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.
Thanks For The Memory
Susannah McCorkle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of sentimental verse,
Nothing in my purse,
And chuckles
When the preacher said
For better or for worse,
How lovely it was.
Of Schubert's Serenade,
Little things of jade
And traffic jams
And anagrams
And bills we never paid,
How lovely it was.
We who could laugh over big things
Were parted by only a slight thing.
I wonder if we did the right thing,
Oh, well, that's life, I guess,
I love your dress.
Thanks for the memory
Of faults that you forgave,
Of rainbows on a wave,
And stockings in the basin
When a fellow needs a shave,
Thank you so much.
Thanks for the memory
Of tinkling temple bells,
Alma mater yells
And Cuban rum
And towels from
The very best hotels,
Oh how lovely it was.
Thanks for the memory
Of cushions on the floor,
Hash with Dinty Moore,
That pair of gay pajamas
That you bought
And never wore.
We said goodbye with a highball,
Then I got as high as a steeple,
But we were intelligent people,
No tears, no fuss,
Hooray for us.
Strictly entire nous,
Darling, how are you?
And how are all
Those little dreams
That never did come true?
Awfully glad I met you,
Cheerio and toodle-oo
Thank you,
Thank you so much.
The song “Thanks for the Memory” by Susannah McCorkle is a nostalgic ballad that recounts memories from a failed romance. The lyrics express gratitude for the positive memories that the couple shared, as well as the lessons learned from the negative ones. The first stanza recalls the happy moments of the wedding day, such as the sentimental verse, the lack of funds, and the laughter shared during the wedding ceremony. The second half of the stanza reminisces about the small moments of life, such as listening to Schubert's Serenade or the long traffic jams they endured, which were still lovely in their own way.
The second verse of the song muses on the couple’s separation and reflects on whether they made the right decision to part ways. However, there was no drama or tears, but rather a peaceful parting. The memories that are most cherished are the ones that did not seem significant at the time, such as forgiving each other's flaws, finding the beauty in the rainbow on the waves or stockings in the basin, and other small things that made their relationship unique. The final verse says goodbye but thanks the former partner for the memories and asks about the little dreams that they once shared that never came true.
Line by Line Meaning
Thanks for the memory
Thank you for the recollection of past experiences
Of sentimental verse,
Of emotional poetry
Nothing in my purse,
Having no money
And chuckles
And moments of laughter
When the preacher said
During the wedding ceremony
For better or for worse,
In sickness and health
How lovely it was.
How wonderful the moment felt
Of Schubert's Serenade,
Of Franz Schubert's musical piece
Little things of jade
Small decorative objects made of green gemstone
And traffic jams
Heavy road congestion
And anagrams
Jumbled word puzzles
And bills we never paid,
Unpaid financial obligations
We who could laugh over big things
We who had a sense of humor in difficult situations
Were parted by only a slight thing.
Broke up due to a minor disagreement
I wonder if we did the right thing,
Questioning the decision to separate
Oh, well, that's life, I guess,
Accepting life's uncertainties
I love your dress.
Complimenting the other person's attire
Of faults that you forgave,
Of mistakes that were overlooked and pardoned
Of rainbows on a wave,
Of colorful prismatic effect on sea waves
And stockings in the basin
Hosiery being washed in a container
When a fellow needs a shave,
When a man requires a shave
Thank you so much.
Expressing sincere gratitude
Of tinkling temple bells,
Of metallic sound produced by religious structures
Alma mater yells
School's cheering chants
And Cuban Rum
Alcoholic beverage of Caribbean origin
And towels from
Reusable textile items for cleaning
The very best hotels,
The highest quality lodging establishments
Oh how lovely it was.
How amazing the experience felt
Of cushions on the floor,
Of soft supports placed on the ground
Hash with Dinty Moore,
Meal made with corned beef and potatoes
That pair of gay pajamas
That set of brightly colored sleepwear
That you bought
That you had purchased
And never wore.
And never used
We said goodbye with a highball,
We parted ways with a cocktail
Then I got as high as a steeple,
Then I became very drunk
But we were intelligent people,
But we were rational individuals
No tears, no fuss,
No crying or drama
Hooray for us.
Celebrating ourselves
Strictly entire nous,
Completely with our minds
Darling, how are you?
Term of endearment followed by a question of well-being
And how are all
Inquiring about all of
Those little dreams
Those small aspirations
That never did come true?
That were never realized
Awfully glad I met you,
Very glad to have met you
Cheerio and toodle-oo
Goodbye until next time
Thank you,
Expressing gratitude
Thank you so much.
Expressing sincere gratitude
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEO ROBIN, RALPH RAINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind