"It Only Happens Once" is a ballad performance from Samara Joy's 2021 self-titled debut album. The song, composed by Frankie Laine, is another example of Joy's gift for finding overlooked material in the vast catalog of American popular song. Performed at a tender ballad tempo of approximately 66 beats per minute in A-flat, the tune's 32-bar AABA form unfolds with the spaciousness and emotional intimacy that ballad singing demands. Pasquale Grasso's guitar solo spans three-quarters of a chorus, and his playing at this slow tempo reveals the depth of his musical personality beyond his well-known virtuosity. His phrasing is patient and lyrical, with rich chord voicings that create a lush harmonic backdrop for the performance. Joy's vocal approach to the ballad material on this album drew comparisons to the classic jazz singers of the 1950s, particularly Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter, for its combination of vocal beauty, harmonic awareness, and emotional sincerity. At the time of this recording, Joy was still in her early twenties, making her command of the ballad idiom all the more remarkable. This performance exemplifies the qualities that would make her one of the most important voices in contemporary jazz.
