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.
My Coloring Book
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And lots of people do
I've a new one for you
A most unusual coloring book
The kind you never see
Crayons ready, very well begin to color me
That watched him as he walked away
Color them grey this is the heart
That thought he would always be true
Color it blue
These are the eyes
That held him and touched him
Then lost him somehow color them empty now
These are the beads I wore
Until she came between color them green
This is the room I sleep in
And walk in and weep in
And hide in that nobody sees
Color it lonely, please
This is the man the one I depended upon
Color him gone
The lyrics to Julie London's song "My Coloring Book" depict a metaphorical journey of emotions and experiences through the act of coloring. The singer presents a unique coloring book, different from the conventional ones, inviting the listener to engage in this creative process. The coloring book represents the singer's life, and each verse describes various aspects of her emotions and relationships.
The first verse addresses the pain of watching a loved one leave. The singer suggests coloring the eyes that watched him walk away as grey, signifying a sense of sadness and desolation. In the second verse, the singer reflects on the heart that believed in the person's faithfulness, urging to color it blue - a symbol of sorrow and longing. The third verse focuses on the eyes that once held and touched the loved one but have now lost him. The empty feeling left behind is suggested to be colored as empty.
The fourth verse introduces the beads that the singer used to wear until someone else entered the picture, representing a past relationship. The suggestion to color them green could symbolize jealousy or envy, perhaps indicating that the singer still carries those feelings. The fifth verse portrays the room where the singer sleeps, walks, weeps, and hides, emphasizing the isolation and loneliness experienced. The plea to color it lonely indicates a desire to visually represent these emotions.
Finally, in the last verse, the singer mentions the man she once relied upon, yet he is now gone. The suggestion to color him gone reflects the pain and loss experienced from his absence. Overall, "My Coloring Book" uses the concept of coloring to vividly illustrate the singer's emotional journey through different shades and colors.
Line by Line Meaning
In case you fancy coloring books
If you happen to enjoy coloring books
And lots of people do
And many individuals do
I've a new one for you
I have a new one to offer you
A most unusual coloring book
An exceptionally unique coloring book
The kind you never see
Unlike any you've encountered before
Crayons ready, very well begin to color me
With your crayons prepared, let's commence coloring me
These are the eyes
These represent the eyes
That watched him as he walked away
That observed him departing
Color them grey
Shade them in a somber gray
This is the heart
This symbolizes the heart
That thought he would always be true
That believed he would forever remain loyal
Color it blue
Tint it in a melancholic blue
These are the eyes
These signify the eyes
That held him and touched him
That embraced and caressed him
Then lost him somehow color them empty now
But somehow lost him, so now color them devoid
These are the beads I wore
These depict the beads I adorned
Until she came between color them green
Until she arrived and created a divide, so color them green
This is the room I sleep in
This represents the room where I sleep
And walk in and weep in
And walk and weep in
And hide in that nobody sees
And hide in, concealed from everyone's sight
Color it lonely, please
Give it a shade of loneliness, if you may
This is the man the one I depended upon
This symbolizes the man I relied upon
Color him gone
Hue him as gone, disappeared completely
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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