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.
Chances Are
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The moment you come into view
Chances are you think that I'm in love with you
Just because my composure sort of slips
The moment that your lips meet mine
Chances are you think my heart's your Valentine
Chances are you believe the stars that fill the skies are in my eyes
Guess you feel you'll always be the one and only one for me
And if you think you could
Well, chances are your chances are awfully good
Chances are you believe the stars that fill the skies are in my eyes
Guess you feel you'll always be the one and only one for me
And if you think you could
Well, chances are your chances are awfully good
The chances are your chances are awfully good
These lyrics in Julie London's song Chances Are are a straightforward declaration of love. The singer, who wears a silly grin every time their love interest comes into view, is expressing that there is a high likelihood that the other person will think she is in love with them. She admits that her composure falters when their lips meet, and by doing so, the other person may believe that her heart belongs to them. The singer also notes that in the magic of moonlight, she sighs and asks her lover to hold her close, leading her lover to believe that the stars in her eyes are for them.
Line by Line Meaning
Chances are 'cause I wear a silly grin
It's highly probable that I wear a silly grin whenever you're around.
The moment you come into view
This is because the moment I see you, my heart starts to race with excitement.
Chances are you think that I'm in love with you
You might assume that I love you because of the way I act around you.
Just because my composure sort of slips
Sometimes, my self-control falters when I'm around you.
The moment that your lips meet mine
This usually happens when we kiss – my emotions get the best of me then.
Chances are you think my heart's your Valentine
It's possible you believe that I'm deeply in love with you, like I'm your Valentine.
In the magic of moonlight when I sigh, "Hold me close, dear"
Under the beautiful moonlight, as I whisper "hold me close, dear," things seem so perfect.
Chances are you believe the stars that fill the skies are in my eyes
You might think that my eyes light up like the stars whenever I'm around you.
Guess you feel you'll always be the one and only one for me
Perhaps you think you're the only one I'll ever care for.
And if you think you could
If you believe that you have a chance with me.
Well, chances are your chances are awfully good
It's highly likely that your chances of being with me are quite good.
Chances are you believe the stars that fill the skies are in my eyes
You might think that my eyes light up like the stars whenever I'm around you.
Guess you feel you'll always be the one and only one for me
Perhaps you think you're the only one I'll ever care for.
And if you think you could
If you believe that you have a chance with me.
Well, chances are your chances are awfully good
It's highly likely that your chances of being with me are quite good.
The chances are your chances are awfully good
There's a good chance we could end up together.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL STILLMAN, ROBERT ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind