:44:47Z")
> [@panamajack](#): > > Also, was “I’m the bottom, you’re the top” as much of a double entendre back then as it is today? This is anecdotal, but the way I’ve heard it, he drafted the song when he was still at Yale, and in that incarnation it was _single_-entendre. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/13 "2005-08-31T06:34:46Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > 1. Because “Russia” and “usher” is a clever rhyme. True – but W.S. Gilbert [beat him to it](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_by_Jury) by about sixty years. 😉 Anyway, the lyrics may seem obscure now, but I don’t agree that “You’re the Top!” hasn’t aged well. The song’s still as fresh and fizzy as it ever was, even if some of the references may not be instantly recognizable. We get the point of the song without having to identify every last line. Me, I love the fact that the pop culture of the 1930s is integral to the lyrics: it brings the era to life for me! And that – along with the bouncy, sophisiticated melody & witty rhymes – is what makes YTT so much fun! ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/14 "2005-08-31T16:19:43Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Anyway, the lyrics may seem obscure now, but I don’t agree that “You’re the Top!” hasn’t aged well. The song’s still as fresh and fizzy as it ever was, even if some of the references may not be instantly recognizable. We get the point of the song without having to identify every last line. Me, I love the fact that the pop culture of the 1930s is integral to the lyrics: it brings the era to life for me! And that – along with the bouncy, sophisiticated melody & witty rhymes – is what makes YTT so much fun! That, and there are so many infinite variations on the song, that whenever you hear it, it’s always a surprise what things end up being listed. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/15 "2005-08-31T16:28:04Z")
How many names in the Bells Are Ringing number “[Drop That Name](http://www.playbill.com/features/article/64681.html)” would be recognizable to the average 2005’er? ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/16 "2005-08-31T16:41:39Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > but had to look up the more obscure ones (like Sherman Billingsley). What! Obscure? He was a star on that television show with Lenny Kravitz’ mother, “The Jeffersons.” Sure, he hasn’t done a lot since then, but he’s hardly obscure! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/17 "2005-08-31T16:49:16Z")
> [@Hentor the Barbarian](#): > > What! Obscure? He was a star on that television show with Lenny Kravitz’ mother, “The Jeffersons.” Sure, he hasn’t done a lot since then, but he’s hardly obscure! I don’t know if you were whooshed or not, but you are thinking about [Sherman Hemsley](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376200/). ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/18 "2005-08-31T16:54:17Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > I don’t know if you were whooshed or not, but you are thinking about [Sherman Hemsley](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376200/). Yes, there’s just a hint of spoof in **Hentor’s** post, which I’m going to assume means he wasn’t really whooshed. However, just to clarify, Sherman Billingsley owned the legendary Stork Club… ---
**Author:** ![Foaming\_Cleanser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Foaming\_Cleanser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foaming_Cleanser)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/19 "2005-08-31T16:54:38Z")
Of the 59 names, I did not recognize 17. By the way, the people the list says are still alive shows it needs updating. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253/20 "2005-08-31T17:19:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by jayjay > but had to look up the more obscure ones (like Sherman Billingsley). > > What! Obscure? He was a star on that television show with Lenny Kravitz’ mother, “The Jeffersons.” Sure, he hasn’t done a lot since then, but he’s hardly obscure! No, no, no! He played The Beaver’s mom. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cole-porter-think-the-pants-of-the-roxy-usher-were-the-top/319253.md?page=2)