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.
Where Are You
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where have you gone without me
I thought you cared about me
Where are you
Where's my heart
Where is the dream we started
I can't believe we're parted
Where are you
When we said good-bye love
What had we to gain
When I gave you my love
Was it all in vain
All life through
Must I go on pretending
Where is my happy ending
Where are you
When we said good-bye love
What had we to gain
When I gave you my love
Was it all in vain
All life through
Must I go on pretending
Where is that happy ending
Where are you
Where are you
The song "Where Are You" by Julie London is a melancholy ballad about a lost love. The lyrics express the singer's feelings of sadness and confusion about the end of a relationship. The song opens with the repeated question, "Where are you?" suggesting that the singer has lost contact with their lover and is searching for them. The next line, "Where have you gone without me," indicates a feeling of abandonment or betrayal. The singer thought that their lover cared about them, but now they feel alone and abandoned.
The second verse reflects on the past, wondering where their heart and the dreams they shared have gone. The line "I can't believe we're parted" suggests that the separation was unexpected or unwanted. The chorus returns, with the singer asking where their happy ending is, implying that they thought the relationship would have a positive outcome. The song ends with the repeated question "Where are you?"
Overall, the song is a poignant expression of heartbreak and longing. It captures the feelings of loss and confusion that come with the end of a relationship, as well as the desire to find closure or reconciliation.
Line by Line Meaning
Where are you
Where are you physically and emotionally? Where are you in relation to me?
Where have you gone without me
Did you leave me intentionally? Did you forget about me? What path did you take without me?
I thought you cared about me
I believed you loved me, but now I am not sure. Did you ever truly care about me or was it all an act?
Where's my heart
My heart is missing. It used to be with you, but now it is nowhere to be found.
Where is the dream we started
We had a dream together, but now it seems to have vanished. What happened to it? Can we ever regain it?
I can't believe we're parted
I am in disbelief that we are no longer together. It seems impossible to accept.
When we said good-bye love
The moment we said goodbye to each other, when we ended our relationship.
What had we to gain
What was the purpose of ending our relationship? What did we hope to gain from it?
When I gave you my love
When I opened up my heart to you and gave you all my love and affection.
Was it all in vain
Did my love mean nothing to you? Was it all a waste? Did I invest too much into something that was bound to fail?
All life through
For the rest of my life. This is not just a temporary pain, but something that will stay with me forever.
Must I go on pretending
Do I have to pretend that everything is okay, even though I know it's not? Can I continue living a lie?
Where is my happy ending
I was hoping for a happy ending, but it seems like it's not going to happen. Where is my happy ending?
Where are you
I am still searching for you, physically and emotionally. I need closure and answers.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lew Pollack, Lou Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind