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.
Spring Is Here
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spring is here! Why isn't the waltz entrancing?
No desire, no ambition leads me
Maybe it's because nobody needs me
Spring is here! Why doesn't the breeze delight me?
Stars appear, why doesn't the night invite me?
Maybe it's because nobody loves me
Spring is here I hear
Spring is here! Why doesn't my heart go dancing?
Spring is here! Why isn't the waltz entrancing?
No desire, no ambition leads me
Maybe it's because nobody needs me
Spring is here! Why doesn't the breeze delight me?
Stars appear, why doesn't the night invite me?
Maybe it's because nobody loves me
Spring is here I hear
Julie London's song Spring Is Here expresses the feeling of sadness and loneliness during a time of supposed rebirth and renewal. The start of spring brings new life, joy, and inspiration to many, but for the singer of the song, none of these positive feelings seem to occur. She wonders why her heart doesn't feel like dancing or why she doesn't find any pleasure in the breeze or the stars. She questions whether it's because she feels unloved and unneeded. Her lack of motivation and drive suggests a possible depression or feeling of isolation from the world around her.
The irony in the song is that spring's liveliness highlights the singer's lack of it. Julie London's melancholic voice and the slow, mournful tempo reinforce this mood. The song's lyrics convey the sense that the world around her is vibrant, but she can't seem to connect with it. The lyrics express the singer's emotion in a way that is relatable to anyone who has felt alone, out of sync or not understood, while everyone else appears to be flourishing around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Spring is here! Why doesn't my heart go dancing?
Spring has arrived, but I don't feel joyous like I usually do. My heart is not light and free; it's not dancing.
Spring is here! Why isn't the waltz entrancing?
The waltz was supposed to be an enchanting dance, but it's not captivating me like it used to. Spring is here, but something is missing.
No desire, no ambition leads me
I feel a sense of emptiness inside; I have no motivation or drive to do anything. I am just going through the motions of life.
Maybe it's because nobody needs me
Perhaps the reason behind my feeling of sadness is because I don't feel appreciated or needed by anyone. It's like I don't belong anywhere or to anyone.
Spring is here! Why doesn't the breeze delight me?
The warm breeze of spring should be soothing and refreshing, but it's not having any effect on me. I'm not feeling the joy of spring.
Stars appear, why doesn't the night invite me?
Even the night sky is not inviting me to revel in its beauty. The stars are shining, but I am not feeling the sense of awe and wonder that usually comes with it.
Maybe it's because nobody loves me
Perhaps the reason behind my lack of enthusiasm for spring and life, in general, is because I don't feel loved or cared for by anyone. It's a feeling of loneliness and isolation.
Spring is here I hear
Despite my melancholic mood, I can hear the sounds of spring. The singing of the birds, the rustling of the leaves, and the hum of life all around me - everything that should fill me with joy, but it's not.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HANS SPIALEK, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind