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 Heart Belongs to Daddy
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now I find I'm more inclined to keep my mind on my duties.
While tearing off a game of golf
I may make a play for the caddy
But when I do, I don't follow through
'cause my heart belongs to Daddy.
To dine on my fine finnan haddie
I just adore his asking for more
But my heart belongs to Daddy
Yes my heart belongs to Daddy
So I simply couldn't be bad
Yes, my heart belongs to Daddy
Da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da
So I want to warn you, laddie
Though I know you're perfectly swell
But my heart belongs to Daddy
'cause my Daddy he treats it so well
There was a dame that a football game
Made long for the strong undergraddie
I never dream of making the team
'cause my heart belongs to daddy
Yes, my heart belongs to Daddy
So I simply couldn't be bad
Yes, my heart belongs to Daddy
Da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da
So I want to warn you, laddie
Though I know you're perfectly swell
That my heart belongs to Daddy
'cause my Daddy, he treats it so well
The song "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" by Julie London is a playful tune with a deeper underlying meaning. The lyrics start by explaining how the singer used to be attracted to boys who were into young and attractive women. However, lately, she has become more focused on her responsibilities and duties. This could be interpreted as a personal growth or a realization that she should not be distracted by frivolous relationships.
The next couple of lines describe the singer's actions on a golf course. Even though she may be attracted to the caddy, she doesn't follow through because her heart "belongs to Daddy." This could be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, it could be a declaration of loyalty to one's father. Secondly, it could be a metaphor for a devoted relationship with a significant other. The following stanza further emphasizes that the singer is devoted to someone else and is not interested in a casual relationship. Even though she enjoys attention from men, her heart belongs to Daddy.
One interesting take on the song could be that it was written in response to the societal expectation of women needing to be married off to wealthy men. The line "my heart belongs to Daddy because my Daddy he treats it so well" could be a nod to the idea that a woman belongs to her father until she is married off to a man who can provide the same level of care and security.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to fall in love with all those boys who maul the young cuties
In the past, I was easily infatuated with guys who objectified and harassed young girls.
But now I find I'm more inclined to keep my mind on my duties.
However, I've learned to prioritize my responsibilities and focus on my work instead of chasing after men.
While tearing off a game of golf
During a friendly game of golf,
I may make a play for the caddy
I might flirt with the caddy,
But when I do, I don't follow through
However, I never act on these impulses,
'cause my heart belongs to Daddy.
because my heart belongs to my father, who I hold in high esteem.
If I invite a boy some night
If I ask a man out for an evening,
To dine on my fine finnan haddie
To share a meal of my delicious smoked haddock,
I just adore his asking for more
I like it when he eagerly asks for seconds,
But my heart belongs to Daddy
However, my affections remain with my father.
Yes my heart belongs to Daddy
To emphasize, my heart truly belongs to my father.
So I simply couldn't be bad
Therefore, I couldn't behave in an immoral or promiscuous way.
Da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da
This line has no explicit meaning and may simply serve as a musical interlude.
So I want to warn you, laddie
I want to caution you, young man,
Though I know you're perfectly swell
Even though I think you're great,
But my heart belongs to Daddy
I must remind you that my heart is already taken by my father.
There was a dame that a football game
I once saw a woman become enamored with a football player,
Made long for the strong undergraddie
Who longed to be with the muscular young man in college,
I never dream of making the team
Unlike her, I never imagine becoming romantically involved with an athlete,
'cause my heart belongs to Daddy
as my heart remains devoted to my father.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind