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.
There'll Be Some Changes Made
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a change in the sea,
From now on there'll be a change in me;
My walk will be different, my talk and my name --
Nothin' about me gonna be the same.
I'm gonna change my way of livin',
And if that ain't enough,
I'm gonna change the way I strut my stuff.
There'll be some changes made today,
There'll be some changes made.
My air will be different my hair and my face
you'll be surprised at all the things I replace
I'm gonna change my whole psychology
and daddy that ain't all
I'll even find new ways to have myself a ball
You'll find your baby's always fit
there'll be some changed made today
there'll be some changes made
The song "There'll Be Some Changes Made" by Julie London is about a person who realizes that they need to change and improve themselves. The lyrics suggest that this change will be significant and will manifest in different aspects of their life. The opening lines, "There'll be a change in the weather; And a change in the sea" symbolize that the change will be far-reaching and all-encompassing. The person singing the song promises to overhaul their personality and behavior. They want to be a new person with a different way of thinking and living. The line "Nobody wants you when you're old and gray" conveys a sense of urgency, suggesting that the change needs to happen now before it's too late.
In the second part of the song, the focus shifts to the physical changes the singer promises to make. They vow to change their hair, face, and posture. They want to surprise everyone with the extent of their transformation. The line "I'm gonna change my whole psychology" shows that the changes go beyond the surface level. The person singing the song wants to address any underlying issues that may have led to their need for change. The song ends on an optimistic note with the singer promising that their baby will always fit, which could be interpreted as their confidence that the changes they will make will result in a successful and happy life.
Line by Line Meaning
There'll be a change in the weather;
The weather will change soon.
And a change in the sea,
The sea will change as well.
From now on there'll be a change in me;
I will change from now on.
My walk will be different, my talk and my name --
I will change my way of moving, speaking, and my name.
Nothin' about me gonna be the same.
I will be completely different.
I'm gonna change my way of livin',
I will change my lifestyle.
And if that ain't enough,
And if that is not sufficient,
I'm gonna change the way I strut my stuff.
I will change the way I present myself.
Nobody wants you when you're old and gray --
No one is interested in old people.
There'll be some changes made today,
Today, I will make some changes to myself.
There'll be some changes made.
I will change.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Higgins, Benton Overstreet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind