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.
When I Fall in Love
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It will be forever
Or I'll never fall
In love
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many moonlight kisses
When I give my heart
It will be completely
Or I'll never give
My heart
And the moment I can feel that
You feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you
And the moment I can feel that
You feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you
The lyrics of the song "When I Fall in Love" by Julie London is a heartfelt expression of a person's desire to experience true, everlasting love. The singer's voice is gentle and soothing, adorned with lush orchestration that emphasizes the emotional depth of the lyrics. The opening lines already signify the singer's commitment to a lifelong love that is free from superficiality and transience. The second stanza beautifully illustrates the impermanence of love in the current world, where people often lose interest or become disillusioned with their partners after a short while. The lines, "And too many moonlight kisses/Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun" is a subtle warning about the fragility of relationships when they are not nurtured with care and devotion.
The third stanza is a declaration of the singer's resolve to love someone with all her heart, and not to give up on love until she finds the person who reciprocates her feelings. The closing lines, "And the moment I can feel that/You feel that way too/Is when I fall in love with you," is the culmination of the singer's search for a genuine, lasting love. It conveys the idea that true love is not just a one-sided emotion, but a mutual feeling that stems from a deep connection between two people. Overall, "When I Fall in Love" is a beautiful song that celebrates the power of love to heal and uplift the human spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
When I fall in love
I am waiting for the perfect moment to fall in love.
It will be forever
When I fall in love, it will be forever and not just a passing feeling.
Or I'll never fall
If the love I feel is not forever, I will never fall in love.
In a restless world like this is
In a world where everything is uncertain and constantly changing.
Love is ended before it's begun
Many people end their relationships before they even begin to understand what love is.
And too many moonlight kisses
Many relationships start out romantic, but end up losing their passion over time.
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
Even though some relationships seem passionate at first, they gradually lose that passion over time.
When I give my heart
When I finally give my heart to someone;
It will be completely
I will give everything I have to that person and trust them completely.
Or I'll never give
If I cannot trust someone completely, I will never give my heart to them.
My heart
The most important thing that I can give to someone is my heart.
And the moment I can feel that
When I can sense
You feel that way too
That you also have feelings for me
Is when I fall in love with you
I will know that it's the perfect moment to fall in love with you.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Heyman, Victor Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Emmeline Lo
When I fall in love
It will be forever
Or I'll never fall
In love
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
When I give my heart
It will be completely
Or I'll never give
My heart
And the moment I can feel that
You feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you
And the moment I can feel that
You feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you
NYCBG
Those octave jumps are just incredible ("in the warmth OF THE sun" or "that YOU FEEL that way too..." She sings them with such ease and yet anyone who has tried to sing for real knows how difficult they are.
robert london
How can you not feel relaxed when listening to this beautiful voice. The only thing I regret was never meeting her in person. Julie, I love listening to you. Did u ever think back when u were recording and performing that 50 years later, people would still be listening to you and loving you. Rest in peace Julie and thank you Bobby for seeing what we now see.... a voice that we can all enjoy. Rest in peace both of you. I love u Julie
D Barb
couldn’t have said it any better
DNE HS
The most underappreciated singer ever!
D Barb
for me, she might be the greatest singer, of anyone, ever
Charles
@D Barb I completely agree! She was amazing and so, so beautiful
Richard Sloane
I have loved this beautiful voice since I was a teen ager and in the winter of my years she still brimgs a tear to my eyes
Анатолий Сигачев
Прекрасная песня!❤
William L Robinson
Julie's golden voice delivers again. Her tone is very mellow. For me, this is singing style will last forever.
Richard Sloane
julie was a total artist to be loved and appriciated for what she brought to the pleasure of all who lived and glorified in her wonderful gift.