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.
Do It Again
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You hadn't any right
I really shouldn't have let you
Kiss me.
And although it was wrong
I never was strong.
So as long as you've begun it
And you know you shouldn't have done it.
Oh.
Do it again.
I may say no. no. no. no. no.
But do it again.
My lips just ache
To have you take the kiss
That's waiting for you
You know if you do
You won't regret it
Come and get it.
Oh.
No one is near
I may cry oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh.
But no one can hear.
Mamma may scold me
Coz' she told me
It was naughty but then
Please,
Do it again.
Yes do it again. And again and again and again and again and again
Turn out the light.
And hold me close
In your arms
All through the night.
I know tomorrow morning
You will say
Goodbye and Amen.
But until then...
Please do it again.
In Julie London’s “Do It Again,” the singer wrestles with her own desire and temptation. The opening lines reveal a sense of guilt and shame that come after an illicit kiss. Despite the transgression, the singer still longs for her lover. She is conflicted, and although she knows what the right thing to do is, her desire is too strong to resist, and she gives in to his advances. The song reveals a story of love, lust, and regret. The lyrics showcase a woman's desire for him and how she cannot seem to resist his advances, but at the same time, she feels a sense of guilt and shame for giving in to her lustful thoughts.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Do it again," indicating that the singer is willing to give in to temptation repeatedly. Her desire for him is so strong that she cannot say no, and she is willing to risk everything to be with him. In the end, she knows that their love is temporary and that it will end, but despite everything, she still wants more.
The song's lyrics reflect the societal norms of the 1950s, where women were expected to be chaste and proper. The lyrics could be seen as somewhat controversial for their time, as they depicted a woman giving in to her desire instead of suppressing it. Overall, “Do It Again” tells a story of forbidden love, infatuation, and a struggle against one's own desires.
Line by Line Meaning
You really shouldn't have done it
You had no right to do what you did.
You hadn't any right
You did something that was not appropriate.
I really shouldn't have let you
I was wrong to allow what happened.
Kiss me.
We shared a moment of intimacy.
And although it was wrong
What we did was not considered right by society.
I never was strong.
I was not strong enough to resist that moment with you.
So as long as you've begun it
Since we have started this, we might as well continue.
And you know you shouldn't have done it.
You know that your actions were not appropriate.
Oh.
A moment of hesitation or contemplation.
Do it again.
Let us repeat that moment of intimacy once more.
I may say no. no. no. no. no.
I may verbally object, but my body is willing.
But do it again.
I still want to experience that intimacy with you again.
My lips just ache
I have a physical longing for your kiss.
To have you take the kiss
I want you to initiate the moment of intimacy.
That's waiting for you
I am ready and waiting for you to start again.
You know if you do
You know that if we continue this, it will feel good.
You won't regret it.
You will enjoy repeating that moment with me.
Come and get it.
I am inviting you to take the moment again.
Oh.
A moment of hesitation or contemplation.
No one is near
There is no one around to watch or judge us.
I may cry oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh.
I may cry out in ecstasy.
But no one can hear.
We are alone and there is no one to hear us.
Mamma may scold me
My mother may criticize me for these actions.
Coz' she told me
Because she warned me not to engage in such actions.
It was naughty but then
Even though what we did was bad, we still want to continue it.
Please,
A plea to continue what we've started.
Do it again.
Let us repeat that moment of intimacy once more.
Yes do it again. And again and again and again and again and again
Let us keep repeating that moment of intimacy as many times as we can.
Turn out the light.
Let us remove any distractions and focus on each other.
And hold me close
Embrace me tightly.
In your arms
Hold me in your embrace.
All through the night.
Let us enjoy each other's company throughout the night.
I know tomorrow morning
I am aware that tomorrow is another day.
You will say
You will express something to me.
Goodbye and Amen.
You will bid me farewell or conclude the moment with a formal end.
But until then...
Until the moment is over, let us continue to repeat that moment of intimacy.
Please do it again.
A plea to repeat that moment of intimacy multiple times.
Lyrics © Bucks Music Group
Written by: THOMAS OWEN MOSTYN ROWLANDS, EDMUND JOHN SIMONS, ALI LOVE, JOHN PAUL JONES, DANIEL DAVIDSEN, ANDREW NICHOLAS LOVE, IRWIN SPARKES, PETER WALLEVIK
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