It Could Happen to You is a jazz standard written in 1943 by Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Johnny Burke (lyrics). It was introduced in the 1944 Paramount musical And the Angels Sing, where Dorothy Lamour performed the song. The first recording was Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and His Orchestra in December 1943, released by Capitol, and it reached the Billboard Best Seller chart in September 1944; Bing Crosby also recorded it that year and charted in 1944. The tune has been covered by a long list of artists including Anita O’Day, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall and Laufey who recorded it in 2024. Its chord progression even inspired Dexter Gordon’s Fried Bananas. The song remains a popular standard in the jazz and traditional pop repertoires.
