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.
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Julie London Lyrics
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Those leftover dreams
Funny, but here's that rainy day
Here's that rainy day they told me about
And I laughed at the thought that
It might turn out this way
Oh, where's that worn out wish
After it brought my lover near?
Funny how love becomes a cold rainy day
Funny, that rainy day is here
Where's that worn out wish
That I threw aside
After it brought my lover near?
Funny how love becomes a cold rainy day
Funny, that rainy day is here
In Julie London's song "Here's That Rainy Day", the lyrics talk about the regret of not saving past dreams and ignoring past warnings, as they all lead to the current situation of a rainy day. The first verse sets the tone by saying "Maybe I should have saved those leftover dreams," which shows the remorse of not holding on to dreams and aspirations. The second line "Funny, but here's that rainy day." shows a touch of irony, as it was mentioned before that others gave a warning about the rainy day, but they laughed it off.
The chorus has powerful lines that talk about a worn-out wish and how it once brought the lover close, but now love has turned into a cold rainy day. The rainy day is a metaphor for the sadness and loneliness that comes with a broken relationship. The lyrics are trying to convey the idea that the choices made in the past have led to the present.
Overall, the song is a reflection of the consequences of not holding onto dreams, ignoring warnings, and not taking care of the relationships that matter. It's about realizing the mistakes made and facing the consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe I should have saved those leftover dreams,
I should have held onto my aspirations or hoped for something better in the past.
Funny, but here's that rainy day.
It's ironic that today is the day when everything seems to go badly.
Here's that rainy day they told me about,
Many people predicted that something bad would happen one day, and it seems like today is that day.
And I laughed at the thought that it might turn out this way.
I used to think it was funny to picture myself in this position. Well, I'm not laughing now.
Oh, where's that worn-out wish that I threw aside,
I used to wish for something, but it hasn't been on my mind for a while.
After it brought my lover near?
Perhaps my wish was fulfilled once, and that's how my partner came into my life.
Funny how love becomes a cold rainy day,
It's strange how something that brought me warmth and joy seemingly disappears and makes me feel cold and alone.
Funny, that rainy day is here.
It's ironic that the day I've been dreading has come, and it's filled with sadness and regret.
Where's that worn-out wish that I threw aside,
Once again, I'm thinking about that vague wish I once had.
After it brought my lover near?
Maybe the person I'm with now is the result of that wish.
Funny how love becomes a cold rainy day,
It's strange how love can suddenly disappear, and that once-warm feeling is now icy cold.
Funny, that rainy day is here.
It's ironic how my current situation is precisely what I used to imagine and find amusing. Now it's not funny at all.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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