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.
Gone with the Wind
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like a leaf that has blown astray;
Gone with the wind,
My lover has flown away.
Yesterday's kisses are still on my lips;
I found a lifetime of heaven at my fingertips.
But now all is gone,
Gone is the rapture that thrilled my heart,
Gone with the wind,
The gladness that stilled my heart.
Just like a flame, love burned brightly,
Then became an empty smoke dream that has gone,
Gone with the wind.
Gone, gone, gone with the wind
Just like a leaf that has flown away
Gone with the wind
My romance has flown away
Yesterday's kisses are still, still on my lips,
I've had a lifetime of heaven at my fingertips.
But now all-all is gone.
Gone is the rapture that fills my heart
Gone with the wind
My romance has flown apart
Just like a flame
Love burned brightly, then became
An empty smoke ring that has
Gone with the wind.
The song is about a lover who has left and moved on, leaving behind the memories of the love they once shared. The opening lyrics "Gone with the wind" signify the abrupt and unexpected nature of the lover's departure. The singer compares their lover to a leaf that has blown astray, indicating that the lover couldn't be held back, as the wind owns the leaf. The singer reminisces about their past, and how they had a lifetime of heaven at their fingertips. However, that love has gone, and they're left with nothing but memories of a love that was once there.
The next verse talks about how love burned brightly, just like a flame. However, that flame turned into an empty smoke dream that has dissipated, just as the wind has taken away the memories of their love. The final verse repeats the words 'gone with the wind', signifying that the singer is coming to terms with the fact that their lover has gone, and their love has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
Gone with the wind,
My lover has left me, just like a leaf that was carried away by the wind.
Just like a leaf that has blown astray;
My lover departed without warning, like a leaf that is blown away in a strong gust of wind.
Gone with the wind,
My lover has left and there is no chance of getting them back, just like when something is swept away by the wind.
My lover has flown away.
My lover has left me, like a bird that has flown away to a distant place.
Yesterday's kisses are still on my lips;
Memories of the happy times I spent with my lover still linger on my mind, just like the feeling of kissing someone stays with you even after it's over.
I found a lifetime of heaven at my fingertips.
When I was with my lover, I felt like I had everything I ever wanted and more, like I was living in a paradise where everything was perfect.
But now all is gone,
All the happiness and love that I felt is now gone and replaced with sadness and heartbreak.
Gone is the rapture that thrilled my heart,
The intense feeling of joy and excitement that I felt when I was with my lover is now gone, leaving me feeling empty and alone.
Gone with the wind,
The love and happiness that I once felt with my lover is now gone forever, just like when something is taken away by the wind.
The gladness that stilled my heart.
The happiness that I once felt in my heart is now gone, leaving me feeling sad and desolate.
Just like a flame, love burned brightly,
The love that I had for my lover was intense and passionate, like the flame of a candle burning brightly.
Then became an empty smoke dream that has gone,
But the love that I had for my lover was fleeting, like a smoke dream that disappeared into the air, leaving me with nothing but heartache.
Gone, gone, gone with the wind
My lover has left me forever, like something that is swept away by the wind, and there is no way to get them back.
My romance has flown away
The love that I had with my lover is now gone, like a bird that has flown away to a far-off place.
But now all-all is gone.
Now there is nothing left of the happiness and love that I once felt with my lover.
Gone is the rapture that fills my heart
The joy and excitement that once filled my heart is now gone, leaving me with a feeling of emptiness.
Gone with the wind
The love that I once had is now gone forever, like something that has been carried away by the wind.
My romance has flown apart
The love that I had for my lover has now fallen apart, leaving me feeling heartbroken and alone.
Just like a flame
My love for my lover was intense and passionate, like the flame of a candle burning brightly.
Love burned brightly, then became
But the love that I had for them was fleeting, like something that burned brightly but was soon gone.
An empty smoke ring that has
The love that I had for my lover has now disappeared, like a smoke ring that vanishes into the air.
Gone with the wind.
The love that I had with my lover is now gone forever, like something that has been swept away by the wind.
Contributed by Nolan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nm9532
Gone with the wind
Gone like a leaf that has blown away
Gone with the wind
My romance has flown away
Yesterday's kisses are still on my lips,
I've had a lifetime of heaven at my fingertips.
But now all is gone,
Gone is the rapture that thrilled my heart,
Gone with the wind,
Gone is the gladness that filled my heart
Just like a flame, love burned brightly,
Then became an empty smoke dream that has gone,
Gone with the wind.
Gone with the wind
Gone with the wind
Gone with the wind..
@stephenbarry5196
Julie London-Class.
@pawoneibu4841
Miss you..
@bekagigauri1799
She is so incredible and so modern!❤
@daddybear443
I just met her former drummer at a business conference in S.F. He told me he had a mad crush on her. He also said anyone who met fell subject to her personality and beauty. She was born in my town of Santa Rosa, C.A. WHAT A VOICE!!!!! Rest in peace girly.
@nm9532
Gone with the wind
Gone like a leaf that has blown away
Gone with the wind
My romance has flown away
Yesterday's kisses are still on my lips,
I've had a lifetime of heaven at my fingertips.
But now all is gone,
Gone is the rapture that thrilled my heart,
Gone with the wind,
Gone is the gladness that filled my heart
Just like a flame, love burned brightly,
Then became an empty smoke dream that has gone,
Gone with the wind.
Gone with the wind
Gone with the wind
Gone with the wind..
@julihs.2731
I'm sorry to you dear.. 😪
@SexyAngel79
Julie London was a Gorgeous woman.And a voice to go with it too.Really beautiful.Jazz should never die.I love all the old classic songs from the 50's and 60's.They were the best music of all time.Told my mother she gave birth to me in the wrong year,LOL! Music she grew up hearing way before my time.I'm 32 and I love the music from the 50's and 60's.Not like today's music with all the swearing and crap.Anyways thanks for posting and Happy Holidays everyone.
@pyewackett5
Just lovely
@pyewackett5
Julie is up there with the best of the best. Thought her life would match the sultry & smoky - but she pretty much towed the line. An enigma then ... : )
@Beulzabob
The album featured Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Leatherwood on bass