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 Take Your Love from Me
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the sky feels blue
Tear a petal from a rose
And the rose weeps too
Take your heart away from mine
And mine will surely break
My life is yours to take
So please keep the spark awake
Would you take the wings from birds
So that they can't fly?
Would you take the ocean's roar
And leave just a sigh?
All this, your heart won't let you do
Is this what I beg of you?
Don't take your love from me
Don't take your love from me
The lyrics to Julie London's song "Don't Take Your Love from Me" convey a sense of pleading and desperation for the preservation of a love relationship. The song utilizes powerful metaphors to express the emotional impact of losing someone's love. The opening lines, "Tear a star from out the sky, and the sky feels blue. Tear a petal from a rose, and the rose weeps too," suggest that even the universe mourns the absence of love. The singer likens their own heart to a delicate flower, vulnerable to the pain and devastation caused by the departure of their loved one.
The subsequent lines beseech the listener not to take away their love, as it would result in a deep and irreparable heartbreak. The phrase "My life is yours to take" reveals the vulnerability and dependence felt by the singer towards the object of their affection. The final plea to "please keep the spark awake" conveys the singer's desire to maintain the connection and passion that their love once held.
Overall, these lyrics depict the fear of losing love and the intense emotional reaction it can elicit. They demonstrate the singer's profound need for the presence and affection of their beloved, emphasizing the transformative power of love in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Tear a star from out the sky
If you were to remove a star from the sky, the sky would lose its vibrant blue color
And the sky feels blue
Without the star, the sky would lose its natural beauty and become melancholic
Tear a petal from a rose
If you were to remove a petal from a rose, the rose itself would shed tears
And the rose weeps too
Taking away a part of the rose's beauty would cause it to mourn as well
Take your heart away from mine
If you were to separate your heart from mine, my heart would undoubtedly shatter
And mine will surely break
Losing the connection with your heart would be devastating and irreparable
My life is yours to take
I willingly surrender my entire life to you, entrusting it in your hands
So please keep the spark awake
Therefore, I implore you to maintain the passion and love between us
Would you take the wings from birds
Imagine if you were to deprive birds of their ability to fly by removing their wings
So that they can't fly?
This act would restrict their natural freedom and hinder their essence as creatures of the sky
Would you take the ocean's roar
Likewise, consider taking away the powerful roar of the ocean, reducing it to a mere sigh
And leave just a sigh?
Diminishing the ocean's strength and voice would be disheartening and cruel
All this, your heart won't let you do
Deep down, your compassionate heart would never allow you to commit such acts
Is this what I beg of you?
Therefore, I beseech you to understand my plea and the importance of not taking your love away from me
Don't take your love from me
Ultimately, I earnestly request you to keep your love and affection intact, not withdrawing it from our relationship
Lyrics © INDANO MUSIC COMPANY
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