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 Man's Gone Now
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't no use of listenin'
For his tired footsteps climbin'
Up the stairs
Old man sorrow come to keep me company
Whispering beside me when I say my prayers
Workin' me is travelers
Journeyin' together to the promised land
Old man sorrow's marching all
The way with me
Telling me I'm old now, since I lose my man
Since I lose my man, since I lose my man
Old man sorrow sitting by the fireplace
Lying all night long by me in the bed
Telling me the same thing, morning, noon
And evening
That I'm all alone now since my man is gone
Since my man is gone
In Julie London's song "My Man's Gone Now," the lyrics convey a sense of loss and lamentation. The singer expresses the futility of listening for the sound of her man's footsteps, as he is no longer present. The imagery of tired footsteps climbing up the stairs suggests the weariness and absence that now permeate her life.
Adding to her sorrow, the singer refers to an "old man sorrow" who keeps her company. This personified sorrow becomes a constant presence, whispering alongside her when she prays. The mention of "journeying together to the promised land" hints at the idea of seeking solace or escape from her grief. However, the sorrow remains with her throughout, marching alongside her on this journey.
The repetitive lines mentioning the loss of her man underscore the depth of her pain. She describes old man sorrow as sitting by the fireplace and lying in bed with her, constantly reminding her of her loneliness. The repetition serves to emphasize her isolation and the emotional toll her man's departure has taken on her.
Overall, these lyrics paint a vivid picture of a woman grappling with the absence of her loved one, finding solace only in the company of her sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
My man's gone now
The man I love has left me
Ain't no use of listenin'
There is no point in listening to anyone or anything
For his tired footsteps climbin'
I can no longer hear the sound of his wearied steps climbing the stairs
Up the stairs
Ascending towards our shared living space
Old man sorrow come to keep me company
The heavy weight of grief has arrived to accompany me in my solitude
Whispering beside me when I say my prayers
Quietly speaking to me when I express my hopes and desires to a higher power
Ain't that I mind workin'
It's not that I dislike working
Workin' me is travelers
The labor I engage in is my way of journeying through life
Journeyin' together to the promised land
Striving towards a better future, side by side
Old man sorrow's marching all
Grief is consistently present
The way with me
Accompanying me in my every step
Telling me I'm old now, since I lose my man
Reminding me of my age and loneliness since losing my beloved
Since I lose my man, since I lose my man
Since the departure of my man, my heartache continues
Old man sorrow sitting by the fireplace
Grief takes its place by the warmth of the fireplace
Lying all night long by me in the bed
Persistently lingering with me during the lonely nights in bed
Telling me the same thing, morning, noon
Repeating the same message, whether it is morning or midday
And evening
And even in the evening hours
That I'm all alone now since my man is gone
Affirming that I am now completely alone without my man
Since my man is gone
Because my man has left
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: IRA GERSHWIN, GEORGE GERSHWIN, DU BOSE HEYWARD, DOROTHY HEYWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind