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 Through the Night
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For I'm always so alone till the day draws to an end;
But when the sun goes down and the moon comes through,
To the monotone of the evening's drone I'm all alone with you.
All through the night,
I delight in your love,
All through the night you're so close to me!
From a height far above,
You and your love brings me ecstasy!
When dawn comes to waken me,
You're never there at all!
I know you've forsaken me
Till the shadows fall;
But then once again I can dream, I've the right
To be close to you all through the night.
Julie London's song All Through the Night expresses loneliness during the day and a bittersweet relief that comes with nightfall, where the singer can find solace in being alone with their lover. The lyrics contrast the loneliness and isolation felt during the day with the comfort and intimacy of the night, where the monotone of the evening's events becomes a backdrop to the closeness between two people who love each other.
The lyrics also reflect the idea of being forsaken during the day, with the lover nowhere to be found, but the nighttime provides a temporary escape and release from this feeling. The lyrics acknowledge that the lover might leave, but in the end, the singer has a right to dream and feel close to their lover all through the night. The song captures the feeling of being in a relationship that isn't always easy, but that provides comfort and closeness, particularly during difficult times.
Overall, the lyrics of the song showcase the beauty of finding a connection with someone during darker times and being able to rely on that connection to provide a sense of safety and hope. It's a beautifully written piece that captures the longing and the happiness that can come with love, particularly when faced with the turmoils of everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
The day is my enemy, the night my friend,
I dislike being alone during the day, but I find comfort in the solitude of the night.
For I'm always so alone till the day draws to an end;
I am often lonely until nightfall.
But when the sun goes down and the moon comes through,
At night, when the moon rises and the sun sets,
To the monotone of the evening's drone I'm all alone with you.
I am alone with you in the quiet stillness of the night.
All through the night,
Throughout the night,
I delight in your love,
I am filled with joy because of your love,
All through the night you're so close to me!
You are physically near me throughout the night!
All through the night,
Throughout the night,
From a height far above,
From a great distance above,
You and your love brings me ecstasy!
Your love brings me immense happiness and pleasure!
When dawn comes to waken me,
When morning arrives and wakes me up,
You're never there at all!
You are not there with me at all!
I know you've forsaken me
I am aware that you have abandoned me,
Till the shadows fall;
Until nighttime arrives again;
But then once again I can dream, I've the right
But then I can dream again, as it is my right
To be close to you all through the night.
To be near you and feel your love throughout the night.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind