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.
Don't Smoke In Bed
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Im packing you in like I said
Take care of everything
Im leaving my wedding ring
Dont look for me
Ill get a hand
Remember darling
Dont look for me
Ill get a hand
Remember darling
Dont smoke in bed
Julie London's song Don't Smoke in Bed is about the end of a relationship, specifically about a woman leaving her partner. The opening lines, "Goodbye old sleepy head, I'm packing you in like I said" suggest a sense of resignation, as if the decision to leave has been a long time coming. The next line, "Take care of everything, I'm leaving my wedding ring" indicates that the relationship has been formalized, but the woman is leaving it behind.
The chorus, "Don't look for me, I'll get a hand, remember darling, don't smoke in bed" serves as a warning to the partner, not to wait for her to come back, and to be careful not to cause any accidental harm while smoking in bed. These lines suggest that the woman is moving on and has no intention of returning to the relationship, even if her partner misses her.
The refrain, "Don't smoke in bed" serves as a metaphor for the danger of getting too close to something or becoming too comfortable, and ultimately being hurt. The song is a poignant reminder of the impermanence of relationships and the need to be cautious about becoming too attached.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye old sleepy head
Farewell my love, my old sleepy head
Im packing you in like I said
I'm leaving as I promised I would
Take care of everything
Please handle all the things we shared
Im leaving my wedding ring
I am leaving the symbol of our union
Dont look for me
Please don't search for me
Ill get a hand
I'll find help or support
Remember darling
Don't forget my love
Dont smoke in bed
Don't risk your life by smoking in bed
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Willard Robinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lynn Chaney
This was on The Best of Julie, along with Cry Me a River! I love her sound!
Romaisa Tariq
Lynn Chaney and round midnight
Tally Koren
I love pleasant, soft, sensual low female vocals!
Lebert Hanchard
In that case, you will love Peggy Lee's version too.
gpapscorpion
Awesome nostalgic gem.Many thanks for sharing.Greetings from Greece
Jk Stevenson
This is one of the greatest songs of the 1950's, in my opinion, and Julie London's version was by far the classiest and most atmospheric.
Lebert Hanchard
Peggy Lee's version is great.
Caramba Bamba
Just a couple of corrections. :) The song is actually from the 1940s. Peggy Lee was the one who introduced and popularized it, even fighting with her label, which did not care to have a recording. Being a big fan of Peggy, Julie probably learned the song from Peggy's record.
Brian Smith
Strange she was never chosen to do the Bond theme. This one even sounds like one.
Bradley A. Esparza
Why would she need pitch correction? She did describe her own voice as a "wisp of a thing." Her parents were in vaudeville and she was primarily an actress (Nurse Dixie McCall in Emergency!) until she began her recording career. All that enabled her to sell a song. Maybe remastering might do something more, but, frankly, myself and others consider her a major recording artist, regardless of her reluctance. One of her appeals was her intimate style, many recordings were done in the living room of the home she share with her husband, musician Bobby Troupe (Route 66, Emergency!.) She could also sing with a full orchestra.
What exactly do you mean by the "digital pitch correction?" Are you a recording engineer and there is something your training shows you? Is that an issue for you in her other recordings?