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.
Kansas City
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.
I'll be standing on the corner
On the corner of Twelfth Street and Vine
I'm gonna be standing on the corner
With my Kansas City baby
And a bottle of Kansas City wine.
Well I might take a train
I might take a plane, but if I have to walk
I'm gonna get there just the same
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.
I'm gonna pack my clothes
Leave at the break of dawn
I'm gonna pack my clothes
Everybody will be sleeping
Nobody will know where I've gone
Cause if I stay in town
I know I'm gonna die.
Gotta find a friendly city
And that's the reason why,
I'm going to Kansas City
Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.
The song "Kansas City" by Julie London was originally written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1952. It was first recorded by Little Willie Littlefield the same year, but it was in 1959 that the song gained popularity when Wilbert Harrison's version reached number one on the R&B chart and number two on the pop chart. London's interpretation of this song is a mellow, jazzy version that highlights the sensuality and longing of the lyrics.
The song is about a person who is leaving their current town to head to Kansas City, where there is a "crazy way of loving," and the singer is excited to experience it. The lyrics mention being on the corner of Twelfth Street and Vine with their Kansas City baby and a bottle of Kansas City wine. The singer is determined to get to Kansas City no matter what, whether it's by train, plane, or on foot. They also mention leaving at the break of dawn and not telling anyone where they're going because they know they won't be able to resist the temptation of the "crazy way of loving" in Kansas City.
The song is evocative of the city's reputation as a hub for jazz and blues music, and the lyrics capture the excitement of a new adventure and the allure of a place where anything can happen. The sultry, slow tempo of London's version emphasizes the idea of taking one's time and savoring the experience. Overall, "Kansas City" is a song that celebrates the joy of living in the moment and indulging in one's desires.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
The singer is excited to go to Kansas City and is expressing her anticipation.
They got a crazy way of loving there
Kansas City has a unique and unconventional approach to love and romance.
And I'm gonna get me some.
The singer is determined to experience this different kind of love in Kansas City.
I'll be standing on the corner
On the corner of Twelfth Street and Vine
The singer will be waiting for her lover on a specific street corner in Kansas City.
With my Kansas City baby
And a bottle of Kansas City wine.
The singer will be accompanied by her lover and they will share a bottle of local wine.
Well I might take a train
I might take a plane, but if I have to walk
I'm gonna get there just the same
The singer is willing to take any mode of transportation to get to Kansas City and will walk if necessary.
I'm gonna pack my clothes
Leave at the break of dawn
The singer will leave early in the morning with her belongings.
Everybody will be sleeping
Nobody will know where I've gone
The singer wants to leave discreetly so as not to be followed or detected by anyone.
Cause if I stay in town
I know I'm gonna die.
The singer feels that staying in her current location could be harmful or deadly for her.
Gotta find a friendly city
And that's the reason why,
I'm going to Kansas City
The singer is seeking a welcoming and hospitable place to go, and she believes Kansas City is the right destination.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind