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.
My Foolish Heart
Susannah McCorkle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love's knocking at my door
But all my heart, I'm reluctant to start
For we've been fooled before
The night is like a lovely tune
Beware my foolish heart
How bright the ever constant moon
There's a line between love and fascination
It's hard to see, on an evening such as this
For they both bring the same sensation
When you're lost in the magic of a kiss
His lips are much too close to mine
Be still my foolish heart
But should our eager lips combine
Then let the fire start
For this time it isn't fascination
Or a dream that will fade and fall apart
It's love, this time it's love
My foolish heart
It's love, this time it's love
My foolish heart
Susannah McCorkle’s song, “My Foolish Heart,” first appeared in the 1949 film of the same title, featuring the music of Victor Young and lyrics by Ned Washington. It is a haunting ballad about the perils of love, warning the listener to be wary of falling too deeply. The opening lines, “The night is like a lovely tune / Beware my foolish heart,” set the tone for the song. McCorkle describes the moon as “ever constant,” like the pull of love, dangerous and unable to be denied.
The lyrics go on to explore the confusion that often arise between love and fascination. McCorkle acknowledges that the line between the two is “hard to see,” but that they both produce the same sensation of being caught up in the magic of a kiss. She acknowledges the closeness of the woman’s lips to her own, but that she must “take care” not to get too carried away. “For this time it isn’t fascination / Or a dream that will fade and fall apart / It’s love, this time it’s love / My foolish heart.”
Overall, “My Foolish Heart” is a timeless ballad that speaks to the ever-present danger of falling in love. McCorkle’s rendition of the song is haunting and evocative, perfectly capturing the emotion and sentiment of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
The night is like a lovely tune
The night is captivating and mesmerizing like a beautiful melody.
Beware my foolish heart
Be careful not to let your emotions take control in a foolish way.
How white the ever constant moon
The moon is a constant presence, always shining bright and pure.
Take care my foolish heart
Be cautious not to let your heart get carried away by the moon's romantic appeal.
There's a line between love and fascination
There's a fine distinction between being in love and being fascinated by someone, and it's hard to see.
That's hard to see, how many names such as this
It's hard to tell how many other people have felt the same way and how many different names they have given it.
For they both have the very same sensation
Both love and fascination create similar feelings of passion and excitement.
When you're locked in the magic of a kiss
When two people share a kiss and they feel the connection between them, it can be a magical moment.
Her lips are much too close to mine
The woman is physically close to the artist, creating a sense of intimacy and desire.
But should our eager lips combine
If the two people passionately kiss each other, they may ignite a strong desire to pursue each other.
Then let the fire start
If the passion between the two people is allowed to ignite, then the spark of love could set ablaze.
For this time it isn't fascination
This time it's different, it's not just mere fascination.
Or a dream that will fade and fall apart
This time the feeling is real, not just a fleeting dream that will eventually disappear.
It's love, this time it's love
This time the singer has truly fallen in love, not just fallen under a spell of fascination and desire.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Ned Washington, Victor Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind