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.
What Is This Thing Called Love
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This funny thing called love
Just who can solve its mystery?
And why should it make a fool of me?
I saw you there, one wonderful day
But you took my heart and you threw my heart away
That's why I ask the Lord up in heaven above
In Julie London's song "What Is This Thing Called Love," the singer is pondering the nature of love and the way it seems to defy reason and logic. She muses on the mystery of love, questioning whether anyone can truly solve it or understand it. In the second half of the song, she recounts a personal experience of heartbreak, where someone she loved deeply let her down. Despite the pain it caused, she remains intrigued by this "funny thing called love" and continues to seek answers.
The song captures a common human experience of being simultaneously fascinated and frustrated by love. Although it is a universal theme, Julie London's smooth and sultry voice brings a unique intimacy to the lyrics, making the listener feel as though they are hearing her personal musings on love. The melody flows beautifully, creating a dreamy atmosphere that makes the listener feel as though they too are caught up in the mystery of love.
Line by Line Meaning
What is this thing called love?
What is the name of this emotion that we refer to as love?
This funny thing called love
This mysterious and inexplicable emotion called love
Just who can solve its mystery?
Who has the ability to unravel the secrets behind this complex emotion?
And why should it make a fool of me?
And why does it have the power to make me act irrationally and foolishly?
I saw you there, one wonderful day
I noticed you on a particularly great day
But you took my heart and you threw my heart away
But you rejected my love and caused me great pain
That's why I ask the Lord up in heaven above
That's why I turn to a higher power, asking for guidance and understanding
Just what is this thing called love?
What exactly is this enigmatic and powerful emotion that has caused me such frustration and heartache?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cariluzim
I love this song SO MUCH!
@DC9V
who plays the guitar on this record?
@arvh1952
wow .. the guitarist really cleaned it up.
i think it was Barney Kessell
@frankoleary4138
It says above it was Howard Roberts. Awesome huh?
@russt44
@@arvh1952 Barney is on Cry Me A River