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.
Second Time Around
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just as wonderful with both feet on the ground
It's that second time you hear your love song sung
Makes you think perhaps that love, like youth, is wasted on the young
Love's more comfortable the second time you fall
Like a friendly home the second time you call
Who can say what brought us to this miracle we've found?
There are those who'll bet love comes but once, and yet
Who can say what brought us to this miracle we've found?
There are those who'll bet love comes but once, and yet
I'm oh, so glad we met the second time around
In Julie London's "Second Time Around", the lyrics speak to the idea that experiencing love a second time around can be just as wonderful, if not more so, than the first. The opening line presents this concept plainly: "Love is lovelier the second time around". This line is followed by a couplet that speaks to the stability that can come from experiencing love for a second time. The line "Just as wonderful with both feet on the ground" suggests a sense of groundedness that contrasts with the intensity and excitement of new love.
The second verse speaks to the idea that hearing a love song a second time can be more poignant than the first. This idea is further explored in the line "Makes you think perhaps that love, like youth, is wasted on the young". There's a suggestion here that with age and experience, people can appreciate love in a way that they couldn't when they were younger.
The following couplet in the second verse speaks to the idea that familiarity can be comforting: "Love's more comfortable the second time you fall / Like a friendly home the second time you call." This line speaks to the idea that love can be a source of comfort and stability in uncertain times.
In the final verse, the lyrics express gratitude for the opportunity to experience love a second time: "There are those who'll bet love comes but once, and yet / I'm oh, so glad we met the second time around". The use of the word "bet" suggests that there's something uncertain or risky about love, but the singer is happy that they took a chance on it a second time.
Overall, the lyrics of "Second Time Around" celebrate the idea that love can deepen and mature with time and experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is lovelier the second time around
The feeling of love is more beautiful when experienced again after a failed or lost romance.
Just as wonderful with both feet on the ground
Love can be just as amazing even when approached with a practical and realistic mindset.
It's that second time you hear your love song sung
Hearing your favorite love song the second time around can evoke all the same emotions as before, making you realize the depth of your love.
Makes you think perhaps that love, like youth, is wasted on the young
Experiencing love again makes you question whether young people truly appreciate the power of love and how valuable it can be.
Love's more comfortable the second time you fall
Even after a heartbreak, it's easier to fall in love again because you know what to expect and how to handle it.
Like a friendly home the second time you call
Being in love again can have a sense of familiarity and comfort, like visiting an old friend.
Who can say what brought us to this miracle we've found?
The exact circumstances that led to finding love again are uncertain and inexplicable.
There are those who'll bet love comes but once, and yet
Some people believe that love can only happen once in a lifetime, but that is not necessarily true.
I'm oh, so glad we met the second time around
The artist is extremely happy to have found love again after a previous relationship did not work out.
Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: ARTHUR L. PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind