Chances Are (song)

This article is about the Johnny Mathis song. For other songs with this title, see Chances Are (disambiguation).

"Chances Are"
US 7-inch single picture sleeve
Single by Johnny Mathis
B-side	"The Twelfth of Never"
Released	August 12, 1957
Recorded	1957
Studio	Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City
Genre	Pop
Length	2:57
Label	Columbia
Composer(s)	Robert Allen
Lyricist(s)	Al Stillman
Johnny Mathis singles chronology
"It's Not for Me to Say" (1957) "Chances Are" (1957) "Wild Is the Wind" (1957)

"Chances Are" is a popular song with music by Robert Allen and lyrics by Al Stillman. It was published in 1957.

Chart performance

The song was one of many compositions by the Stillman-Allen team that were chart hits in the 1950s.[1] It was listed on Billboard's "Most Played by Jockeys" survey for Johnny Mathis,[2] charting in 1957, and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.[3] The song reached No. 4 on Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores survey, along with its flip "The Twelfth of Never", which Mathis initially disliked.[4] The song, released on both 45 RPM and 78 RPM formats, was also included on the 1958 Mathis compilation Johnny's Greatest Hits. The album was certified a gold record on June 5, 1959.[5] In Canada, the song reached number 3 on the CHUM Charts.[6]

Later recordings

• Mathis re-recorded the song in 1996 as a duet with Liza Minnelli for her album Gently.[7]

Pop culture references

• A portion of this song can be heard in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.[8]
• The song appears in the American Dad episode "Finger Lenting Good".
• The song appears in 1998 romantic comedy film You've Got Mail

References

1. "Songs written by Al Stillman". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
2. "Most Played by Jockeys". Billboard. 1957-10-28. p. 50. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
3. "Johnny Mathis". Grammy.com. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
4. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 23 - Smack Dab in the Middle on Route 66. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
5. "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
6. "CHUM Hit Parade - October 14, 1957".
7. "LIZA MINNELLI (with JOHNNY MATHIS) chances are". YouTube. 3 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
8. "The UFOs Surround the House - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (3/8) Movie CLIP (1977) HD". YouTube. 7 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 27 April 2021.