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.
Bésame Mucho
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Love me forever and make all my dreams come true)
Bésame, bésame mucho
Each time I cling to your kiss, I hear music divine
Bésame, bésame mucho
Hold me my darling and say that you'll always be mine
This joy is something new
Never knew this thrill before
Whoever thought I'd be
Holding you close to me
Whispering "It's you I adore"
Dearest one
If you should leave me
Each little dream would take wing, and my life would be through
Bésame, bésame mucho
Love me forever and make all my dreams come true
(Bésame mucho)
(Love me forever and make all my dreams come true)
Julie London's song Besame Mucho is a passionate love song that expresses a deep desire to be loved forever. The lyrics describe the intense affection that the singer has for her lover, requesting and longing for kisses that are divine and music-like. She expresses a desire for her lover to hold her and promise to always be hers. The singer speaks of the immense joy and thrill she feels when holding her lover close to her and whispering words of adoration. The lyrics serve as a declaration of love and a plea for her lover never to leave.
This song is a perfect representation of the romantic ideals of the mid-20th century when love was the most celebrated emotion in music. The song was written in 1940 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez and was translated into English by Sunny Skylar, but it has been performed and recorded by several artists over the years. This song has become a timeless classic in both the Latin and English-speaking worlds, and its popularity continues to thrive. The song is reminiscent of the old-fashioned, waltz-like romance that was prevalent in the era it was written, and it has since become a staple in romantic ballads.
Line by Line Meaning
Bésame, bésame mucho
Kiss me, kiss me a lot
Each time I cling to your kiss, I hear music divine
Whenever I kiss you, it feels like music to my ears
Hold me my darling and say that you'll always be mine
Embrace me and promise you'll be with me forever
This joy is something new
Being with you brings me a new kind of happiness
My arms enfolding you
Holding you tightly in my arms
Never knew this thrill before
I've never experienced this kind of excitement before
Whoever thought I'd be
I never would have thought that I'd be
Holding you close to me
Being close to you like this
Whispering "It's you I adore"
Telling you softly that I adore you
Dearest one
My beloved
If you should leave me
If you were to go away from me
Each little dream would take wing, and my life would be through
All my dreams would disappear and life would have no meaning
Love me forever and make all my dreams come true
Promise to love me forever and make all my aspirations a reality
Contributed by Gavin R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
robert london
Julie is like a drug.... once u start listening to her u get hooked. Right now its raining outside, and with the lights off and a few candles burning with a glass of wine.... I'm doing fine.
Ramson Ben
Am doing same after all these years
copstolemywife
One of those women that gets better with age. She was stunningly gorgeous.
Ora Parlo Italiano
Dios mio!!... Pense que ya habia escuchado la mejor version de ''Besame Mucho''. Julie London eres maravillosa cantando.
Francisco Betti
Você é linda, Julie! Sua voz é divina! Wonderfull!
Andrew Harlan
Such a beauty...Julie London, one of the best voices !
coconut
I like her voice.
Roselyn West
Beautifully sang by Julie London. Thank you.
Heeiner Perez
She is divine 4ever and ever ♥️
dontheshark
You people should hear "Cry Me A River" by Julie from about 1956 or so. Her first hit.