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 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 "The Second Time Around," the lyrics celebrate the beauty and comfort of falling in love again. It suggests that love can be even more magical and meaningful the second time around because of the wisdom and experience gained from the first. The song paints love as something that can be treasured and appreciated more fully with each subsequent experience.
The lyrics suggest that love is lovelier and more wonderful the second time around because the couples' passion has deepened with familiarity. The second time around can offer an even stronger and more reliable foundation to support the relationship. The second time around brings a reassurance that love is attainable and abundant, and that it's possible to find it again even after it has been lost.
Furthermore, the lyrics imply that love is a miracle that cannot be completely explained. Even though some people believe that love only happens once, the singer disagrees and appreciates the fact that they met again. The song, therefore, serves as an ode to the beauty and resilience of love, a celebration of its endurance, and its ability to renew and strengthen relationships as long as two people are willing to work on it.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is lovelier the second time around
Love is even more beautiful when experienced for the second time
Just as wonderful with both feet on the ground
The feeling of love is just as great when approached with a practical mindset
It's that second time you hear your love song sung
Hearing a love song for the second time makes you truly appreciate the meaning and beauty behind the lyrics
Makes you think perhaps that love, like youth, is wasted on the young
Experiencing love multiple times makes you reflect on how it is often taken for granted or unappreciated in youth
Love's more comfortable the second time you fall
Falling in love again after heartbreak is easier and less daunting the second time around
Like a friendly home the second time you call
Love feels familiar and welcoming like a home you return to for comfort
Who can say what brought us to this miracle we've found?
The origins of love are uncertain and mysterious, but finding it a second time feels like a miraculous discovery
There are those who'll bet love comes but once, and yet
Many believe that true love only exists once in a lifetime, but that perspective may not always be accurate
I'm oh, so glad we met the second time around
The singer is incredibly grateful to have found love again and cherishes the experience even more because it is the second time around
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind