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.
Manhã De Carnaval
Susannah McCorkle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So many dreams, which one is mine?
One must be right for me
Which dream of all the dreams
When there's a dream for every star
And there are oh so many stars, so many stars
So many songs, which one is mine?
One must be right for me
Which song of all the songs
When there's a song for every star
And there are oh so many stars, so many stars
Along the countless days, the endless nights
That I have searched so many eyes
So many hearts, so many smiles
Which one to choose, which way to go?
How can I tell, how will I know out of
Oh, so many stars, so many stars?
Along the countless days, the endless nights
That I have searched so many eyes
So many hearts, so many smiles
Which one to choose, which way to go?
How can I tell, how will I know out of
Oh, so many stars, so many stars?
So many stars, so many stars, so many stars
The lyrics of "Manha De Carnaval" by Susannah McCorkle explore the theme of searching and longing for something in life. The first verse talks about the abundance of dreams in the dark, and how one dream must be the right fit for the singer. This reflects the idea that there are many paths in life, and it can be overwhelming to find the right one. The second verse compares this to the wind, which is filled with songs - each one representing a different opportunity or possibility. The singer is searching for their own unique song, to guide them to their path.
The lyrics then move into a reflection on the many days and nights spent searching through eyes, hearts, and smiles, trying to find the right path. With so many stars in the sky, each representing a different opportunity, life can feel endless and overwhelming. Throughout the song, the singer is searching for guidance and clarity, asking how they will know which way to go.
Overall, "Manha De Carnaval" is a reflective and introspective song that explores the theme of searching for purpose and direction in life. It acknowledges the abundance of opportunities and possibilities, but also the challenge of trying to find the right path.
Line by Line Meaning
The dark is filled with dreams
There are numerous dreams that could be lurking in the darkness.
So many dreams, which one is mine?
There are too many dreams to decipher which one is meant for me.
One must be right for me
There must be a dream that suits me the best.
Which dream of all the dreams
Out of all the dreams that exist, which one is for me?
When there's a dream for every star
There are countless dreams, just like the stars in the sky.
And there are oh so many stars, so many stars
The sky has an abundant number of stars, just as there are numerous dreams.
The wind is filled with songs
The wind is filled with an array of songs.
So many songs, which one is mine?
I am unsure which song is meant for me, with so many songs to choose from.
One must be right for me
There must be a song that complements me the most.
Which song of all the songs
Out of all the songs that exist, which one is truly mine?
When there's a song for every star
Just like there are countless stars, there are numerous songs to choose from.
Along the countless days, the endless nights
Throughout my long and exhaustive search
That I have searched so many eyes
That I have looked into the eyes of many
So many hearts, so many smiles
That I have encountered numerous people and their personalities.
Which one to choose, which way to go?
Which one should I choose, and which path should I take?
How can I tell, how will I know out of
I am uncertain as to how I should recognize or determine
Oh, so many stars, so many stars?
Out of the many choices available to me, that are as numerous as the stars in the sky.
So many stars, so many stars, so many stars
There are infinite opportunities available, just as the stars are countless in the sky.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN BERGMAN, MARILYN BERGMAN, SERGIO MENDES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind