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.
Bouquet of Blues
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking for the man she can't forget
Misery in high heel shoes holding
A bouquet of blues
Have you seen her go her lonely way?
Dressed in tattered dreams of goodbye grey
Lost with nothing more to lose
All she can hear is a echo of
A voice saying this will last
All she can do is follow in
The footsteps of the past
Think about the girl of great regret
Think about the man she can't forget
Never let the man you choose bring
You a bouquet of blues
The lyrics of Julie London's song "Bouquet of Blues" tell a story of a girl who is filled with deep regret and sadness. The opening lines ask if the listener has seen this girl, who is desperately searching for the man she cannot forget. She is portrayed as a figure of misery, walking in high heel shoes and carrying a bouquet of blues, symbolizing her emotional pain and heartache.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the girl's journey is a lonely one. She is dressed in tattered dreams of saying goodbye to her sorrow, trapped in a state of loss where she feels she has nothing more to lose. The repetition of the phrase "She carries a bouquet of blues" emphasizes the weight of her emotional burden.
The chorus highlights the girl's struggle to move on from the past. She is haunted by the echoes of a voice that assures her that her pain will endure. Despite knowing that she should let go, she finds herself following the footsteps of her past, unable to escape the cycle of heartbreak and regret.
The lyrics conclude with a warning to the listener, advising against choosing a man who would bring a bouquet of blues. It serves as a reminder to be cautious in love, not to let oneself be trapped in a cycle of sadness and emotional turmoil.
Overall, "Bouquet of Blues" paints a poignant picture of a woman trapped in her regrets and unable to find solace, despite her longing to escape the pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you seen the girl of great regret?
Have you come across a woman filled with deep sorrow and remorse?
Looking for the man she can't forget
Searching desperately for a man who remains embedded in her memory
Misery in high heel shoes holding
A woman consumed by unhappiness, portrayed through her elegant yet painful footwear
A bouquet of blues
She carries a collection of melancholic emotions, symbolized by a bouquet
Have you seen her go her lonely way?
Have you observed her walking her isolated path?
Dressed in tattered dreams of goodbye grey
Cloaked in worn-out aspirations of leaving behind her dull and lifeless existence
Lost with nothing more to lose
Adrift with no remaining possessions or hopes
She carries a bouquet of blues
She holds onto her collection of sorrowful sentiments
All she can hear is an echo of
Her only auditory perception is the recurring sound of
A voice saying this will last
A persistent voice affirming that her suffering will endure
All she can do is follow in
Her sole course of action is to emulate
The footsteps of the past
The actions and choices made previously
Think about the girl of great regret
Reflect upon the woman burdened by immense remorse
Think about the man she can't forget
Contemplate the man deeply ingrained in her memory
Never let the man you choose bring
Ensure that the individual you select as a partner doesn't bring
You a bouquet of blues
A collection of sorrowful emotions into your life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind