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.
Learnin' the Blues
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You play the same love song - it's the tenth time you've heard it.
That's the beginning just one of the clues;
You've had your first lesson - in learnin' the blues.
The cigarettes you light - one after another
Won't help you forget him and the way that you love him.
You're only burnin' a torch you can't lose,
When you're at home alone,
The blues will taunt you constantly;
When you're out in a crowd,
The blues will haunt your memory.
The nights when you don't sleep the whole night you're cryin',
But you can't forget him -- soon you even stop tryin'.
You'll walk that floor and wear out your shoes;
When you feel your heart break. you're learnin' the blues.
The nights when you don't sleep the whole night you're cryin';
But you can't forget him -- soon you even stop tryin'.
You'll walk that floor and wear out your shoes;
When you feel your heart break, you're learnin' the blues.
When you feel your heart break, you're learnin' the blues.
In "Learnin' the Blues," Julie London sings about the feeling of heartbreak and the process of learning how to cope with it. The song's opening lines describe an empty room and a repetitive love song, setting the tone for the experience of heartbreak. The second verse provides a glimpse into the ways that a broken heart can consume one's thoughts and actions, with the singer lighting cigarettes and "burning a torch" for the lost lover.
The chorus, which repeats twice in the song, speaks to the omnipresence of heartbreak: whether alone or in a crowd, sadness cannot be escaped. The final lines of the song emphasize the physical and emotional toll of heartbreak, with the singer wearing out their shoes and feeling their heart break as they learn the blues. Overall, the song conveys a sense of resignation and acceptance that comes with time and experience.
Line by Line Meaning
The tables are empty - the dance floor's deserted;
The place seems abandoned, and no one is there to lift your spirits.
You play the same love song - it's the tenth time you've heard it.
The music seems to be stuck in a loop, and it's a constant reminder of your heartbreak.
That's the beginning just one of the clues;
This is only the start of your journey towards becoming familiar with the blues.
You've had your first lesson - in learnin' the blues.
This is just the initial stage of learning how to cope with the heartache and pain that come with losing love.
The cigarettes you light - one after another
You are trying to distract yourself with smoking, but it's not working to ease your distress and pain.
Won't help you forget him and the way that you love him.
No amount of smoking will enable you to forget the person who has your heart and the intense love you feel for them.
You're only burnin' a torch you can't lose,
You are holding onto the memory of your love like a torch, and even if you wanted to, you couldn't let go.
But you're on the right track for learnin' the blues.
Despite the pain, you are moving towards the process of learning how to deal with heartbreak and adjust to a bluesy lifestyle.
When you're at home alone,
When you're by yourself with your thoughts,
The blues will taunt you constantly;
The sadness will plague your mind nonstop.
When you're out in a crowd,
When you're surrounded by people,
The blues will haunt your memory.
You'll be reminded, time and again, of what you've lost and the state of pain you're in.
The nights when you don't sleep the whole night you're cryin',
The dark moments when you can't find rest and just spend the night crying.
But you can't forget him -- soon you even stop tryin'.
You can't shake off the memories, but with time, you stop fighting them and accept them as part of your life.
You'll walk that floor and wear out your shoes;
You'll pace around, with your mind in a daze, to the point where your shoes are worn out.
When you feel your heart break. you're learnin' the blues.
As your heart shatters, and you feel how much it hurts, you're growing more adept at handling the blues and building the resilience to carry on.
When you feel your heart break, you're learnin' the blues.
As the pain deepens inside, so does your understanding of the blues, and how it can be a companion throughout your journey.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
nipstertunes
Thank You So Much, Heather! She is the ultimate "Lounge Singer", I think. I just love her voice and style. So glad it helped to brighten your day! Thanks so much for watching it! Wishing You a Marvelous week also! Jim
nipstertunes
Thank you so much for watching it! She had a style all her own, for sure. I just love her songs! So glad you liked it! Jim
LoveTheOConnor
Great video, Jim!! She's terrific, and I love all your pictures, especially the one with hubby Bobby Troupe. Thanks so much for sharing! You've brightened another dreary day. Have a marvelous week :))