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.
Lonesome Road
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before you travel on.
Look down, look down that lonesome road
Before you travel on.
Look up, look up and greet your maker,
For Gabriel blows his horn.
Travelin' down that lonesome road,
Look down, look down that lonesome road
Before you travel on.
Weary totin', it's such a load,
Whike I'm travelin' down, travelin' down that lonesome old road,
Look down, look down that lonesome road
Before you travel on.
Julie London's song "Lonesome Road" is a melancholic tale of a weary traveler warning others to look down and examine their path before moving forward. The lyrics encourage listeners to take a moment to reflect on their journey, both physically and metaphorically, before they continue on. The first verse expresses a need for introspection, telling the listener to look down and examine the road they are on carefully. London warns that the road ahead may be lonesome and difficult, as indicated by the repetitive line, "weary totin', it's such a load, traveling down that lonesome old road." This line repeats throughout the song, emphasizing the burden and hardship of the journey. The second verse introduces a sense of time running out with the mention that Gabriel will soon blow his horn, signaling the end. The final line of the verse encourages listeners to look up and greet their maker, hinting at the afterlife and the importance of living life with purpose before it is too late.
The song could be interpreted as a commentary on life, its challenges, and its fleeting nature. It suggests that individuals should take time to look inward and examine their lives, weighing the cost of the choices they make. There is also a sense of hopelessness in the song, as the traveler seems resigned to their fate of traveling down the lonesome road. The repetitive "look down, look down" reinforces the idea that the traveler can only see what is directly in front of them, unable to see the broader picture.
Line by Line Meaning
Look down, look down that lonesome road
Take a close look at the path you're going to undertake, which is long, solitary, and desolate.
Before you travel on.
Consider the effects of being on that long and lonely path before you set out on it.
Look up, look up and greet your maker,
Turn your head upwards to the sky and acknowledge your creator, for the archangel Gabriel is blowing his horn.
For Gabriel blows his horn.
This is the sign that the apocalypse is approaching and you have no time to waste.
Weary, totin' such a load,
I'm tired and I'm carrying a weight on my shoulders that feels like it's breaking me down.
Travelin' down that lonesome road,
I'm moving forward along a path that's only getting lonelier and longer.
Look down, look down that lonesome road
Again, let's take a look at the path ahead of us.
Before you travel on.
Only this time, let us think clearly about going down that path before we do.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, NATHANIEL SHILKRET MUSIC CO.
Written by: Jimmy Carroll
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind