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.
Light My Fire
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn't get much higher
Come on baby light my fire
Come on baby light my fire
Try to set the night on, fire
The time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre
Come on baby light my fire
Come on baby light my fire
Try to set the night on, fire yeah
The time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre
Come on baby light my fire
Come on baby light my fire
Try to set the night on, fire yeah
You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn't get much higher
Come on baby light my fire
Come on baby light my fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Julie London's song "Light My Fire" is a passionate love song that encourages the listener to take action and embrace the moment. The song's lyrics suggest that the singer and their romantic interest should pursue their attraction and allow their love to ignite like a fire. The opening verse acknowledges the potential for dishonesty in a relationship, highlighting the importance of being truthful about your feelings for someone. The singer assures their love interest that they are genuine and not lying when they express their excitement at the prospect of taking their relationship to the next level.
The chorus repeats the refrain "Come on baby light my fire" a few times, alongside the iconic guitar riff that sets the mood for the entire song. The singer is urging their partner to take the first step, to make a move and ignite the passion between them. The second verse emphasizes that there is no longer a reason to hesitate or overthink things. The time for wallowing in doubt and fear is over, and now is the time to seize the opportunity for love. The final stanza repeats the opening verse with some slight variations, underlining the importance of honesty and genuine emotion in any romantic relationship.
Overall, Julie London's "Light My Fire" is a sultry, passionate call to action, urging the listener to embrace their romantic desires and allow themselves to be swept away in the thrill of love.
Line by Line Meaning
You know that it would be untrue
You realize that what I'm about to say may be hard to believe or accept
You know that I would be a liar
I'm admitting that I would be dishonest if I said anything different
If I was to say to you
In the event that I try to convince you of something
Girl, we couldn't get much higher
Honey, there's nowhere to go but up
Come on baby light my fire
Would you kindly ignite my passion?
Try to set the night on, fire
Let's make tonight unforgettable and give it some spark
The time to hesitate is through
Procrastination no longer serves us
No time to wallow in the mire
We must avoid self-pity and take action
Try now we can only lose
We might as well give it a try, regardless of the potential outcome
And our love become a funeral pyre
If we do not ignite this spark, our love might extinguish
Try to set the night on, fire yeah
Let's make magic and set the night ablaze
You know that it would be untrue
Once again, I want to remind you that what I'm about to say may be hard to believe
You know that I would be a liar
I'm reiterating that I would be dishonest if I pretended otherwise
Try to set the night on, fire
One final plea to light our passion ablaze
Try to set the night on, fire
Let's try to create magic and set the night ablaze
Try to set the night on, fire
It's a call to action for igniting the flame of our passion
Try to set the night on, fire
Again, a plea to turn up the heat and make tonight unforgettable
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: John Densmore, Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James Clark
Julie's "Light My Fire" is not exactly what Jim Morrison had in mind. She turns the song upside down and works it inside out. This is Vegas penthouse Light My Fire, and Julie invented it. Think I'll fix myself another highball, smoke another Chesterfield, and leave the Hi-Fi on. I've got all of Julie's records. Smooth, baby, smooth.
hollie65
Actually Feliciano wrote the book on cocktailing this one up.
Lily Bond
James Clark: I like your comment — Julie London hits it out of the ball park with her version. Sensual as all hell.
Roland Scialom
Great interpretation. I'm a fan of Julie since I was a boy in fifties.
*IAC*
And here I am; a boy IN MY 50s 😎❗
Ling nguyen
Believe it or not, I love this version more than the scion by the Doors. It is mellow with the undercurrent of a volcano about to erupt with smoothness fire.
OKtennisfan
Fantastic song William ! :) Love this version of " Light My Fire " !
MasterWellnessCenter
Fantastic
Dante Maharaja
Full marks to whoever orchestrated the strings on this. Marks off for the jazz flute. Julie London - what a voice.
SplintersOfTwobees1
Fabulous.