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 Thrill Is Gone
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The thrill is gone away
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away from me
No you done me wrong baby
You'll be sorry some day
The thrill is gone
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away from me
Oh although I'll still live on baby
But so lonely I'll be
The thrill is gone
The thrill is gone away for good
Oh the thrill is gone baby
Its gone away for good
Someday I know I'll be open arms baby
Just like I know I know I should
I'm free now baby
I'm free from your spell
Free free free free now baby
Baby I'm free from your spell
Now that its all over
All that I can do is wish you well
The thrill is gone
Gone away for good
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away for good
Oh you done me wrong baby
You'll be sorry some day
The thrill is gone
I'm free from your spell.
"The Thrill is Gone" by Julie London is a bluesy ballad about a lost love. The song explores the emotional state of someone who has been hurt and is struggling with the aftermath of a relationship. The title "The Thrill is Gone" refers to the excitement and passion that the singer once felt for their partner, that is now gone. The lyrics repeat this phrase over and over, emphasizing the loss and finality of the relationship.
The song begins with the singer lamenting the loss of the thrill, which has gone away from them. They attribute this loss to their partner's wrongdoing, stating that they will one day regret their actions. The second verse expresses the feeling of loneliness that comes with the thrill's departure, and the third verse acknowledges that the thrill is gone for good. The final verse reveals that the singer is no longer under their ex-partner's spell and is free from their hold, but also acknowledges that the only thing left to do is move on and wish their ex well.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Thrill is Gone" convey a sense of sadness and heartbreak, highlighting the difficulty of letting go of a relationship and moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
The thrill is gone
There isn't excitement anymore
The thrill is gone away
The excitement is no longer present
The thrill is gone baby
The exciting moments are over
The thrill is gone away from me
There is no more excitement in my life
No you done me wrong baby
You hurt me, and I cannot forgive you
You'll be sorry some day
One day, you will regret what you did to me
Oh although I'll still live on baby
Even though you are not here, I am still living
But so lonely I'll be
I will still feel lonely without you
The thrill is gone away for good
The excitement ended permanently
Someday I know I'll be open arms baby
One day, I will be ready to love again
Just like I know I know I should
I recognize that I need to move on and let go
I'm free now baby
I am no longer under your influence
I'm free from your spell
I am not controlled by you anymore
Free free free free now baby
I am completely free from your hold on me
Now that its all over
Now that our relationship has ended
All that I can do is wish you well
I can only hope for good things for you now
Lyrics © RAY HENDERSON MUSIC CO., INC., BMG Rights Management
Written by: Lew Brown, Ray Henderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind