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 She Makes Music
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And that's the sweetest melody I know
The sound of angels singing soft and low
When she makes music
Her laughter is an echo in the breeze
That hushes larks and thrushes in the trees
And calms the wave that rushes from the seas
Any time she breathes a sigh
The symphony begins
Every time she says "Goodbye"
A million violins start crying
The song is sad until we meet again
We kiss and then the song is sweet again
But whether she is far away or very near
She makes music only I can hear.
Every time she says "Goodbye"
A million violins start crying
The song is sad until we meet again
We kiss and then the song is sweet again
But whether she is far away or very near
She makes music only I can hear.
The lyrics of Julie London's song "When She Makes Music" describe the power of a woman's presence on the singer's life. The first verse reveals that the simple act of her saying "hello" is the sweetest melody he knows, evoking the image of angels singing softly. Her voice has a calming effect that can even hush the singing of birds and calm the waves of the seas. We learn that her laugh echoes in the breeze, and her every breath and sigh can start a symphony. The second and third verses emphasize how her presence affects the singer to such a degree that the sound of a million violins begins to cry when she says goodbye.
The song highlights the duality of emotions that come into play when someone we care about is not physically present. The melody is sad until they meet again, but once reunited, the song becomes sweet once more. However, despite the physical distance, the woman always makes music that only the singer can hear.
Overall, the song celebrates the transformative power of love and how the mere presence of someone we care for can impact our lives so significantly. The simple act of saying "hello" can create beautiful music in someone's life.
Line by Line Meaning
All she has to do is say "Hello"
Merely the mere sound or appearance of the person brightens and sweetens up everything
And that's the sweetest melody I know
There is no music more pleasing or enjoyable to my senses than hearing the person say hello
The sound of angels singing soft and low
The voice of the person, when talking softly, is so beautiful and peaceful that it sounds like angels singing softly and tenderly
When she makes music
Whenever this person speaks, sings or makes any sound, it feels like she is creating music with her voice
Her laughter is an echo in the breeze
The person's laughter echoes and reverberates even outside the surrounding environment and can be heard distinctively even in the rustles of the breeze
That hushes larks and thrushes in the trees
The sound of the person's laughter is so powerful and calming that even the singing of the birds and rustling in the trees stop temporarily to listen
And calms the wave that rushes from the seas
The sound of the person's laughter is so soothing that it subdues the tumultuous and chaotic waves of the ocean
Any time she breathes a sigh
Even a single sigh from the person is enough to create an atmosphere of love and affection
The symphony begins
It feels as if a symphony of melodies begins playing in the air due to the mere sound of the person's breath
Every time she says "Goodbye"
As soon as the person says goodbye, feelings of sadness and melancholy start to take over the atmosphere
A million violins start crying
It seems as if millions of violins start playing a sad, emotional tune in the background
The song is sad until we meet again
The somber melody created upon the person's departure remains until they reunite once more
We kiss and then the song is sweet again
Once reunited and close once more, the music created goes from impending sadness to overwhelming happiness
But whether she is far away or very near
No matter the distance between them or the nearness of the person, the feeling of music created always remains
She makes music only I can hear.
The music created by this person feels as though it is meant for one listener only: myself.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FISHER, SEGAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BOOSHCY
Lyrics:
I don't know why
I made you cry
I'm sorry sweetheart and yet
Though you shouldn't be lenient with me
I hope you forgive and forget
What can I say dear after I say I'm sorry
What can I do to prove it to you, I'm sorry
I didn't mean to ever be mean to you
If I didn't care i wouldn't feel like I do
I was all wrong, but right or wrong I don't blame you
why should I take somebody like you and chain you
I know that I made you cry and I'm so sorry dear
what can I say dear, after I say I'm sorry
I'm so sorry, for me and for you
I'm so sorry what can I do
I made you cry and I'm so sorry dear
What can I say dear after I say I'm sorry
@ReneBui
Lyrics:
WHAT CAN I SAY? / Julie London
(Words by ? / Music by Jeff Alexander ?)
from movie: "The George Raft Story" (1961) / directed by Joseph M. Newman
(intro)
I don't know why
I made you cry
I'm sorry sweetheart
And yet
Though you shouldn't be
Lenient with me
I hope you'll forgive
And forget
...
What can I say dear
After I say
I'm sorry
What can I do
To prove it to you
I'm sorry
I didn't mean
To ever be mean
To you ouh ouh ouh
If I didn't care
I wouldn't feel like
I do ouh ouh ouh
I was all wrong
But right or wrong
I don't blame you
Why should I take
Somebody like you
And shame you
I know that I
Made you cry
And I'm so sorry dear
What can I say dear
After I say I'm sorry
.....
(instrumental bridge)
.....
I'm so sorry
For me and for you
I'm so sorry
What can I do
I heard you cry
And I'm sooo sorry dear
What can I say dear
Aaafter I say
I'm sooorryyyyy.........
/EOF/
@smollily3601
How can someone dislike this video! She's wonderful!
@varadero1839
Hi Posy Darling,
Guess there's no accounting for taste! As the poster I apologize for a couple of audio/visual glitches seen here. I don't think anyone could actually dislike her performance. Grateful to hear from you, and thanks!
varadero
@MJLeger-yj1ww
Oh Posy, don't pay any attention to those like/dislike stupid thumb icons -- there are kids (and creeps) who just LOVE to be dissentious, they don't know what they're doing or even listening to, for that matter. No class!
@STPickrell
What can I say about those (as of 5 June 2020) nine people?
@danlunham4478
My dad, Lloyd Lunham, played bass for her in the '50s during some of her L.A. gigs. She was, he told me, a consummate musician.
@ianwheeler3859
Some one will.
@jasonheatley7798
The Style , elegance, grace, intellect, voice and true understanding of the mood of each song was Julie London one of my Favorite jazz singers there are others Helen Merrill, Chris Connor, Anita O'day, Betty Carter, Carmen Mcrae, Lucy Ann Polk, June Christie, Peggy Lee, and Lorez Alexandria they are [some] of the jazz giants... vocalists with there own voice and worth a listen peace to all!.
@rankodundjer6721
There are no more songs like this or voices like this. I love Julie London.
@christinemomy8018
You're right and I've seen comments comparing Diana Krall to Julie London.
@zackkremer5564
There are some fantastic singers out there but Julie is definitely high up there.