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.
Comin' Thro' the Rye
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jenny's seldom dry:
She draggled a' her petticoatie,
Comin thro' the rye!
Chorus:
Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
Comin thro' the rye,
Comin thro' the rye!
if, should a body meet a body
Comin thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need a body cry?
(chorus)
Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the glen
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need the world know?
(chorus)
Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the grain;
Gin a body kiss a body,
The thing's a body's own.
(chorus)
Ilka lassie has her laddie,
Nane, they say, ha'e I
Yet all the lads they smile on me,
When comin' thro' the rye.
The song "Comin' Thro' the Rye" by Julie London is based on the Scottish folk tune of the same name. The lyrics of the song have a simple yet profound meaning. The song talks about a wet poor woman named Jenny who is rarely dry and drags her petticoat while coming through the rye. The chorus goes on to say "if a body meet a body, comin' thro' the rye, gin a body kiss a body, need a body cry?". The song is a conversation between two people who are contemplating the consequences of their actions. They are in love with each other, and they want to know if it is okay to show their affection in public.
The song is a metaphor for the challenges faced in society regarding love and affection, especially in the past. The song talks about the societal restrictions put on love and how it affects people, especially women. The song reiterates that all the girls have their guys but the singer doesn't have anyone. This adds another dimension to the song's interpretation, as the singer might be facing difficulties in finding love because of societal restrictions.
Line by Line Meaning
O, Jenny's a' wet, poor body,
Oh, Jenny is always soaked and miserable.
Jenny's seldom dry:
Jenny is almost never dry.
She draggled a' her petticoatie,
Her petticoat was all wet and dirty, dragging behind her.
Comin thro' the rye!
While walking through the rye field.
Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
Walking through the rye, feeling sad and low.
Comin thro' the rye,
Walking through the rye field.
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Her petticoat was all wet and dirty, dragging behind her.
Comin thro' the rye!
While walking through the rye field.
if, should a body meet a body
If two people should meet,
Comin thro' the rye,
While walking through the rye field.
Gin a body kiss a body,
If they should kiss,
Need a body cry?
Should anyone cry about it?
Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
Walking through the rye, feeling sad and low.
Comin thro' the rye,
Walking through the rye field.
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Her petticoat was all wet and dirty, dragging behind her.
Comin thro' the rye!
While walking through the rye field.
Gin a body meet a body
If two people should meet
Comin thro' the glen
While walking through the valley
Gin a body kiss a body,
If they should kiss
Need the world know?
Does anyone need to know?
Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
Walking through the rye field, feeling sad and low.
Comin thro' the rye,
Walking through the rye field.
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Her petticoat was all wet and dirty, dragging behind her.
Comin thro' the rye!
While walking through the rye field.
Gin a body meet a body
If two people should meet
Comin thro' the grain;
While walking through the grain field
Gin a body kiss a body,
If they should kiss
The thing's a body's own.
It's no one else's business.
Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
Walking through the rye field, feeling sad and low.
Comin' thro' the rye,
Walking through the rye field.
Ilka lassie has her laddie,
Every girl has her boy
Nane, they say, ha'e I
They say I don't have one.
Yet all the lads they smile on me,
But all the boys seem to like me.
When comin' thro' the rye.
When I walk through the rye field.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Histoire et Chansons, HANOVER MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: Robert Burns
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nehashah6871
This song kills me. It really does.
@ShehabEllithy
nice ol' Holden
@missr.literatureandwriting6401
i see what you did there
@cibderos68
neha shah As long as something does.
@freaklara3999
Best version of this song ♡
@Swingguido
I bought the re-issue in Stuttgart (Germany) in the early eighties at the age of 15 jears; this record changed my live........................... Thank you for uploading this timeless modern piece of artwork !!
@sjuvanet
So, that's where it's from. Huh, maybe I should've thought harder. I swear, I'm a goddam moron. No wonder I flunked outta Pencey.
@gumi_matryoshka
ha ha!
@andreaskohler6872
She should rather sing "The Catcher in the Rye", instead of "Coming thru the Rye".