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.
Saddle The Wind
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And ride to where you are
We may meet in a valley or on a green hill
Will I be yours? You know I will!
Dearest one, my place in the sun
Is by your side, I know
So if I could I'd saddle the wind
And straight to your arms I'll go!
So if I could I'd saddle the wind
Some starry night I'll saddle the wind
And straight to your arms I'll go!
The lyrics to Julie London's "Saddle The Wind" are a classic tale of unrequited love. The opening line, "Sometimes I'd like to saddle the wind and ride to where you are" sets the tone for the longing and distance that the singer feels towards their beloved. The metaphor of saddling the wind is an acknowledgement that no matter how much they yearn for their loved one, the barriers between them seem insurmountable. The hope that they might one day be able to meet their love "in a valley or on a green hill" suggests that the singer still holds onto the possibility of a happy ending.
The second verse is a declaration of the singer's devotion to their loved one. They are willing to follow them wherever they go, as long as they are by their side. The line "some starry night I'll saddle the wind" suggests that this may be a romanticized and unattainable fantasy, but the sentiment is nevertheless sincere. The final verse signals the end of the song, with the singer acknowledging that the distance between them is great, but that they will continue to dream and hope that one day they will be reunited. Overall, "Saddle The Wind" is a bittersweet and romantic song that captures the universal feeling of yearning for someone who seems just out of reach.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I'd like to saddle the wind
At times, I wish I could harness the uncontrollable and ride towards you
And ride to where you are
To journey to where you are located, wherever that may be
We may meet in a valley or on a green hill
We could encounter one another in a place of rest or in a location of vitality
Will I be yours? You know I will!
Of course I will be yours, you already know that
Dearest one, my place in the sun
My place in life is next to you, my beloved
Is by your side, I know
I am aware that my place is by your side
So if I could I'd saddle the wind
Given the chance, I would attempt to conquer the wind for the chance to see you
Some starry night I'll saddle the wind
One day, under a star-filled sky, I may take the opportunity to try and ride the wind to you
And straight to your arms I'll go!
Once I reach where you are, I'll go straight into your embrace
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RAY EVANS, JAY LIVINGSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Arizona Pilot
Such a sensuous sentimental and dreamy voice. Julie London was one of a kind.
Eddie Styles
She sure was..she's one of my all time favorites.
John Kinsey
Absolutely beautiful...Julie's voice was God-given and enhanced by her love for a perfect song. John Kinsey
Mike Vallen
This is a very sweet and sublime recording.....sung extremely beautifully.....with an angelic vocal backing and perfect orchestral arrangement .
Eddie Styles
I know Mike...I really love this. So many of her singles are great! Thanks for your comment.
toyne38
Such a voice!
Dragon Warrior Princess 4
My favorite
Eddie Styles
I love it too.
Almir Lima
Linda música!
Eddie Styles
Si...gracias!