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.
All My Life
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My wonderful one
I've begun living all my life
All my love has been waiting for you
My life has begun now that
I'm giving all my love
You seem so lovely, so far above me
I'm almost afraid to look
But I adore you, I place before you
A heart that's an open book
All my life, hold me close to your heart
And all else above, take my love, darling
All my life
My wonderful one I've begun living my life
My life has begun now that
I'm giving all my love
You seem so lovely, so far above me
I'm almost afraid to look
But I adore you, I place before you
A heart that's an open book
All my life, hold me close to your heart
And all else above, take my love, darling
All my life
Ooh, my life ooh, my life
Ooh, my life ooh, my life
The lyrics of Julie London's song "All My Life" express a deep longing and anticipation for love. The singer has spent their entire life waiting for someone special, and now that they have arrived, their life has truly begun. The lyrics convey a sense of joy and fulfillment as the singer starts to give all their love to this person.
The lyrics also reflect the singer's admiration and awe towards this person. They describe them as lovely and almost out of reach, causing them to be afraid to even look. However, despite this feeling of vulnerability, the singer adores this person wholeheartedly and opens up their heart like an open book.
The chorus repeats the sentiment of the song, emphasizing the singer's desire for this person to hold them close and to take their love above all else in their life. The repetition of the phrase "all my life" throughout the song reinforces the significance and importance of this love.
Line by Line Meaning
All my life, I've been waiting for you
Throughout my entire existence, I have been eagerly anticipating your arrival
My wonderful one
You are a remarkable and special person to me
I've begun living all my life
Only now, as I have encountered you, have I truly started experiencing and embracing life
All my love has been waiting for you
Every ounce of love within me has been patiently reserved for you
My life has begun now that I'm giving all my love
My existence has truly commenced since I have devoted all my love and affection to you
You seem so lovely, so far above me
You appear incredibly beautiful and impressive, making me feel insignificant in comparison
I'm almost afraid to look
I am filled with trepidation at the thought of fully observing and acknowledging your exceptional qualities
But I adore you, I place before you a heart that's an open book
Nevertheless, I deeply admire and cherish you, presenting my vulnerability and transparent emotions
All my life, hold me close to your heart
Throughout my existence, please embrace me intimately and keep me near your heart
And all else above, take my love, darling
Above everything else, accept and receive my love, my beloved
Ooh, my life ooh, my life
Expressions of emotional intensity and emphasis on the significance of my existence
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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