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.
A Nightingale Can Sing the Blues
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got my lesson learned
Guess that I was born to lose
Take it straight from me, love is misery
Listen while I sing the blues
Ain't it a shame
He had to go and grieve me
Some other dame
That's how it happens
A nightingale can sing the blues
I'll put it straight
He's got his self a new bird
Gave me the gate
And now I'm just a blue bird
That's how it happens
A nightingale can sing the blues
He can take me and forsake me
Just as quick as that when there's someone new in town
But I'm bettin' he'll be frettin' for his old job back
When his brand new lady love has let him down
You take my word, there ain't no use a-preachin'
I got a bird who's gonna get some teachin'
Then he'll discover, a nightingale can sing the blues
That's how it happens, a nightingale can sing the blues
The opening lines of Julie London's "A Nightingale Can Sing the Blues" suggest that the singer has suffered heartbreak, having learned her lesson the hard way. She admits her defeat, acknowledging that love is nothing but misery. The bird motif runs through the song, with the singer referring to herself as a "blue bird" in the aftermath of the split. London effortlessly conveys the pain and anguish of a woman whose lover has left her for another woman, belting out the words with her unmistakable sultry voice.
Line by Line Meaning
Got my feathers burned
I've been hurt in love.
Got my lesson learned
I've learned from my mistakes.
Guess that I was born to lose
I seem to be unlucky in love.
Take it straight from me, love is misery
I'm warning people that love can bring pain.
Listen while I sing the blues
Pay attention to my sad story.
Ain't it a shame
Isn't it unfortunate?
He had to go and grieve me
He left me heartbroken.
Some other dame
Another woman.
Has made him up to leave me
She lured him away from me.
That's how it happens
It's a common occurrence.
A nightingale can sing the blues
Anyone can experience heartbreak, even someone who is usually happy.
I'll put it straight
I'll be honest.
He's got his self a new bird
He's found a new girlfriend.
Gave me the gate
He broke up with me.
And now I'm just a blue bird
I'm sad and lonely.
He can take me and forsake me
He's capable of abandoning me.
Just as quick as that when there's someone new in town
He'll leave me for someone else without hesitation.
But I'm bettin' he'll be frettin' for his old job back
I believe he'll regret losing me.
When his brand new lady love has let him down
When his new girlfriend hurts him.
You take my word, there ain't no use a-preachin'
Believe me, there's no point in trying to convince him of anything.
I got a bird who's gonna get some teachin'
I'll make sure he learns his lesson.
Then he'll discover, a nightingale can sing the blues
He'll realize that even he can experience heartbreak.
That's how it happens, a nightingale can sing the blues
It's a common experience to feel sad and alone after a breakup, even for someone who was previously happy.
Writer(s): D. Charles, L. Marks
Contributed by Wyatt V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.