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.
Hushabye Mountain
Julie London Lyrics
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Softly blows over Lullaby Bay;
It fills the sails of boats that are waiting,
Waiting to sail your worries away.
It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain,
And your boat waits down by the quay.
The winds of night sdo softly are sighing,
So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain,
Wave goodbye to cares of the day,
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain
Sail far away from Lullaby Bay.
So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain,
Wave goodbye to cares of the day,
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain
Sail far away from Lullaby Bay.
The lyrics of Julie London's "Hushabye-Mountain" immediately create a peaceful and lulling atmosphere, supported by the gentle melody and the use of soft and soothing verses. The song tells a story of a faraway place, Hushabye Mountain, where a lovely breeze softly blows, filling the sails of boats waiting to take one's worries away. The journey to this place is not far, with the boat waiting by the quay, and once you're onboard, the winds of night will sigh and carry all your troubles out to sea.
As the song progresses, the listener is encouraged to close their eyes and wave goodbye to the cares of the day, entrusting them to the peaceful journey to Hushabye Mountain. The song's lyrics employ imagery of the natural world, using the breeze, the sails, and the stars as symbols of comfort and safety. Hushabye Mountain becomes a place of escape, where one can sail far away from their troubles and find a moment of respite.
Line by Line Meaning
A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain
A mild wind flows from a place filled with comfort and tranquility
Softly blows over Lullaby Bay;
Gently moving above an area of peacefulness, where one can relax and tune everything out
It fills the sails of boats that are waiting,
The wind powers and motivates boats that stand ready to depart
Waiting to sail your worries away.
Ready to take the individual's concerns and problems far, far away
It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain,
The place of peacefulness and comfort is close and easily accessible
And your boat waits down by the quay.
One's transportation is waiting to take them to the next location
The winds of night so softly are sighing,
The night winds whisper gently and peacefully
Soon they will fly your troubles to sea.
The winds will take the individual's problems and erase them completely
So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain,
Rest and enjoy a time of peace and relaxation at a calm place
Wave goodbye to cares of the day,
Say farewell to the stresses of life and enter into a time of peace
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain
Observe one's means of transportation as it travels far away from an area of peace and calmness
Sail far away from Lullaby Bay.
Drift off to a new, faraway location from a place of peace and rest
So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain,
The peaceful and calm location is always accessible and ready to provide relaxation
Wave goodbye to cares of the day,
Bid farewell to the stresses of the day
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain
Observe the departing boat from a place of tranquility and calmness
Sail far away from Lullaby Bay.
Travel to a new and faraway location from a place of peacefulness and calmness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICHARD M. SHERMAN, ROBERT SHERMAN, ROBERT B. SHERMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind