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.
Like to Get to Know You
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'd like to get to know you (if I could)
But I'd like to get to
Finally I found searchin' all around
(...know you)
Just was not the answer
One I thought was true, looked a bit like you
But I'd like to get to know you (yes I would)
But I'd like to get to know you (if I could)
But I'd like to get to
Hardly need to say, she went on her way
(...know you)
Said it was all over
Well, it's been some time and I guess that I'm
Just meant to be a rover
But I'd like to get to know you (yes I would)
Yes, I'd like to get to know you (if I could)
Well, I can't promise that I'll spend a day with you
I can't promise that I'll find a way with you
I can't promise, no I can't promise
That I'll love you
I'd like to get to know you, know you
Know, oh, oh
Once I thought I found her
Built my world around her
(But I'd like to get to know you, yes I would)
Once I thought I found her
(Yes, I'd like to get to know you if I could)
Built my world around her
(But I'd like to get to know you, yes I would)
Finally I found her
(Yes, I'd like to get to know you if I could)
Built my world around her
(But I'd like to get to know you, yes I would)
The song "Like to Get to Know You" by Julie London is about a man who is searching for a woman who he can have a deeper connection with. He has been searching for her all around, but he hasn't been successful in finding her until he met someone who looked like her, but it turned out not to be her. Nevertheless, he is still hoping to find that special someone and get to know her better. He cannot promise that he will love her, but he would like to get to know her better.
The lyrics convey a sense of longing and hopefulness as he searches for the person he is meant to be with. The repetition of the phrase "But I'd like to get to know you" emphasizes his desire to find that special someone. The lyrics also touch on the idea that sometimes people may think they have found the right person, but it turns out not to be the case, and they have to keep searching.
Overall, this song speaks to the human desire for connection and the hope that one day we will find that person who completes us. It is a beautiful and heartfelt song that speaks to anyone who has searched for love and companionship.
Line by Line Meaning
But I'd like to get to know you (yes I would)
I am interested in getting to know you better and would like to pursue a relationship with you.
But I'd like to get to know you (if I could)
If given the opportunity, I would like to have a chance to get to know you better.
Finally I found searchin' all around
(...know you)
Just was not the answer
After searching for someone to love, I discovered that simply looking for love was not the answer.
One I thought was true, looked a bit like you
I figured I might chance her
I met someone who looked similar to you and thought she might be the one, so I took a chance on her.
Hardly need to say, she went on her way
(...know you)
Said it was all over
Well, it's been some time and I guess that I'm
Just meant to be a rover
My previous relationship ended and I have since been wandering without love for some time.
Well, I can't promise that I'll spend a day with you
I can't promise that I'll find a way with you
I can't promise, no I can't promise
That I'll love you
I cannot make any guarantees about how our relationship will progress and whether or not I will develop feelings for you.
I'd like to get to know you, know you
Know, oh, oh
I am very interested in getting to know you better and discovering who you are as a person.
Once I thought I found her
Built my world around her
(But I'd like to get to know you, yes I would)
I used to believe that I had found the one I was meant to be with and built my life around her, but now I am interested in pursuing a relationship with you.
Finally I found her
(Yes, I'd like to get to know you if I could)
Built my world around her
(But I'd like to get to know you, yes I would)
I have finally found the woman I want to be with and have built my life around her, but I am still interested in getting to know you better.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: STUART SCHARF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind