Top billing

Posted by R. Berg September 12, 2001In reply to Billing posted by ESC on September 12, 2001

Hello,
I am interested in the meaning of the sentence :"I am not my usual TOP BILLING". It is from Queen's song "I'm going slightly mad".
I would be thankful if you replied to this mail.
Thanks,
Svetlana

I couldn't find this phrase in my books. But here's what I think it means: "Top billing" means that an entertainer or a group is listed at the top of a poster or theater marquee advertising the show. It means he/they are the No. 1 act.

In movies, "top billing" is what an actor gets whose name appears on the screen before the title of the movie. More than one actor can have this honor in a single film. If the title appears before any actors' names do, nobody gets top billing.