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.
Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gee, baby, ain't I good to you
There's nothing in this wide
World I wouldn't do
Gee, baby, ain't I good to you
Bought you a new coat for Christmas
A diamond ring
Love makes me treat you way that I do
Gee, baby, ain't I good to you
Bought you a new coat for Christmas
A diamond ring
A big Cadillac car and everything
Love makes me treat you way that I do
Gee, baby, ain't I good to you
Gee, baby, ain't I good to you
Gee, baby, ain't I good to you
"Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You" is a classic jazz tune that was originally written by Don Redman and Andy Razaf in 1929. It has since been covered by many jazz and blues artists. The song is a declaration of love and affection, with the singer asking their partner if they appreciate all the things they do for them. The lyrics highlight the singer's generosity and love, as they list all the gifts they have given their partner as expressions of their love.
The song's opening question, "What makes me treat you the way I do?" is a rhetorical device. It implies that they are treating the partner in a special way because of their love, rather than because of any explanation that can be put into words. The singer then lists the lavish gifts they have given, including a fur coat, a diamond ring, and a Cadillac car, all of which are symbols of wealth, status, and extravagance. The lyrics celebrate the pleasures of romantic love as well as the rewards of material success, drawing on the jazz convention of combining romance and consumer culture.
The song's message is ultimately one of reassurance, with the singer asking their partner if they appreciate all they do for them. The repetition of the refrain "Gee, Baby ain't I good to you" reinforces the idea that the singer is devoted and generous, while still playfully suggesting that the partner might not fully appreciate their efforts. Overall, "Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You" celebrates the joys of romantic love and the pleasures of spoiling and being spoiled by a partner.
Line by Line Meaning
What makes me treat you the way I do
I am wondering what is the reason that I treat you so well.
Gee, Baby ain't I good to you
I am asking if you think I am good to you.
There's nothing in the world Too good for a girl that's good and true
I believe that there is no gift or act of kindness too great for a woman who is honest and loyal.
Bought you a fur coat for Christmas A diamond ring A big Cadillac car And everything
I have gifted you with expensive items such as a fur coat, diamond ring, and a big Cadillac car, along with other things.
It's love that makes me treat you the way I do
I am treating you so well because I am in love with you.
Gee, Baby ain't I good to you
I am again asking if you believe that I am treating you well.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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