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.
You Made Me Love You
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't wanna do it
I didn't wanna do it
You made me want you
And all the time you knew it
I guess you always knew it
You made me happy
Sometimes you made me glad
But there were times
You made me feel so bad
You made me sigh for
I didn't wanna tell you
I didn't wanna tell you
I want some love
That's true, yes, I do
'Deed I do, you know I do
Give me, give me what I cry for
You know you got the brand of kisses
That I die for
You know you made me love you
Give me, give me what I cry for
You know you got the brand of kisses
That I die for
You know you made me love you
Julie London's song "You Made Me Love You" is a love song with bittersweet undertones. It speaks of how the singer is so in love with someone that it hurts, despite their initial reluctance to fall in love. The lyrics imply that the person being addressed had a hand in the singer's eventual love for them, whether intentional or not. The repetition of "I didn't wanna do it" emphasizes this reluctance, as well as the singer's helplessness in the face of their feelings.
The second verse reveals that the person being addressed knew about the singer's feelings all along. "And all the time you knew it / I guess you always knew it" suggests that the person being addressed has some sort of control or power over the singer's emotions. However, the third verse hints at some tension in the relationship. The line, "But there were times / You made me feel so bad" suggests that there were moments of conflict or hurt.
In the final verse, the singer opens up about their desires and emotions. They express their longing for "some love / That's true, yes, I do / 'Deed I do, you know I do." The repetition of "give me, give me what I cry for" emphasizes the singer's desperation and vulnerability. The final lines reiterate the power that the person being addressed has over the singer's emotions, with the statement that "you know you made me love you."
Line by Line Meaning
You made me love you
You caused me to fall in love with you
I didn't wanna do it
I didn't plan to fall in love with you
You made me want you
You made me desire you
And all the time you knew it
You were aware of my feelings the entire time
I guess you always knew it
You probably knew all along
You made me happy
You brought joy into my life
Sometimes you made me glad
Occasionally, you caused extreme happiness for me
But there were times
However, there were moments
You made me feel so bad
You caused me feelings of sadness
You made me sigh for
You made me long for
I didn't wanna tell you
I didn't intend to confess my feelings to you
I want some love
I desire to be loved
That's true, yes, I do
This is a genuine feeling for me
'Deed I do, you know I do
Indeed, I do - you know I do
Give me, give me what I cry for
Provide me with what I truly desire
You know you got the brand of kisses
You know your kisses are special
That I die for
I desire your kisses so much that it feels like I would die for them
You know you made me love you
You are aware that you caused me to love you
Lyrics © BROADWAY MUSIC CORPORATION, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Joseph Mccarthy, James Monaco
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind