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.
September in the Rain
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Came tumblin' down, remember
In September, in the rain
The sun went out
Just like a dying ember
That September in the rain
The raindrops seemed to play a sweet refrain
Though spring is here
To me, it's still September
That September in the rain
In the rain
In the rain
It's still September
In the rain
The lyrics to Julie London's song September in the Rain describe the memories of a past love that occurred during the month of September. The first verse, "The leaves of brown came tumbling down" sets the stage for the changing of seasons and the nostalgic feeling that comes with it. The second line, "Remember in September in the rain" reinforces the idea that the memories being recalled are from a specific time and place.
The second verse adds to the sentimentality of the song, as the singer remembers the sweet words of love whispered by their partner. The rain also serves as a reminder of this love, as it provides a musical backdrop to the past memories. The phrase "Thought it's spring, to me it's still September" shows that even though time has passed and the seasons have changed, the memories of this love remain fresh in the singer's mind.
Overall, the lyrics of September in the Rain evoke a sense of wistfulness and longing for a past love. The specific references to September and rain, along with the melancholy melody and slow tempo of the song, contribute to a mood of nostalgia and bittersweetness.
Line by Line Meaning
The leaves of brown came tumbling down
Autumn has arrived and the leaves are falling off trees
Remember in September in the rain
The singer recalls a special moment from the past that happened in September while it was raining
The sun went out just like a light
The sky became dark and cloudy as storm clouds rolled in
To every word of love I heard you whisper
The singer remembers hearing expressions of love spoken softly by their partner
The raindrops seems to play a sweet refrain
The sound of the raindrops falling creates a musical melody that is comforting and soothing
Thought it's spring, to me it's still September
Even though it's currently a different season, the singer is still transported back to that special moment in September
Oh, that September in the rain
The singer reminisces about that specific September when it was raining
I said, I said it's September in the rain
The singer emphasizes the importance and significance of that particular September moment
Ah, September in the rain
The singer relishes the memories from that September in the rain
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Warren, Al Dubin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@feniciolopez4429
Lyrics:
The leaves of brown came tumbling down
Remember in September in the rain
The Sun went out just like a dying amber
That September in the rain
To every word of love I heard you whisper
The raindrops seemed to play our sweet refrain
Though spring is here to me it's still September
That September in the rain
@DigitalDiscusVideo
"September in the Rain" is just one of the many brilliant songs composed for Warner Bros. pictures in the 1930s by the fabulous team of Harry Warren (music) & Al Dubin (lyrics). They also wrote "42nd Street", "Lullaby of Broadway" & "I Only Have Eyes For You"... to name a few.
@lucleseure6775
The class❤
@hiramyawikramasinghe8330
Just Lovely! Super ending too. The best rendition of this perennial song.
@MJLeger-yj1ww
I was a fan of Julie London's voice from an early age! When I went to boarding school, I bought a couple of her albums, and my mother listened to one and took it away from me because she thought Julie (and the songs) were too sexy! I found the 1957 album later in my old trunk in the barn and retrieved it! Still have it!
@numberoneweirdo8980
Haha that's funny! It's really interesting to hear what was considered "too inappropriate" back in the day.
Good you found the album though!
@usmale49
Maybe your mother objected to the album cover. Julie London had some of the sexiest photos on her Liberty Records album covers. Or maybe the title of said album? It wasn't the one entitled: Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast...by any chance? lol Glad you retrieved your album!! Julie is the very best!!
@miguelangelcovini5484
I love this woman. Is the glamour lost in the cultural battle.
@estevennurkin5183
Why ? Did we have such great singers back then???❤
@hiramyawicks1287
Beautiful song.
@carlosoliveira68405
Julie London maravilhosa. Bela voz sensual. Repertório rico em clássicos das décadas 40 e 50.