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.
At Long Last Love
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it the good turtle soup or merely the mock?
Is it a cocktail, this feeling of joy?
Or is what I feel, the real McCoy?
Is it for all time or simply a lark?
Is it Granada I see or only Asbury Park?
Is it a fancy not worth thinking of?
Is it an earthquake or simply a shock?
Is it the good turtle soup or is it merely the mock?
Is it a cocktail, this feeling of joy?
Or is what I feel, the real McCoy?
Is it for all time or simply a lark?
Is it Granada I see or only Asbury Park?
Is it a fancy not worth thinking of?
Or is it at long, long, long last love?
In Julie London's song At Long Last Love, the lyrics convey a sense of uncertainty about the nature of the romantic feelings being experienced. The lyricist poses a series of questions, asking whether the sensations being felt are genuine, lasting love or simply temporary pleasures. The first stanza compares the feeling to an earthquake, a shock, or even a tasty soup - is it just a momentary thrill or something deeper and more significant? The second stanza asks whether it's a passing fancy, something not worth considering, or if it's truly "at long last love."
Through these questions, the lyrics express the confusion and hesitation that often accompanies the early stages of a potential romantic relationship. There is a yearning for the feelings to be genuine and long-lasting, but also a fear of disappointment and heartbreak. The repeated questioning of the lyrics gives the impression of the singer trying to work out the answers for themselves, unsure of where their heart really lies.
Overall, the song captures the complex emotions and uncertainties that come with falling in love, and invites the listener to contemplate their own experiences with romantic relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it an earthquake or simply a shock?
Am I experiencing a huge life-changing event or just a minor surprise?
Is it the good turtle soup or merely the mock?
Is what I am experiencing genuine or just an imitation of something better?
Is it a cocktail, this feeling of joy?
Does this happy feeling come from a mix of different emotions, or is it just one pure emotion?
Or is what I feel, the real McCoy?
Is what I am feeling authentic and genuine, the real deal?
Is it for all time or simply a lark?
Is this feeling permanent and forever, or just temporary and fleeting?
Is it Granada I see or only Asbury Park?
Am I indulging in fantasies and illusions, or am I seeing reality clearly?
Is it a fancy not worth thinking of?
Is this just a fleeting thought or a meaningless daydream that I shouldn't put much thought into?
Or is it at long last love?
Or is it finally, after all this time, true love?
Is it at long, long, long last love?
Is it really true love, after waiting and longing for so long?
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind