Julie London (née Peck; September 26,1926 — October 18, 2000) was an Ameri… Read Full Bio ↴Julie London (née Peck; September 26,1926 — October 18, 2000) was an American jazz and pop singer and actress. She was noted for her smoky, sensual voice and languid demeanor. She released 32 albums of pop and jazz standards during the 1950s and 1960s, with her signature song being the classic "Cry Me a River," which she introduced in 1955.

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.

One for My Baby
Julie London Lyrics

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Okay, and once again, here's Bette Midler

{Well, you know, when they asked me to come on and
I can't believe it, the last, the last guest
The last fool Mr. Carson will have to suffer gladly
You are the wind beneath my wings
Oh, well he is}

Quarter to three
There's no one in the place except you and me
So set 'em up, Joe
Got a little story, I think you should know

We're drinkin', my friend
To the end of a sweet episode
Make it one for my baby
And one more for the road

Got the routine
So drop another nickel in the machine
Oh, gee, I'm feelin' so bad
Wish you'd make the music so dreamy and sad

You could tell me a lot
But it's not in a gentleman's code
Let's make it one for my baby
And one more for the road

You may not know it but buddy you're a kind of poet
And you've had a lot of things to say
And when I'm gloomy, you always listen to me
Until it's talked away

Well, that's how it goes

And John I know you're getting anxious to close
So, thanks for the cheer
I hope you didn't mind me, bending your ear

For all of the years
For the laughs, for the tears
For the class that you showed

Make it one for my baby
And one more for the road
That long, long road

"Thank you, Bette, ah"

Overall Meaning

The song "One for My Baby" by Julie London is a melancholic piece about a man seeking solace in a bar after experiencing heartbreak. The first verse sets the scene, establishing it's a quarter to three, and the only people are the singer and the bartender, Joe. In the second verse, the singer begins to share his story with Joe, requesting that he makes the music "dreamy and sad." The chorus highlights his desire to drown his sorrows, requesting one for his baby and one more for the road, implying that he intends this to be his final drink before leaving for good.

The final verse addresses Joe, thanking him for all the years, for the laughs and tears, and for the comfort he provides in being a willing listener. The song's emotional weight comes from the singer's acknowledgment that he is on the brink of a profound change, and he is seeking to find closure in a lonely, dimly-lit room. The song's slow tempo, along with London's soft, haunting voice, adds to the sense of despair and longing conveyed in the song.

One for My BabyJulie London Lyrics

One for My Baby
Julie London Lyrics