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.
By Myself
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
the dreams I dreamed went up in smoke.
They didn't pan out as I had intended;
I should know how to take a joke.
I'll go my way by myself, this is the end of romance.
I'll go my way by myself, love is only a dance.
I'll try to apply myself and teach my heart to sing.
I'll face the unknown, I'll build a world of my own;
No one knows better than I, myself, I'm by myself alone.
I'll go my way by myself, here's how the comedy ends.
I'll have to deny myself love and laughter and friends.
Grey clouds in sky above have put a blot on my fun.
I'll try to fly high above for a place in the sun.
I'll face the unknown, I'll build a world of my own;
No one knows better than I, myself, I'm by myself alone
Julie London's song "By Myself" is a melancholic ballad that chronicles the end of a relationship and the singer's decision to move on and navigate life alone. The chorus of the song emphasizes the sense of detachment experienced by the singer who acknowledges that the party is over, the game has ended and the dreams she had have dissipated into thin air. The singer seems to take responsibility for her current predicament and accepts that things didn't pan out as she intended. This form of resignation reveals a certain level of maturity and acceptance of the realities of life that the singer is no longer going to deny.
The line "I'll go my way by myself, love is only a dance" portrays the singer's disillusionment with love as futile and the upcoming pursuit of happiness as a solo affair. The line, "I'll try to apply myself and teach my heart to sing," shows that the singer is ready to move past her heartbreak and explore new opportunities. The singer acknowledges that it won't be easy, but she has made peace with the inevitability of going through uncertain times alone. The last line of Julie London's song "By Myself" muses that "No one knows better than I, myself, I'm by myself alone." It highlights the idea that ultimately, no one can truly know what is in a person's heart and the challenges they face. Thus, people often have to face challenges on their own, and this can be an empowering experience.
Line by Line Meaning
The party's over, the game is ended,
The enjoyable, exciting time that I was having has come to an end, and the situation I was in is over.
the dreams I dreamed went up in smoke.
The hopes and aspirations that I had are now gone and will not come to fruition.
They didn't pan out as I had intended;
My plans and goals did not succeed or work out the way that I had hoped they would.
I should know how to take a joke.
I should be able to handle and accept the unexpected and unfavorable things that happen in life with good humor and grace.
I'll go my way by myself, this is the end of romance.
I will live my life alone and without romantic love from another person, as my relationship has ended for good.
I'll go my way by myself, love is only a dance.
From now on, I will not view love as a serious or meaningful part of my life, but rather as a temporary and shallow activity.
I'll try to apply myself and teach my heart to sing.
I will put effort into improving myself and finding joy and happiness in life on my own.
I'll go my way by myself like a bird on the wing,
I will move forward in my life independently, like a bird soaring through the air without assistance.
I'll face the unknown, I'll build a world of my own;
I will confront the uncertain and unfamiliar future ahead of me, and create and shape my life in my own way.
No one knows better than I, myself, I'm by myself alone.
I am the only person who truly understands my own thoughts, feelings, and desires, and I am on my own without anyone else to rely on or understand me.
I'll go my way by myself, here's how the comedy ends.
I will continue my journey alone, and my life will be like a comedy, with unexpected and humorous twists that will make the story of my life amusing.
I'll have to deny myself love and laughter and friends.
I will have to sacrifice and give up the joy and happiness of love, laughter, and friends in order to live my life independently.
Grey clouds in sky above have put a blot on my fun.
The dreary and unpleasant circumstances of life, like dark clouds in the sky, have cast a pall over the enjoyment and pleasure that I seek.
I'll try to fly high above for a place in the sun.
I will strive to rise above my difficulties and find a place of happiness and contentment, like a bird seeking the warmth and light of the sun.
I'll face the unknown, I'll build a world of my own;
I will confront the uncertain and unfamiliar future ahead of me, and create and shape my life in my own way.
No one knows better than I, myself, I'm by myself alone.
I am the only person who truly understands my own thoughts, feelings, and desires, and I am on my own without anyone else to rely on or understand me.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind