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.
Can't Help Lovin' That Man
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Birds gotta fly
I gotta love one man till I die
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
Tell me he's lazy
Tell me he's slow
Tell me I'm crazy
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
When he goes away
That's a rainy day
And when he comes back
That day is fine
The sun will shine
He can come home
As late as can be
Home without him
Ain't no home to me
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
Can't help lovin' that man of mine.
These lyrics from Julie London's song "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" express a deep and unbreakable love for someone, despite their flaws and imperfections. The references to fish and birds emphasize the natural and instinctive nature of this love, implying that it cannot be helped or controlled. The singer acknowledges that others may criticize her love as foolish or irrational, but she knows that it is real and true.
The lyrics also convey a sense of dependency on this man. The rainy day symbolizes the sadness and emptiness that comes when he is not there, and the sunshine that comes with his return highlights the joy and fulfillment he brings. The line "home without him ain't no home to me" reinforces this idea of reliance on him for happiness and comfort.
Overall, these lyrics speak to the intense emotions and complexities that come with loving someone deeply, despite the challenges and criticisms that may come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Fish gotta swim
Just like fish have to swim, some things are just natural and unavoidable
Birds gotta fly
Just like birds have to fly, some things are just natural and unavoidable
I gotta love one man till I die
I am destined to love one man for the rest of my life, it's just the way it is
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
I can't avoid loving the man who is mine
Tell me he's lazy
You can tell me he is lazy
Tell me he's slow
You can tell me he is slow
Tell me I'm crazy
You can tell me I'm crazy
Maybe I know
But maybe I already know that about him
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
I can't avoid loving the man who is mine
When he goes away
When he goes away
That's a rainy day
It is a sad and gloomy day when he is gone
And when he comes back
And when he returns
That day is fine
It is a happy and joyous day when he comes back
The sun will shine
Everything will feel brighter and better when he is with me
He can come home
He can come home
As late as can be
It doesn't matter how late he comes home, I will always be happy to see him
Home without him
Without him at home
Ain't no home to me
It doesn't feel like a real home without him there
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
I can't avoid loving the man who is mine
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
I can't avoid loving the man who is mine
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, PAT MALNECK GREEN DBA MATTY MALNECK MUSIC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johnny Mercer, Matt Malneck
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind