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 Snowflakes Fall In the Summer
Julie London Lyrics
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When pears grow on an apple tree
When snowflakes fall in the Summer
You'll be true to me
When moonbeams shine in the morning
When sparrows don't know how to fly
When snowflakes fall in the Summer
When you won't make me cry
You'll never change, I know it
And there'll never be a Summer snow
And darling, it's just as impossible
For me to ever let you go
When Spring rain comes in the Autumn
When lemons taste like honeydew
When snowflakes fall in the Summer
I'll stop loving you
The song by Julie London, "When Snowflakes Fall In the Summer," is a love song whose lyrics present a series of impossible events that would happen only in unrealistic situations. The song's theme centers primarily on trust, faithfulness and the immutability of love. The lyrics suggest that even when improbable events occur, such as roses blooming in December or snowfall in summer, the singer is confident that their lover will remain loyal and true to them.
The first stanza of the song establishes the extent of the singer's trust in their lover's fidelity by asserting that even if impossible events were to occur, they'd remain committed to the singer. The second stanza continues with the theme of the singer's trust, expressing their belief that their lover wouldn't purposely hurt them, even in unlikely circumstances. The third and final stanza reconfirms the lover's commitment, humorously expressing that the singer wants to forget their lover and move on only when events, like spring rain and fall, come at inappropriate times.
In summary, the song expresses the singer's faith and trust in their lover's dedication and commitment to the relationship in the face of unfavorable circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
When roses bloom in December,
If something impossible happens, you'll always be true to me
When pears grow on an apple tree,
Even if the impossible happens again, you won't make me cry
When snowflakes fall in the Summer,
If something that should never occur happens, you'll still be loyal to me
When moonbeams shine in the morning,
Even if something that contradicts nature happens, I know you'll remain the same
When sparrows don't know how to fly,
Despite another impossible event, you won't ever change
When snowflakes fall in the Summer,
A third unlikely event won't affect our love
You'll never change, I know it,
I have faith that you'll always be the same
And there'll never be a Summer snow;
I know that certain things will never happen, but I trust you regardless
And darling, it's just as impossible
Just like it's impossible for the weather to change in such a manner,
For me to ever let you go!
I will never let you go either
When Spring rain comes in the Autumn,
If another impossible event happens, then I will stop loving you
When lemons taste like honeydew,
When something that should never occur happens again, then my love will end
When snowflakes fall in the Summer,
If something that is highly unlikely happens yet again, I will stop loving you
I'll stop loving you!
My loyalty is conditional upon things staying relatively the same
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind