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.
It Had to Be You
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why must I just give you your way
Why do I sigh, why don't I try to forget
It must have been that something
Lovers call fate
Kept me saying, "I have to wait"
I saw them all just couldn't
Fall 'til we met
It had to be you, it had to be you
I wandered around, and finally found
The somebody who could make me be true
Oh, could make me be blue
And even be sad, all the time glad
Thinking of you some others I've seen
Might never be mean might never be cross
Or try to be boss but they wouldn't do
For nobody else, gave me a thrill
With all your faults, I love you still
It had to be you, wonderful you
It had to be you
In Julie London's song "It Had to Be You," the lyrics delve into the singer's feelings of helplessness and resignation in the face of love. The opening lines express the singer's compliance with their romantic partner's wishes and their inability to resist giving in. They question why they go along with everything, why they don't try to forget, and why they constantly sigh. It suggests a sense of surrender and submission to the power of love.
The following lines introduce the idea that fate played a role in their relationship. The singer believes that something inevitable led them to wait for each other while witnessing others in romantic entanglements. It implies that despite their experiences with other people, they were unable to fall in love until they met the person they sing about.
The chorus brings forth the realization and conviction that it had to be this particular person. The singer's journey of searching and wandering finally led them to the one who could make them true to themselves. This person is able to evoke a range of emotions - making them feel both blue and glad, constantly thinking of them. The singer recognizes that while others they've encountered may possess certain positive qualities, no one compares to this person who gives them a thrill despite their faults.
Overall, "It Had to Be You" is a song that explores the singer's surrender to love's power, the belief in fate, and the conviction that this particular person is the one who can elicit a true and profound emotional response.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do I do, just as you say
I obediently follow your instructions and comply with your desires.
Why must I just give you your way
I feel compelled to always give in to your demands and prioritize your preferences.
Why do I sigh, why don't I try to forget
Instead of moving on, I find myself longing for you and unable to let go.
It must have been that something lovers call fate
There seems to be an unexplainable force or destiny that brought us together, as lovers often describe.
Kept me saying, "I have to wait"
I convinced myself that I had no choice but to patiently await your presence in my life.
I saw them all just couldn't fall 'til we met
I observed other potential love interests, but I couldn't truly develop feelings for any of them until I encountered you.
It had to be you, it had to be you
There was no alternative, it had to be specifically you who captured my heart.
I wandered around, and finally found
After searching aimlessly, I eventually discovered.
The somebody who could make me be true
You possess the ability to bring out my authenticity and sincerity.
Oh, could make me be blue
You can evoke a sense of melancholy and sadness within me.
And even be sad, all the time glad
Even during moments of sadness, I still feel an underlying happiness due to the thought of you.
Thinking of you some others I've seen
When comparing you to others I've encountered, thoughts of you outshine them.
Might never be mean might never be cross
While others may never exhibit negative behaviors or anger, it doesn't make them suitable substitutes for you.
Or try to be boss but they wouldn't do
Despite their lack of attempts to control or dominate, they wouldn't suffice in fulfilling my desires.
For nobody else, gave me a thrill
No other person has been able to excite or exhilarate me in the same manner.
With all your faults, I love you still
Even with your imperfections, I continue to love you unconditionally.
It had to be you, wonderful you
Without a doubt, it was destined to be you, uniquely special and remarkable.
It had to be you
It was absolutely necessary for it to be you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Jesse Johnson, Joshua Cain, Justin Pierre, Matthew Taylor, Tony Thaxton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pjlsimon
¡Bellísima interpretación! Nostalgia fecunda que nos hace preguntar: ¿Qué se hizo de las Julie London? ¿Quienes pueden equiparárseles hoy? Gracias de nuevo, JazzBreakTV!
@markwilliams3174
The tempo is sooooo held back. It is interesting that her discography really showcases a wide music vocabulary of jazz guitar accompaniment. Here John Gray - guitar is really pulling out the Wes Montgomery chops.
@eduardocastelarhernandez2051
MÚSICA ENCANTADORA PARA BAILARLA A LA LUZ DE LA LUNA CON LA PERSONA ADORADA.
@louisphilippe5666
Dreamy and intimate. Thanks for uploading!
@viatcheslavkalashnikov1397
If any women deserved to be miss Universe or Quin of the Earth it had to be Julie London
@elizabethpaier1411
queen of the universe
@JohnSmith-us2jx
Many thanks. Great song ... great singer.
Is that the late Joe Pass on guitar?