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 the 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.