Taking a Chance on Love is a popular song from the 1940 Broadway musical Cabin in the Sky. It was written by Vernon Duke with lyrics by John La Touche and Ted Fetter, and was introduced by Ethel Waters as Petunia Jackson on Broadway and later in the 1943 MGM film adaptation. The tune is in 4/4 time and has become a standard in jazz and pop repertoires. It was released in 1940 as part of the shellac set The Music of Cabin in the Sky featuring Ethel Waters, and has since been covered by many artists including Benny Goodman and Helen Forrest whose 1943 reissue reached No. 1, as well as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Nancy Wilson. The lyrics describe taking a chance on love and embracing the risk for the possibility of happiness, fitting the musical’s hopeful mood.
