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.
Spring Is Here
Susannah McCorkle Lyrics
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Spring is here! Why isn't the waltz entrancing?
No desire, no ambition leads me
Maybe it's because nobody needs me
Spring is here! Why doesn't the breeze delight me?
Stars appear, why doesn't the night invite me?
Maybe it's because nobody loves me
Spring is here I hear
Spring is here! Why doesn't my heart go dancing?
Spring is here! Why isn't the waltz entrancing?
No desire, no ambition leads me
Maybe it's because nobody needs me
Spring is here! Why doesn't the breeze delight me?
Stars appear, why doesn't the night invite me?
Maybe it's because nobody loves me
Spring is here I hear
In Susannah McCorkle's song "Spring Is Here," the singer is expressing her confusion and sadness despite the arrival of spring. She wonders why she isn't feeling the joy and happiness that usually comes during this time of year. She questions why the breeze and stars don't delight her, and why the night doesn't invite her. She can't explain why she is feeling this way but believes that maybe it's because nobody loves or needs her.
The lyrics evoke a sense of loneliness and isolation, with the singer feeling disconnected from the season and those around her. It's a powerful expression of the complexities of the human experience and how our emotions can affect our ability to find joy, even in the most beautiful moments.
Interestingly, this song has been interpreted by various artists, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Barbra Streisand. Each artist brings their unique style to the song, but the lyrics remain as poignant and relatable to audiences today as they were over 80 years ago when the song was first written.
Line by Line Meaning
Spring is here! Why doesn't my heart go dancing?
Even though Spring has arrived, the writer's heart is not filled with joy and enthusiasm, which is strange and concerning.
Spring is here! Why isn't the waltz entrancing?
Despite the arrival of Spring, the writer is unable to enjoy a basic pleasure such as dancing, which may suggest a deeper dissatisfaction with something else in their life.
No desire, no ambition leads me
The writer is experiencing a lack of motivation and is not driven forward by their desires or ambitions.
Maybe it's because nobody needs me
The writer feels a sense of worthlessness and uselessness, which may be contributing to their lack of motivation and joy despite the arrival of Spring.
Spring is here! Why doesn't the breeze delight me?
Even the simple pleasure of Spring breeze is not enough to make the writer feel happy and content, suggesting a deeper discontentment in their life.
Stars appear, why doesn't the night invite me?
Despite the beauty of the evening sky, the writer does not feel invited or welcomed by the night, which may symbolize a feeling of loneliness or isolation.
Maybe it's because nobody loves me
The writer's lack of motivation and discontentment may stem from a feeling of being unloved or unappreciated.
Spring is here I hear
Despite all the negative feelings and emotions, the writer acknowledges the arrival of Spring, which may suggest a glimmer of hope or optimism amidst the darkness.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HANS SPIALEK, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind