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.
Two Sleepy People
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holding hands and yawning -- look how late it gets.
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light,
And too much in love to say goodnight.
Here we are, in the cozy chair,
Picking on a wishbone from the Frigidaire;
Two sleepy people with nothing to say,
And too much in love to break away.
Do you remember the nights we used to linger in the hall?
Father didn't like you at all.
Do you remember the reason why we married in the fall?
To rent this little nest, and get a bit of rest.
Well, here we are, just about the same,
Foggy little fella, drowsy little dame;
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light,
And too much in love to say goodnight.
The lyrics of Julie London's song "Two Sleepy People" revolves around a couple who have run out of cigarettes and are now holding hands, yawning, and realizing how late it is. They are two sleepy people who have stayed up all night to spend time with each other. The song shows just how much in love they are that they cannot say goodnight and instead choose to spend their time holding hands.
The couple has nothing much to say, but they are content in each other's company. They sit in a cozy chair and pick on a wishbone from the Frigidaire. They are too much in love to break away from each other despite running out of conversation topics. The song invokes a feeling of being lazy but content with your lover, which is a relatable feeling that appeals to many people.
The lyrics also touch upon the history of the couple. They remember the nights when they used to linger in the hall despite the father's disapproval. The song hints at their marriage being borne out of practicality to rent the little nest they currently reside in and get some rest. However, in the end, it is evident that the couple's love is what keeps them together.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we are, out of cigarettes,
We are currently without cigarettes.
Holding hands and yawning -- look how late it gets.
Despite the late hour and our exhaustion, we are still holding hands and enjoying each other's company.
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light,
We are feeling sleepy as the sun begins to rise.
And too much in love to say goodnight.
We don't want to say goodnight because we love each other too much.
Here we are, in the cozy chair,
We are now sitting in a comfortable chair.
Picking on a wishbone from the Frigidaire;
We are picking at a wishbone taken from the refrigerator.
Two sleepy people with nothing to say,
We are too tired to think of anything to say.
And too much in love to break away.
We don't want to separate because we are too deeply in love.
Do you remember the nights we used to linger in the hall?
When we were younger, do you remember how we used to spend time together in the hallway?
Father didn't like you at all.
My father disapproved of you.
Do you remember the reason why we married in the fall?
Do you remember why we got married in the autumn season?
To rent this little nest, and get a bit of rest.
We got married to have a place to live and to rest from the world.
Well, here we are, just about the same,
We are still together, in the same place and circumstances.
Foggy little fella, drowsy little dame;
We are both feeling groggy and tired.
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light,
As the sun rises, we remain tired.
And too much in love to say goodnight.
Our love for each other keeps us awake and unwilling to say goodnight.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Frank Loesser, Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind