McCorkle was born in Berkeley, California. She studied modern languages at the University of California, Berkeley. McCorkle began singing professionally after hearing recordings of Billie Holiday in Paris in the late 1960s. She nearly became an interpreter at the European Commission in Brussels, but moved instead to London in 1972 to pursue a career in singing. While in the UK, she made two albums which, although well received, enjoyed only limited circulation.
In the late 1970s, McCorkle returned to the United States and settled in New York City, where a five-month engagement at the Cookery in Greenwich Village brought her to wider public attention and elicited rave reviews from critics.
During the 1980s, McCorkle continued to record; her maturing style and the darkening timbre of her voice greatly enhanced her performances. In the early 1990s, two of the albums McCorkle made for Concord Records, No More Blues and Sábia, were enormously successful and made her name known to the wider world. She was recorded by the Smithsonian Institution which at the time made her the youngest singer ever to have been included in its popular music series. McCorkle played Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls five times and Carnegie Hall three times, and was featured soloist with Skitch Henderson and the 80-piece New York Pops in a concert of Brazilian music.
Thanks to her linguistic skills, McCorkle translated lyrics of Brazilian, French, and Italian songs, notably those for her Brazilian album Sabia. McCorkle also had several short stories published and, in 1991, began work on her first novel. She published fiction in Mademoiselle, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and non-fiction in the New York Times Magazine and in American Heritage, including lengthy articles on Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, Irving Berlin and Mae West.
McCorkle suffered for many years from depression and cancer, and took her own life at age 55 by leaping off the balcony of her highrise Manhattan apartment. She was alone in her home at the time. The police immediately entered her home after identifying her body and found no foul play. Suicide was ruled the cause of death.
Bewitched
Susannah McCorkle Lyrics
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But a fool can have her charms
I'm in love and don't I show it
Like a babe in arms
Love's the same old situation
Lately I've not slept a wink
Since this crazy situation
I'm wild again, beguiled again
A whimpering, simpering child again
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
Couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep
Love came and told me, shouldn't sleep
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
I lost my heart, but what of it
She is cold I agree
She might laugh, but I love it
Although the laugh's on me
I'll sing to her, bring spring to her
And long, for the day when I'll cling to her
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
In Susannah McCorkle's song "Bewitched," the lyrics describe a classic example of how love can be blind. The singer is hopelessly in love with someone who they describe as a fool, knowing that they possess charm without substance. Despite their awareness of this, the singer cannot help but show their love for this person.
The singer describes their situation as a familiar one ("Love's the same old situation"), but they have not been able to sleep since falling in love ("Lately I've not slept a wink" and "Couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep"). The singer is unable to resist the pull of love and recognizes that they are acting like a child, helpless and whimpering ("A whimpering, simpering child again"). They feel like they are under a spell, as they cannot control their feelings ("Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I").
The singer is aware that their love is unrequited, as they have lost their heart to someone who is cold towards them ("I lost my heart, but what of it / She is cold I agree"). They acknowledge that they might be the object of ridicule because of their love, but they still sing to her and hope for the day when she will reciprocate their love ("Although the laugh's on me / I'll sing to her, bring spring to her / And long, for the day when I'll cling to her").
Line by Line Meaning
She's a fool and don't I know it
I am aware that she's foolish
But a fool can have her charms
Despite her foolishness, she has attractive qualities
I'm in love and don't I show it
I am deeply in love and it's evident from my actions
Like a babe in arms
I am innocent and helpless in love
Love's the same old situation
Love is a familiar and constant experience
Lately I've not slept a wink
I have been unable to sleep recently
Since this crazy situation
Due to this unpredictable circumstance
Has me on the blink
I feel disoriented and malfunctioning
I'm wild again, beguiled again
I am filled with excitement and captivated again
A whimpering, simpering child again
I feel weak and helpless like a child again
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
I am completely under her spell, confused, and troubled
Couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep
I was unable and unwilling to sleep
Love came and told me, shouldn't sleep
The feeling of love prevented me from sleeping
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
I am completely under her spell, confused, and troubled
I lost my heart, but what of it
I gave my heart to her, regardless of the consequences
She is cold I agree
I accept that she is distant and indifferent
She might laugh, but I love it
Although she may be mocking me, I find it endearing
Although the laugh's on me
Even though I am the object of her laughter
I'll sing to her, bring spring to her
I will serenade her, bring happiness to her life
And long, for the day when I'll cling to her
I anxiously await the moment when I can hold onto her
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
I am completely under her spell, confused, and troubled
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: LEIF EDLING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind