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.
Don
Susannah McCorkle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would rather be with you an hour
For the things that one can buy
Are not worth a lover's sigh
I don't want to set the world on fire
I just want to start a flame in your heart
In my heart I have but one desire
I've lost all ambition for worldly acclaim
I just want to be the one you love
And with your admission that you feel the same
I'll have reached the goal I'm dreaming of, believe me
I don't want to set the world on fire
I just want to start a flame in your heart
In "Don," Susannah McCorkle sings about her deep love and devotion to her partner, expressing her disinterest in pursuing power or material possessions over spending time with them. She values the relationship they share and the emotions they feel for each other more than anything else. She emphasizes her desire to be with them by singing that an hour spent together is more valuable than any material possession one can buy. The verses are a reflection of her desire to maintain a simple life, free of the burdens of ambition or status, and instead to dedicate herself to the person she loves.
The chorus of the song, "I don't want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart," is a powerful way to express this message. She is saying that she doesn't need to make an impact on the world or achieve greatness in order to feel fulfilled. She just wants to ignite a passionate, loving feeling in her partner's heart, which in turn gives her the same feeling back. Her ultimate goal is to be loved by the person she loves and to share a meaningful connection with them.
Overall, "Don" is a beautiful love song that inspires listeners to value the simple things in life, and to prioritize our relationships with the people we love over materialistic pursuits.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't ever care to rise to power
I have no interest in gaining control or becoming a leader.
I would rather be with you an hour
I place more value on spending time with you, even if it's just for a short while.
For the things that one can buy
Material possessions and wealth are not as important.
Are not worth a lover's sigh
They cannot replace the feeling of being loved and desired.
I don't want to set the world on fire
I do not aim to cause chaos or destruction on a large scale.
I just want to start a flame in your heart
All I want is to ignite a passion in you and make you feel alive.
In my heart I have but one desire
There is only one thing I truly yearn for, and that is you.
And that one is you, no other will do
I am devoted to you exclusively, and no one else can take your place.
I've lost all ambition for worldly acclaim
I have no aspirations for fame, success or prestige in society.
I just want to be the one you love
All I desire is to be the person that you cherish and adore.
And with your admission that you feel the same
If you reciprocate my feelings and confess your love for me, it will fulfill my greatest wish.
I'll have reached the goal I'm dreaming of, believe me
That is all I truly need to be happy and satisfied in life.
I don't want to set the world on fire
I remain adamant that my intentions are pure and selfless.
I just want to start a flame in your heart
All I aim to do is kindle an eternal and profound love within you.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bennie Benjamin, Eddie Durham, Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind