Taking A Chance On Love

Taking A Chance On Love has been a popular song with singers for over 70 years. Music composed by Vernon Duke (who also composed April In Paris) and lyrics by John Latouche and Ted Fetter, the song first appeared in the 1940 musical Cabin In The Sky which opened on Broadway Oct. 25, 1940 and was sung by Ethel Waters. The original cast recording is out there somewhere, but I don't have it.

Two weeks after the show opened Ella Fitzgerald recorded it.

Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra recorded the song and I can't find any definite information on it, but I believe this was done sometime between 1941 and 1943 and the vocal group was The Pied Pipers. It's the only recording of the song that I know of that is done by a group of singers.

 

In 1943 Cabin In The Sky was made into a movie. As with the musical, it starred Ethel Waters. The song below is from the film. Ethel recorded it again in 1946 and I was going to add that, but the recording is really bad. The performance is good, but it sounds like it was recorded with a single microphone with Ethel off to the side, so I'll pass. With Ethel below is her costar Eddie Anderson who later became famous on TV as Jack Benny's sidekick Rochester. In the musical that role was taken by Dooley Wilson. In the early 50's Ethel Waters and Dooley Wilson starred together in the TV sitcom Beulah.

 

Also in 1943, Benny Goodman and his Orchestra recorded the song featuring Helen Forrest on vocals.

 

Quite a few people recorded the song in the 1940's but all the recordings I've heard pretty much give the song the same treatment. In the 1950's it began to be recorded at a faster tempo and the music was being played with a more driving beat. In fact, Eydie Gormé sang it so fast the recording only lasted a minute and a half. Probably the first popular "new" take on the song was done in 1950 by June Christy.

 

In 1951 Marlene Dietrich recorded the song in German: Dass Ich Dich Wiederseh. It was done at the slower 1940's tempo.

 

In 1953 Dorothy Dandridge recorded the song and for the first time we hear it as we now know it. In fact, the genesis of the song pretty much stops here. 

 

Sinatra liked the song. He recorded it in 1954. Nothing new there. In 1957 Rita Reys recorded the song with Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers and is a shining example of how the song evolved into a jazz standard

 

as did Anita O'Day, also in 1957.

 

Since the 1950's the song has been recorded and performed hundreds of times but has changed little.
In the mid-1980's it was the theme song of the excellent British sitcom Chance In A Million starring Brenda Blethyn and Simon Callow.