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.
Boy On a Dolphin
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a boy made of gold.
With the shells and the pearls in the deep,
He has lain many years fast asleep;
What they tell of the Boy on A Dolphin,
Who can say if it's true.
Should he rise from the depths of the ocean,
Any wish that you wish will come true.
You say he's only a statue,
And what can a statue achieve.
And yet while I'm gazing at you,
My heart tells my head to believe.
If the boy whom the Gods have enchanted,
Should arise from the sea,
And the wish of my heart could be granted,
I would wish that you loved only me.
Julie London’s song “Boy On a Dolphin” features thought-provoking lyrics that reflect on a fabled story of a dolphin and a boy made of gold. The song opens with the mention of the tale of a dolphin and a boy made of gold. The boy is adorned with shells and pearls and has been laying fast asleep for many years in the deep ocean. The lyrics pose the question of whether it is true. The next line is especially captivating, stating that if the boy arises from the ocean depths, any wish that one may make will come true.
The second stanza is where the lyrics really begin to shine. London is speaking to someone who dismisses the idea of the boy on a dolphin as just a statue. But, as she gazes at the person, her heart reminds her to believe in the story. She talks of a boy that the gods have enchanted, who could arise from the sea. Her heart’s wish is that the person she loves would love her back unconditionally. The lyrics are striking in their simplicity and yet remain powerful in conveying the emotions of desire and hope for true love.
Overall, the song tells a story about believing in the mystical and fantastical. It speaks of keeping hope alive and never giving up on the possibility of something wonderful happening.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a tale that they tell of a dolphin
Legend has it that a dolphin is associated with a story.
And a boy made of gold.
The tale is about a golden boy.
With the shells and the pearls in the deep,
This golden boy is lying in a deep place where there are shells and pearls.
He has lain many years fast asleep;
This golden boy has been sleeping for many years.
What they tell of the Boy on A Dolphin,
This story is about the boy on a dolphin.
Who can say if it's true.
No one can confirm if this story is true.
Should he rise from the depths of the ocean,
However, if the boy emerges from the ocean.
Any wish that you wish will come true.
If you make a wish at this moment, it will come true.
You say he's only a statue,
You think that the boy is just a statue.
And what can a statue achieve.
You believe that a statue cannot do anything significant.
And yet while I'm gazing at you,
But while I'm looking at you,
My heart tells my head to believe.
My emotions are persuading me to believe otherwise about the boy on the dolphin.
If the boy whom the Gods have enchanted,
If the boy that the Gods have put under a spell,
Should arise from the sea,
If he comes out of the water,
And the wish of my heart could be granted,
If I could have a wish come true,
I would wish that you loved only me.
I would want you to love me, and no one else.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HUGO FRIEDHOFER, TAKIS MORAKIS, JEAN FERMANOGLOU, PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Viktor Aksentijević
There's a tale that they tell of a dolphin
And a boy made of gold.
With the shells and the pearls in the deep,
He has lain many years fast asleep;
What they tell of the Boy on A Dolphin,
Who can say if it's true.
Should he rise from the depths of the ocean,
Any wish that you wish will come true.
You say he's only a statue,
And what can a statue achieve.
And yet while I'm gazing at you,
My heart tells my head to believe.
If the boy whom the Gods have enchanted,
Should arise from the sea,
And the wish of my heart could be granted,
I would wish that you loved only me.
David Mentzer
It still brings tears to my eyes, even after all this time. So beautiful, the music & the message. I was a young'un when the movie came out, and it's been haunting me all these years...
semih gençoğlu
I was 8 years old when I watched this film in cinema. I was very much influenced. After 62 years this song still shears my heart .
Mickey Ray
All the decades I've been singing this song in my head, I assumed it was Sophia Loren. Now, what do you know! Turns out it's Julie London! No wonder its so good.
Prionel
It is as beautiful a song today as it was when I first heard it as a young teenager. Thanks for posting.
Nimmi Schueller
Fabulous timeless song composed by Takis Morakis with this English version hauntingly performed by Julie London. The original Greek titel is "Tin' Afto Pou To Lene Agapi?" (What Is This Thing We Call Love?) Sophia Loren did a good job singing the demanding original version in Greek together with Tony Maroudas in 'Boy On A Dolphin'.
Brenda Reay
One of my favorite all Time films ,takes you to another world,love it ,julies voice is dreamy
Sophia Bekker
I was 14 when I heard this song so glad to hear it again.The movie was the best ever.
Wicker Bill
I was 12 and saw it with my parents at the Temple theater in Temple City, California. What a classic film representing the American society standards of the 50’s.
wileywalt
Just watched the movie on TCM and this song was just awesome!! Her voice and Sophia's body...what more could you ask for!
E Evert
Such a beautiful song. I saws this movie only once, and fell in love with the song. Thanks for posting it.