London's 35-year acting career began in films in 1944 and included playing opposite Gary Cooper in Man of the West (1958) and Robert Mitchum in The Wonderful Country (1959). She achieved continuing success in the TV medical drama Emergency! (1972–1979), co-starring her real-life husband, Bobby Troup, and produced by her ex-husband, Jack Webb, in which London played the female lead role of nurse Dixie McCall. She and Randolph Mantooth, who played one-half of her medical students, a paramedic, in the series, were very close to her family, until her death in 2000.
Born in Santa Rosa, California, she was the daughter of Jack and Josephine Peck, who were a vaudeville song-and-dance team. When she was fourteen the family moved to Los Angeles. Shortly after that, she began appearing in movies. She graduated from the Hollywood Professional High School in 1945.
London began singing under the name Gayle Peck in public in her teens before appearing in a film. She was discovered by talent agent Sue Carol (wife of actor Alan Ladd), while working as an elevator operator. Her early film career, however, did not include any singing roles.
London recorded 32 albums in a career that began in 1955 with a live performance at the 881 Club in Los Angeles. Billboard named her the most popular female vocalist for 1955, 1956, and 1957. She was the subject of a 1957 Life cover article in which she was quoted as saying, "It's only a thimbleful of a voice, and I have to use it close to the microphone. But it is a kind of oversmoked voice, and it automatically sounds intimate."
London's debut recordings were for the Bethlehem Records label. While shopping for a record deal, she recorded four tracks that would later be included on the compilation album Bethlehem's Girlfriends in 1955. Bobby Troup backed London on the album, for which London recorded the standards "Don't Worry About Me", "Motherless Child", "A Foggy Day", and "You're Blasé".
London's most famous single, "Cry Me a River", was written by her high-school classmate Arthur Hamilton and produced by Troup. The recording became a million-seller after its release in December 1955 and also sold on reissue in April 1983 from the attention brought by a Mari Wilson cover. London performed the song in the film The Girl Can't Help It (1956), and her recording gained later attention in the films Passion of Mind (2000) and V for Vendetta (2006). The song "Yummy Yummy Yummy" was featured on the HBO television series Six Feet Under and appears on its soundtrack album. London's "Must Be Catchin'" was featured in the 2011 premiere episode of the ABC series Pan Am. Her last recording was "My Funny Valentine" for the soundtrack of the Burt Reynolds film Sharky's Machine (1981).
Other popular singles include "Hot Toddy", "Daddy", and "Desafinado". Recordings such as "Go Slow" epitomized her career style: her voice is slow, smoky, and playfully sensual.
She was married to Jack Webb, of Dragnet fame. Her obvious beauty and self-poise (she was a pinup girl prized by GIs during World War II) contrasted with his pedestrian appearance and stiff-as-a-board acting technique (much parodied by impersonators). This unlikely pairing arose from his and her love for jazz; their marriage lasted from July 1947 to November 1953. They had two daughters, one who was killed in a traffic accident in the 1990s and one who survived London. In 1954, having become somewhat reclusive after her divorce from Jack Webb, she met jazz composer and musician Bobby Troup at a club on La Brea Blvd. They married on December 31, 1959 and remained married until Troup's death in February 1999. Together, they had one daughter and twin sons.
London suffered a stroke in 1995, and was in poor health until her death in Encino, California, at the age of seventy-four, survived by four of her five children. She died on18th October 2000, and was buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Come On-A My House
Julie London Lyrics
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I'm gonna give you candy
Come on-a my house, my house
I'm gonna give you apple and plum
And an apricot too
Come on-a my house
My house-a come on
Come on-a my house
My house-a come on
Come on-a my house, my house
I'm gonna give you candy
Come on-a my house, my house
I'm gonna give you everything
Come on to my house, my house
I'm gonna give you Christmas tree
Come on, come on, come on to my house
I'm gonna give you a pomegranate
Come on-a my house
My house-a come on
Come on-a my house
My house-a come on
Come on-a my house, my house
I'm gonna give you peach and pair
And I love your hair
Come on-a my house
My house-a come on
Come on-a my house
My house-a come on
Come on-a my house, my house
I'm gonna give you candy
Come on-a my house, my house
I'm gonna give you everything
Come on, come on to my house
Come on to my house
Come come come come to my house
Come on to my...
The song "Come On-A My House," performed by Julie London, is about a woman who invites a man over to her house to share a variety of treats with him. She promises him candy, fresh fruit like apples, plums, apricots, peaches, and pears, and even a pomegranate, as well as a Christmas tree. The woman seems very eager to have the man join her, repeatedly urging him to "come on-a my house" throughout the song.
At face value, the lyrics of the song seem to be about hospitality and generosity, with the woman offering her guest every kind of treat she has available to her. However, there is a subtle flirtatious undertone to the song as well. The woman seems to be using the treats as a way to entice the man to come to her house, and her repeated invitations and compliments on his hair suggest a romantic interest in him.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on-a my house, my house
I invite you to come to my home
I'm gonna give you candy
I have a sweet treat for you
Come on-a my house, my house
I am excited for you to visit my home
I'm gonna give you apple and plum
I have fresh fruit to share with you
And an apricot too
And don't forget this delicious fruit!
My house-a come on
Please don't hesitate to visit my home
I'm gonna give you everything
I have many things to offer you
I'm gonna give you Christmas tree
I want to share the festive spirit of Christmas with you
Come on, come on, come on to my house
I am eager for you to visit me
I'm gonna give you a pomegranate
I have another exotic fruit to share
I'm gonna give you peach and pair
I have more fresh fruit for you to enjoy
And I love your hair
I really admire your beautiful hair
Come on to my house
Please don't be shy, come visit me
Come on, come on to my house
I welcome you to come to my home
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ross Bagdasarian, William Saroyan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind