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.
Around Midnight
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight, midnight.
I do pretty well, till after sundown,
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad;
But it really gets bad,
'Round midnight.
Memories always start 'round midnight
When my heart is still with you,
And ol' midnight knows it, too.
When a quarrel we had needs mending,
Does it mean that our love is ending.
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart,
And I'm out of my mind.
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing,
For your returning.
Till our love is safe and sound.
And old midnight comes around.
Feelin' sad,
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
In 'Round Midnight, Julie London portrays a melancholic state that arises every midnight. She states her emotions begin to unfold around midnight when the memories of the past come flooding back to her. She can't bear the recollection of heartbreak, and every day seems to be a constant reminder that she is no longer with someone she once loved. Even minutes before midnight, she feels okay, but as soon as it strikes, Julie finds herself engulfed with intense feelings of sorrow, manifesting as sadness and regret.
She can’t shake the nostalgia that arises from looking back, and she wonders if the moment is a signal that signals an end to her love. Julie London's beautiful and emotional delivery serves to capture the listener's heart to give them a glimpse of the bitterness she feels. But she doesn't give up hope of rekindling the love flame that once burned bright with her lost love. Instead, she wishes her love could join her again so they could spend the night together as they used to, and they could once again soar together.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell, 'Round midnight, midnight.
As the clock strikes twelve at night, I feel that something eerie or strange is about to happen.
I do pretty well, till after sundown, Suppertime I'm feelin' sad;
Throughout the day, I cope up well with my melancholic state but the feeling of sadness starts to intensify as the day ends, especially during dinner time.
But it really gets bad, 'Round midnight.
My sadness becomes unbearable during midnight because it triggers memories of you.
Memories always start 'round midnight Haven't got the heart to stand those memories,
My mind starts to replay our memories together every midnight and I find it hard to endure the flood of emotions that come with it.
When my heart is still with you, And ol' midnight knows it, too.
Even though you're no longer with me, I can still feel your presence in my heart, and midnight serves as a reminder of that feeling.
When a quarrel we had needs mending, Does it mean that our love is ending.
I am uncertain whether mending our quarrels can still save our love, or if it's already nearing its end.
Darlin' I need you, lately I find You're out of my heart, And I'm out of my mind.
I still long for you, but I feel that you're gradually fading from my heart, and it's driving me crazy.
Let our hearts take wings' 'Round midnight, midnight Let the angels sing, For your returning.
I hope that someday soon, our love would rekindle and flourish once again, and it would happen at midnight when our hearts wake up.
Till our love is safe and sound. And old midnight comes around.
I will wait for the time when we would be able to fix what's been broken between us, and it would happen at midnight.
Feelin' sad, Really gets bad Round, Round, Round Midnight
The memories and emotions that come with midnight always make me sad, and it feels like a never-ending cycle that keeps repeating itself.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrValerioTambone
It begins to tell
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
@lindacolibri4167
It begins to tell,
'Round midnight, midnight.
I do pretty well, till after sundown,
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad;
But it really gets bad,
'Round midnight.
Memories always start 'round midnight
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories,
When my heart is still with you,
And ol' midnight knows it, too.
When a quarrel we had needs mending,
Does it mean that our love is ending.
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart,
And I'm out of my mind.
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing,
For your returning.
Till our love is safe and sound.
And old midnight comes around.
Feelin' sad,
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
It begins to tell,
'Round midnight, midnight.
I do pretty well, till after sundown,
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad;
But it really gets bad,
'Round midnight.
Memories always start 'round midnight
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories,
When my heart is still with you,
And ol' midnight knows it, too.
When a quarrel we had needs mending,
Does it mean that our love is ending.
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart,
And I'm out of my mind.
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing,
For your returning.
Till our love is safe and sound.
And old midnight comes around.
Feelin' sad,
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
@maloney1953
The music plays in my head as i walk through the dark streets,
the humidity laying against my skin, ....
Somewhere in the distance a cat screams, a dog barks, trashcans fall and rattle down the alley.
Noone around except junkies and hookers and an occasional drunk that stumbles across the road trying to bum a dollar.
The black limo rolls by and slows so as to see who i am,
making sure i'm not a cop as he continues on his way.
The dealers whisper from the doorways, trying to sell their dope.
Once this city was bright.
Once this city was beautiful.
Families are gone now.
Its dark and dirty in the city now.
The music plays in my head as I walk through the dark streets....
@phaedracollins6051
For me this is the most magical version of this great classic. Her voice is so dreamy it just transports you to another dimension and the orchestration is just perfection.
@JohnSmith-fc1yj
Sheer class ... something we seem to have lost along the way. A 1940's/50's evening, dry martinis and a beautiful lady singing songs with magical lyrics.
@Hunter-si5bg
John Smith agreed
@JohnSmith-us2jx
Hunter Neller, nice to know I'm not in a majority of One.
@JohnSmith-us2jx
Hunter, I'm sure we've got a few thousand like minds out there somewhere!!!!
@starfishk4992
Something Cool/. Julie London https://youtu.be/tSmA_a3mWOY
@jamesoswald2648
Beautiful...absolutely beautiful. Words can't even begin to describe the emotion this makes one feel. Julia London. Truly one of the greatest.
@superlune960
Love her and her deep seductive voice, excellent album.
@MrValerioTambone
It begins to tell
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
@francetogo794
Beautiful, why i cry each time i hear this song