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.
The End of a Love Affair
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm reckless it's true, but what else can you do
At the end of a love affair?
So I talk a little too much, and I laugh a little too much,
And my voice is too loud when I'm out in a crowd,
So that people are apt to stare.
That I'm lonely, and low as can be?
And the smile on my face isn't really a smile at all.
So I smoke a little too much, and I joke a little too much,
And the tunes I request are not always the best,
But the ones where the trumpets blare.
So I go at a maddening pace, and I pretend that it's taking his place,
But what else can you do at the end of a love affair?
In Julie London's song "The End of a Love Affair," the lyrics delve into the mindset of someone who is dealing with heartbreak. The singer admits to being reckless and indulgent, which is a reflection of the despair and confusion that comes with the end of a relationship. The opening line, "So I walk a little too fast, and I drive a little too fast," sets the tone for the rest of the song. These actions represent a need for speed and a desire to escape the pain that is being felt.
The singer mentions that they talk a little too much, laugh a little too much, and their voice is too loud when in a crowd. These excessive behaviors are representative of a coping mechanism; the singer is attempting to fill the void left by the relationship by overcompensating in other ways. The singer acknowledges that people around them may be staring and judging these behaviors, but they don't care because they are consumed with loneliness and feeling low.
The final verse is perhaps the most telling, where the singer admits to smoking and joking too much, and selecting songs with trumpets blaring, all in an attempt to forget and move on. However, the final line, "but what else can you do at the end of a love affair?" leaves the listener with a somber resignation to the fate of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
So I walk a little too fast, and I drive a little too fast,
I am in a hurry to escape the realities of my broken love, so I try to speed through everything.
And I'm reckless it's true, but what else can you do
I am careless and impulsive because I don't know how else to deal with the pain.
At the end of a love affair?
I am feeling overwhelmed and hopeless because my relationship has ended.
So I talk a little too much, and I laugh a little too much,
I try to fill the void left by my lost love by being loud and outgoing.
And my voice is too loud when I'm out in a crowd,
I want people to pay attention to me and distract me from my sadness.
So that people are apt to stare.
My behavior is abnormal and draws attention from those around me.
Do they know, do they care, that it's only
I wonder if people understand that my strange behavior is a result of heartbreak.
That I'm lonely, and low as can be?
I feel incredibly alone and depressed because of the loss of my love.
And the smile on my face isn't really a smile at all.
I put on a fake happy face to hide my inner turmoil and loneliness.
So I smoke a little too much, and I joke a little too much,
I try to distract myself and others from the pain by using humor and smoking.
And the tunes I request are not always the best,
The songs I choose are often melancholic and reflect my inner sadness.
But the ones where the trumpets blare.
The louder songs help me forget my pain and feel alive again, if only for a moment.
So I go at a maddening pace, and I pretend that it's taking his place,
I try to fill the void left by my lost love by staying busy and acting as though someone else is taking his place.
But what else can you do at the end of a love affair?
I am left with emptiness and confusion, and I don't know how to move on from this heartbreak.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDWARD C. REDDING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Robert-ts2ef
A lovely voice and a lovely lady. RIP
@davidlowry6384
What a class act! Beautiful recording of a lovely song. Wish we still had people recording music like this. We lost her much to soon. Rest in peace, Julie.
@niceby9260
Amo el sentimiento que me provoca su voz, se puede sentir ese mundo pasado con tan solo escucharla. Difunde puro amor y meñancolia su música ❤
@humbertonieva8429
Without a doubt a great eternal voice to enjoy FRIENDS!!!!!, happy new year.
@sorayaraza5827
Love this great song..smooth!
@SIRONEDRAGON
sweet !