“It Could Happen to You” was composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Burke for the 1944 film And the Angels Sing. It became a favorite with jazz musicians, especially after recordings by Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker and Bud Powell, because its changes are logical, melodic and great for practicing ii-Vs at medium tempos.
The form is a 32-bar ABAC, usually in Eb major. It starts on Ebmaj7, moves to a ii-V into F minor or Gm, and works around the diatonic chords of Eb with a few secondary dominants that keep things interesting. The B section moves toward the IV chord (Ab), and the C section brings a satisfying iii-vi-ii-V turnaround back to Eb. Nothing is too exotic, so it’s a perfect tune to work on clean voice leading and swinging eighth notes.
For soloing, use Eb major as your home scale and focus on outlining the secondary dominants clearly. When a C7 shows up heading to Fm7, play the E natural (the third of C7) and resolve it up to F. That half-step pull is what makes your lines sound like they’re “making the changes.” Over the turnaround, try a bebop scale run with a chromatic passing tone between the root and seventh. Quote the melody here and there; it’s catchy and fits right into a solo.
Common mistake: playing the whole tune at one dynamic level. Try a softer, sparser first chorus and build intensity in the second. That arc makes even a simple solo sound like a story.
Practice by singing the melody, then playing it with shell voicings in your left hand (piano) or as arpeggios (horns, guitar). Transcribe the first chorus of Sonny Rollins’s version to hear rhythmic variety. Learn it in Eb and then F, a common vocal key. Read more about the composer on Jimmy Van Heusen’s Wikipedia page, and find more standards to learn on Minedit.