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.
Laughing At Life
Susannah McCorkle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wait till the rain stops
Smile through your tears, laughing at life
No road is lonely, if you will only
Lose all your blues laughing at life
Live for tomorrow, be happy today
Laugh all your sorrows away
Start now and cheer up
Lose all your blues laughing at life
Don't mind the rain drops
Wait till the rain stops
You'll find the sun laughing at life
No road is lonely, if you will only
Smile through your tears, laugh at life
Live for tomorrow, be happy today
Laugh all your sorrows away
Start now and cheer up
The skies will clear up
Lose all your blues laughing at life
The lyrics of Susannah McCorkle's song Laughing At Life are filled with optimistic advice on how to deal with life's difficulties. The first stanza encourages the listener to look beyond their current troubles by not taking the raindrops too seriously and waiting for the rain to stop, and to find reasons to smile and laugh even when tears are present. The second stanza highlights the importance of living in the present while still having hope for the future. By laughing away sorrows, one can ease their emotional burden and create a happier, more fulfilling existence.
Overall, the song's message is to embrace life with a positive, lighthearted attitude, even when things seem tough. The idea is to focus on the good and beautiful experiences in life, rather than getting bogged down in negative emotions. The chorus repeats the mantra of "losing all your blues laughing at life," exemplifying the power of laughter in lifting one's spirit and finding joy in the midst of adversity.
In many ways, the lyrics of Laughing At Life reflect McCorkle's own life and musical journey. Known for her intuitive interpretations of jazz and cabaret standards, McCorkle was a survivor of depression and even attempted suicide in her younger years. Her music was often infused with personal experiences, and she once said that "every song I sing is a story about me." Perhaps this is why her version of Laughing At Life is especially poignant; she sings the words with conviction and passion, as if she truly believes that laughter can heal wounds and transform lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't mind the rain drops
Don't let minor setbacks dampen your spirit
Wait till the rain stops
Be patient, good times are ahead
Smile through your tears, laughing at life
Find joy in the present moment, despite any hardships
No road is lonely, if you will only
You're never alone if you keep a positive mindset
Lose all your blues laughing at life
Don't dwell on negative emotions, find happiness in every situation
Live for tomorrow, be happy today
Find joy in the present, while still striving for a brighter future
Laugh all your sorrows away
Humor can help ease the pain of difficult times
Start now and cheer up
Take action to improve your mood and outlook
The skies will clear up
Things will get better if you keep a positive attitude
Lose all your blues laughing at life
Embrace happiness and find humor in every situation
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB TODD, CHARLES F. CHAS KENNY, CORNELL TODD, NICK KENNY, NICK A. KENNY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind