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.
Magic Is the Moonlight
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On this lovers′ June night
As I see the moonlight
Shining in your eyes
Can't resist their power
In this moonlit hour
Love begging to flower
Living in the splendor
Of your kiss so tender
Make my heart surrender
To your love divine
Magic is the moonlight
More than any June night
Magic is the moonlight
For it made you mine
Magic is the moonlight
More than any June night
Magic is the moonlight
For it made you mine
For it made you mine
For it made you mine
In Julie London's song Magic Is The Moonlight, the lyrics describe the magic and power of love on a beautiful June night under the moonlight. The singer is overwhelmed by the strength of their emotions, completely entranced by their partner's gaze reflecting the moonlight. They can't resist the powerful force of love that's begging to blossom in the romantic and magical atmosphere. The singer feels as if they are living in pure bliss and splendor, lost in their partner's gentle kiss and surrendering their heart to the divine love that surrounds them.
The chorus emphasizes the significance of the moonlight and how it is more than just a typical June night. The moon and its illumination hold a special and magical power, representing the intense love that the singer feels towards their partner. As if the moonlight itself has made them fall in love and has brought them together because it is just that powerful, that magical. The song ends with the repetition of the phrase "For it made you mine," ultimately solidifying the idea that the magic of the moonlight brought the singer and their partner together and allowed them to experience this profound and beautiful love.
Line by Line Meaning
Magic is the moonlight
The moonlight is magical and enchanting
On this lovers′ June night
The moon is especially beautiful on this romantic June evening
As I see the moonlight
The singer is admiring the moonlight
Shining in your eyes
The singer sees the moonlight reflected in her lover's eyes
Can't resist their power
The singer is powerless to resist the allure of the moonlit night
In this moonlit hour
The current time of day is under the enchantment of the moonlight
Love begging to flower
The singer is feeling the urge to express her love
This is paradise
The moment is perfect and heavenly
Living in the splendor
The singer is living in the captivating moment
Of your kiss so tender
The singer is feeling the softness of the lover's kiss
Make my heart surrender
The singer's heart is willing to accept love and be vulnerable
To your love divine
The singer is expressing admiration for the lover's perfect love
Magic is the moonlight
The moonlight is once again described as magical
More than any June night
This night is even more special because of the moonlight
For it made you mine
The singer feels that the moonlight brought the lover into her life
For it made you mine
The singer repeats the sentiment that the moonlight brought the lover into her life
For it made you mine
The singer repeats the sentiment that the moonlight brought the lover into her life once more
Writer(s): Maria Grever, Charles Pascuale
Contributed by Amelia A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.