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.
Black Coffee
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Haven't slept a wink
I walk the floor and watch the door
In between I drink
Black coffee
Love's a hand-me-down brew
I'll never know a Sunday
In this weekday room
I'm talkin' to the shadow
One o'clock till four
And Lord, how slow the moments go
When all I do is pour
Black coffee
Since the blues caught my eye
I'm hangin' out on Monday
My Sunday dreams to dry
Now man is born to go a lovin'
A woman's born to weep and fret
To stay at home and tend her oven
And drown her past regrets
In coffee and cigarettes
I'm moonin' all the mornin'
Moanin' all the night
And in between it's nicotine
And not much heart to fight
Black coffee
Feelin' low as the ground
It's drivin' me crazy
This waitin' for my baby
To maybe come around
To maybe come around
Pour me black coffee
And I'll come around
Julie London's song "Black Coffee" is a bleak and melancholic reflection on loneliness and heartbreak, featuring a woman singing about her sleepless nights and her struggles to fill the empty hours of her day. The opening lines convey a sense of desperation, as the singer admits to feeling "mighty lonesome" and unable to find any respite from her pain. She is sleepless, pacing the floor, and drinking black coffee to try and forget her troubles.
The line "love's a hand-me-down brew" suggests that the singer sees love as something that has been passed down to her from others, rather than something she has created for herself. She has given up hope of finding real love, as she will "never know a Sunday in this weekday room." Her dreams of a happy future have been replaced with a bleak and mundane existence, where she talks to shadows and spends her days waiting for something that may not come.
The final verse suggests a resigned acceptance of the roles that men and women are expected to play in society, with the man going "a lovin'" and the woman staying home to "weep and fret". The singer is left alone to drown her sorrows in "coffee and cigarettes", suggesting that she has little hope of breaking free from the cycle of loneliness and regret that she finds herself trapped in.
Overall, "Black Coffee" is a powerful expression of female pain and disillusionment, and it remains one of Julie London's most haunting and memorable performances.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm feelin' mighty lonesome
I'm overcome with a deep sense of loneliness.
Haven't slept a wink
I have not gotten any sleep.
I walk the floor and watch the door
I pace the floor anxiously while waiting for someone to arrive.
In between I drink
To pass the time, I occupy myself by drinking.
Black coffee
This is the type of coffee I'm drinking - plain and bitter.
Love's a hand-me-down brew
Love is like a second-hand beverage.
I'll never know a Sunday
I'll never experience a day of rest or happiness.
In this weekday room
I'm trapped in a mundane and depressing place.
I'm talkin' to the shadow
I'm so lonely that I talk to shadows to fill the silence and emptiness.
One o'clock till four
I talk to shadows for hours on end, from one in the morning until four.
And Lord, how slow the moments go
Time moves agonizingly slowly when I'm alone.
When all I do is pour
All I do is pour myself another cup of coffee.
Since the blues caught my eye
Ever since I became depressed or sad, I've been hooked on black coffee.
I'm hangin' out on Monday
I'm stuck in a rut and cannot move on from a depressing and discouraging situation.
My Sunday dreams to dry
I'm trying to forget my dreams and ambitions by focusing on the mundane aspects of everyday life.
Now man is born to go a lovin'
Men were created to find love and companionship.
A woman's born to weep and fret
But women are destined to feel heartbreak and sorrow.
To stay at home and tend her oven
Women have the responsibility of taking care of the house and making sure it runs smoothly.
And drown her past regrets
And to cope with the pain of past mistakes and regrets.
In coffee and cigarettes
This coping mechanism involves consuming coffee and smoking cigarettes.
I'm moonin' all the mornin'
I'm sad and listless all morning.
Moanin' all the night
And I'm still moaning and feeling down at night.
And in between it's nicotine
And in the meantime I'm still using cigarettes to dull the pain.
And not much heart to fight
I don't have a lot of energy or willpower to fight my depression.
Feelin' low as the ground
I'm feeling very sad and down on myself, with no hope in sight.
It's drivin' me crazy
This situation is making me go crazy.
This waitin' for my baby
The prospect of waiting for someone I love is keeping me on edge.
To maybe come around
But I'm not sure they will ever return to me.
Pour me black coffee
Give me another cup of black coffee to numb my pain.
And I'll come around
I'll feel better - for a little while.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Francis Joseph Burke, Paul Francis Webster
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gary K. Nedrow
Julie once admitted she had "a little thimbleful of a voice," but she used it to create an intimacy in her singing that many have tried, unsuccessfully, to emulate. She was not a great singer, but she was a great entertainer. As Bob H comments below, her phrasing and interpretation transcend the music. She was and remains a unique talent.
Bob H
Julie London was an amazing talent. Her voice and interpretations of songs create images making a 3d representation of the music and transcends audible medium. Incredible tone, phrasing, and delivery without the need of "extra crap" that takes away from the music like we hear so much of these days in music. When its done right you don't need all that extra riffing.
bluesborn
What a great production.The band has huge depth while the vocals are up front and intimate .
Paul Butler
Love the comparison with Jessica Rabbit! She oozed sex appeal with that breathy voice - and she didn't look too bad either. She never rated her own voice, but her use of breath for emphasis and punctuation was sensational.
fmm13
the way that she sings, unique. My favorite version.
Mariem BEN MOUSSA
I'm feelin' mighty lonesome Haven't slept a wink I walk the floor And watch the door And in between I drink Black coffee Love's a hand-me-down brew I'll never know a Sunday In this weekday room I'm talking to the shadows Of one o'clock before And Lord how slow the months ago When all I do is pour Black coffee Since the blues caught my eye I'm hanging out on the move My Sunday dreams to dry Now a man is born to go lovin' A woman's born to weep and fret To stay home and tend her oven
darlene longo
she really picked the songs that were perfect for her...
rogeredtabbit
Cmon, Ella was Ella and Julie is Julie, you cant even compare two legends man. Both have such beautiful voices and different voice cultures. I'd say they both rock!
DinoHF79
My Dad was a huge fan. He'd play her records on the hifi along with his other swing, band, & blues albums. He worked swing shift. When he worked 3-11pm he'd fix a cocktail & would strike up the tunes. Great memories hearing these songs in the middle of the night.
Bflatblues55
This is soooo awesome! Sure wish I could find backing tracks for this tune! Thanks for the share, Sherrilyn