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.
The Second Time Around
Susannah McCorkle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just as wonderful with both feet on the ground
It's that second time you hear your love song sung
Makes you think perhaps that love, like youth, is wasted on the young
Love's more comfortable the second time you fall
Like a friendly home the second time you call
Who can say what brought us to this miracle we've found?
There are those who'll bet love comes but once, and yet
Who can say what brought us to this miracle we've found?
There are those who'll bet love comes but once, and yet
I'm oh, so glad we met the second time around
The song "The Second Time Around" by Susannah McCorkle speaks of the beauty and comfort that comes with experiencing love for the second time. The song suggests that love, like youth, is often wasted on the young, but it becomes more meaningful and comfortable when experienced again. The lyrics speak to the idea that love is a miracle, and although some may bet that love only comes once, the singer is grateful to have found it again.
The first verse speaks of the beauty of hearing a love song sung for the second time. This could mean hearing the same song with a new partner, or perhaps hearing a song that once held painful memories now holds new, joyful ones. The second verse suggests that the second time falling in love is more comfortable, like coming home to a familiar and friendly place. The final verse highlights the miracle of love, and how although some believe it only comes once, the singer is grateful to have found it again.
Overall, this song is a hopeful ode to love and the beauty that comes with experiencing it for the second time. It speaks to the power of love to bring comfort, joy, and meaning to our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is lovelier the second time around
Love is even better the second time you experience it
Just as wonderful with both feet on the ground
You can still feel the same joy in love without getting swept off your feet
It's that second time you hear your love song sung
Hearing your love song again makes you appreciate love even more
Makes you think perhaps that love, like youth, is wasted on the young
Experiencing love again makes you realize that young people may not fully appreciate it
Love's more comfortable the second time you fall
Falling in love again is easier and more comfortable
Like a friendly home the second time you call
Returning to love is like coming home to a familiar and welcoming place
Who can say what brought us to this miracle we've found?
It's hard to explain how we found such a wonderful love
There are those who'll bet love comes but once, and yet
Some believe that we only experience love once
I'm oh, so glad we met the second time around
But I am glad I found love again with you
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind