It Could Happen To You

It Could Happen to You was composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Burke in 1943 for the Paramount musical comedy film And the Angels Sing, released in 1944, where Dorothy Lamour introduced it on screen. The first released recording, however, was by Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and His Orchestra, cut in December 1943 for Capitol Records, which charted at number ten on the Billboard Best Seller list the following September. Bing Crosby also recorded the song weeks later for Decca, reaching number eighteen. The composition is a 32-bar AABA form most commonly performed in E-flat major, with harmony built on functional diatonic progressions that incorporate passing diminished chords at the top of each A section, giving the otherwise straightforward changes a touch of chromatic color. The melody is smooth and singable, lending itself equally to vocal and instrumental interpretation, and the song has been recorded over 390 times across nearly every style within jazz and popular music. Miles Davis's 1956 recording with his quintet on Relaxin' proved especially influential in establishing the tune as a medium-up-tempo jazz vehicle, moving it beyond its original ballad character. The Dexter Gordon composition Fried Bananas is a well-known contrafact built on its chord progression, a testament to the harmonic interest embedded in Van Heusen's writing. Among the many artists who have recorded it are Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, and more recently Laufey on her 2024 release Bewitched: The Goddess Edition.