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.
How Long Has This Been Going On?
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was kissed by my sisters, my cousins, and my aunties.
Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's.
So my dear I swore,
"Never, never more !"
On my list, I insisted that kissing must be crossed out.
Now, I find I was blind, and oh my! How I lost out!
I could cry salty tears,
Where have I been all these years?
Little wow, tell me now,
How long has this been going on?
There were chills up my spine,
And some thrills I can't define.
Listen, sweet, I repeat,
How long has this been going on?
Oh, I feel that I could melt,
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
I know how Columbus felt,
Finding another world.
Kiss me once, then once more.
What a dunce I was before.
What a break! For Heaven's sake!
How long has this been going on?
Dear, when in your arms I creep,
That divine rendezvous,
Don't wake me, if I'm asleep,
Let me dream that it's true!
Kiss me twice, then once more.
That makes thrice, let's make it four!
What a break! For Heaven's sake!
How long has this been going on?
How long has this, been going on?
The lyrics to Julie London's song "How Long Has This Been Going On?" speak to the singer's past experiences with kissing and how she initially saw it as a terrible thing, comparing it to "an inferno worse than Dante's." However, as she has grown older, she realizes that she was "blind" and missed out on something special. The song is essentially about the realization of falling in love and the excitement that comes with it.
The first verse speaks to a childhood experience where the singer was kissed by her family members, which she did not enjoy. She then vowed to never kiss anyone again. However, as she falls in love with someone later in life, she realizes the mistake she made and the passion that comes with it. This is emphasized in the second verse where she talks about the chills and thrills that come along with falling in love.
The bridge is perhaps the most expressive part of the song, with the singer expressing how she feels like she could "melt" and that she knows "how Columbus felt, finding another world." This portion of the song is incredibly romantic in nature, with the singer appearing almost overwhelmed with emotion.
Overall, "How Long Has This Been Going On?" is a song about the realization of love and the passion that comes along with it.
Line by Line Meaning
As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties,
As a child, I wore fancy clothes and was kissed by female family members.
Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's.
It was a negative experience for me and I didn't like it.
So my dear I swore, "Never, never more !"
I promised myself never to kiss anyone again.
On my list, I insisted that kissing must be crossed out.
I made a rule to not indulge in kissing anymore.
Now, I find I was blind, and oh my! How I lost out!
I realize now that I missed out on something special by avoiding kissing.
I could cry salty tears,
I feel regretful and emotional.
Where have I been all these years?
I wonder why I didn't realize the pleasures of kissing sooner.
Little wow, tell me now,
I am curious and eager to know.
How long has this been going on?
I want to know how much time I have wasted not kissing.
There were chills up my spine,
Kissing gives me a pleasurable feeling.
And some thrills I can't define.
I cannot express how good kissing feels to me.
Listen, sweet, I repeat,
I need to make sure you are listening to what I am saying.
Oh, I feel that I could melt,
Kissing makes me feel vulnerable and overwhelmed with pleasure.
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
Kissing makes me feel like I am in paradise.
I know how Columbus felt,
I feel like I have discovered something amazing.
Finding another world.
Similar to when Columbus discovered America, kissing is like discovering a new world of pleasure.
Kiss me once, then once more.
I want to experience the pleasure of kissing over and over again.
What a dunce I was before.
I feel silly for not realizing how great kissing could be.
What a break! For Heaven's sake!
This is an amazing opportunity for me to experience pleasure.
Dear, when in your arms I creep,
When I am close to you and feeling intimate,
That divine rendezvous,
It feels like a special, almost spiritual meeting.
Don't wake me, if I'm asleep,
If I am dreaming, don't bring me back to reality.
Let me dream that it's true!
I want to keep experiencing the pleasure of kissing.
Kiss me twice, then once more.
I want to keep experiencing the pleasure of kissing over and over again.
That makes thrice, let's make it four!
I want to keep experiencing the pleasure of kissing even more times.
How long has this been going on?
I still can't believe how amazing kissing feels, and I want to know how long I have been missing out on this pleasure.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind