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.
Angel Eyes
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still it's uncomfortably near
My own heart ain't gainin' no ground
Because my Angel Eyes ain't here
Angel Eyes that old devil sent
They glow unbearably bright
Need I say that my love's mis-spent
So drink up, drink up all you people
And order anything you see
Have fun you happy people
The drink, and the laugh's, on me
Pardon me, but I gotta run
The fact's uncommonly clear
I gotta find who's now number one
And why my Angel Eyes ain't here.
I gotta find who's now the number one
And why my Angel Eyes ain't here.
`Scuse me while I disappear.
In Julie London’s song “Angel Eyes,” the lyrics suggest a deep longing and loneliness felt by the singer. Even though love may not be around, the memory of her past love remains painfully close. Despite her efforts to move on, her heart is stuck, and “ain’t gainin’ no ground” because her “Angel Eyes ain’t here.” This vivid description of the person she loved so much but who is now absent reflects the universal feeling of unrequited love.
The lyrics continue to describe Angel Eyes as an “old devil sent” and how the love that the singer feels for this person is a mis-spent one. This suggests that her love for Angel Eyes is dangerous and potentially harmful. A sense of desperation can also be felt in the lyrics when the singer invites the people around her to drink up and have fun while she is consumed by her own misery. Towards the end of the song, the singer explains that she needs to find out “who’s now number one” and why her Angel Eyes is no longer there. The song ends with a sense of resignation and an admission that she needs to disappear from the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Try to think that love's not around
It's difficult to forget about love.
Still it's uncomfortably near
Even when you try, love is still present.
My own heart ain't gainin' no ground
One's emotions and feelings are stagnant and not progressing.
Because my Angel Eyes ain't here
The person who is deeply loved, cherished and missed is no longer around.
Angel Eyes that old devil sent
Angel eyes refer to someone with beautiful eyes or someone who is incredibly captivating and irresistible.
They glow unbearably bright
The captivating eyes deeply affect the person in a way that is almost overwhelming.
Need I say that my love's mis-spent
My love was misplaced.
Mis-spent with Angel Eyes tonight
Love was spent with the captivating person they have come to call Angel Eyes, even though it might have been a mistake.
So drink up, drink up all you people
Drink and be merry.
And order anything you see
Indulge and have everything you desire without consideration for the price.
Have fun you happy people
Be joyful.
The drink, and the laugh's, on me
I will pay for the drinks and ensure everyone has a good time.
Pardon me, but I gotta run
I have to leave.
The fact's uncommonly clear
The truth is painfully obvious.
I gotta find who's now number one
I need to determine who is more important to me.
And why my Angel Eyes ain't here.
And figure out why I can't be with the person I love.
`Scuse me while I disappear.
I need to leave and be alone.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Earl Brent, Matt Dennis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MALP1231
This is my favorite Julie London LP, which my mom bought when I was a kid. I loved to listen to it. The arrangements and orchestration are the genius of Andre Previn.
Steven Marcus
I used to play my father's monophonic LP. It's great to hear these Andre Previn arrangements in stereo after all these years.