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“What might be
a mere buzz in lesser hands becomes
restrained passion and detailed
expression...”
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- Stuart Broomer
on Davis's
“It Could Happen to You”
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In
1944
Dorothy Lamour and
Fred MacMurray introduced “It
Could Happen to You” in the Paramount
musical comedy, And the Angels
Sing.
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The film tells the story of the
Angel sisters, a quartet played
by Lamour, Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn
and Mimi Chandler, and their adventures
with a bandleader played by Fred
MacMurray. Other songs in the Van
Heusen/Burke score include, “His
Rocking Horse Ran Away,” “Bluebirds
in My Belfry,” “For the Next Hundred
Years,” “Knocking on Your Own Front
Door,” “My Heart’s Wrapped Up in
Gingham,” “When Stanislaus Got Married,”
and “How Does Your Garden Grow?”
Diana Lynn’s vocals were dubbed
by Julie Gibson.
The first hit recording of “It
Could Happen to You” was by
Jo Stafford with
Paul Weston and His Orchestra
and entered the pop charts in July,
1944, rising to number ten. Two
months later
Bing Crosby’s rendition, with
John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra,
climbed the charts to number eighteen.
Crosby’s recording was the B-side
of another Van Heusen/Burke movie
hit, “The Day after Forever,” from
Going My Way, also 1944.
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Jimmy Van Heusen’s use of a chromatically
ascending bass line as a main theme
produces a bright feeling, and,
together with the relaxed melody,
“It Could Happen to You” becomes
a perfect vehicle for a casual,
hip delivery.
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Underscoring Van Heusen’s breezy
mood, Johnny Burke’s phrases avoid
sentimentality, warning those who
might be easily seduced by love
and referring to love only as “it.”
Hide your
heart …
Lock your dreams …
It could happen to you
But Burke ends the song on a
softer note, moving from direct
advice to a supporting example,
All I did
was wonder how your arms could
be,
Then it happened to me.
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Musical analysis of
“It Could Happen to You”
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| Original
Key |
Eb major |
| Form |
A – B1 –
A – B2 |
| Tonality |
Primarily
major |
| Movement |
Scale-wise
ascending, followed by skips; generally
rising one octave before descending back
to the tonic with short upward skips on
the way down |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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This is a laid-back song with a narrow range.
The harmonic progression is reminiscent
of “Memories
Of You” for the first five measures
(Van Heusen substitutes Gø7 and C7(b9) for
E˚7 and Aø7 and B7 forGb˚7). The next three
measures follow up with I – IV – III7 –
VI7, leading to the ii (Fm in the original
key) that starts out the first “B” section.
The first four measures of Section “B” are
ii7 – V7(sus4) – I, although Van Heusen
substitutes bVII7 (Db7) for the V7. In all
likelihood this was for coloristic reasons,
because this era (mid-to-late 1940s) marked
a period of harmonic experimentation on
the part of jazz and pop music artists.
The initial ii7 – V7 – I is followed by
vi – ii7 – V7 in the last four measures
of the first “B” section, returning the
song to the tonic at the beginning of the
second “A” section. The last six measures
of the song use an extended variation of
I – VI7 – ii7 – V7 – I, in which the composer
inserts a coloristic iii7(b5) between the
initial I and VI7, increasing the tension
before the final resolution and ending of
the song. |
K. J. McElrath - Musicologist for JazzStandards.com
Check out K. J. McElrath's book of Jazz Standards Guide Tone Lines at his web site (www.bardicle.com). |
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“It Could Happen to You”
was included in these films:
- And the Angels Sing (1944,
Dorothy Lamour)
- Hannah and Her Sisters (1986,
Dick Hyman)
- New York Stories (1989) Segment
1: Life Lessons
- Michael (1996)
- The Hurricane (1999, Dinah
Washington)
- Anything Else (2003, Diana
Krall)
- How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days
(2003)
- The Prince & Me (2004)
And on stage:
- Swinging on a Star: The Johnny Burke
Musical (1995) Broadway musical
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Click on a CD for more details
at Amazon.com
Sonny Rollins
The Sound of Sonny
2001,Riverside
Original recording, 1957
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| Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins
strips the song right down for one of his
trademark solo runs. The sound is big and
raw and powerful and fills every corner
of the studio. |
Nicholas Payton
From This Moment
1995, Polygram 527073
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| Nicholas Payton’s version of the
song has a wonderful, old-school feel, but
the quick-fingered trumpeter accents it
with more than a few original sparks. |
Dinah Washington
What a Difference a Day Makes
2000, Polygram
Original recording, 1959
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| Vocalist Dinah Washington delivers
the cautionary tale with elegance. Sweeping
violins and a touch of doo-wop in the background
vocals give the song added poignancy. |
Miles Davis
Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet
1991, Orig. Jazz Classics 190
Original recording, 1956, Prestige
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| This important album contains a
snappy, upbeat version of the song. Davis,
on muted trumpet, and John Coltrane, on
tenor saxophone, are joined by the incomparable
rhythm section of pianist Red Garland, bassist
Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones
for one of a series of songs that would
define the refined cool jazz sound |
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Vocalist and pianist Nat “King” Cole, under contract
to Capitol Records in 1950 along with the big band
of Stan Kenton, takes credit for one of the first
jazz recordings of this tune, as does
Erroll Garner with his version from the same
year. The next year, pianist Bud Powell and his
trio recorded their rendition for Blue Note.
Although Miles Davis’ 1956 album with this tune
is his first commercially recorded effort with it,
there is a broadcast of Davis doing the number in
1952, which ranks among the first recorded jazz
versions of this tune and makes an interesting comparison
to the later version.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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| This section shows the jazz standards
written by the same writing team. Click on a name
to see all of a writer's jazz standards.
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Additional information on “It Could Happen to You” may be found in:
1 page including the following types of information: music analysis.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: summary.
Includes the following types of information: song lyrics.
6 pages including the following types of information: music analysis and sheet music.
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