"Half a Chance" is a song written by

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...

and

Jacob Brackman Jacob Brackman (born 1943) is an American writer, journalist, and musical lyricist. After graduating from Harvard University in 1965, he went to work for ''Newsweek'' as a journalist. He remained there for six months and was then hired by ''The ...

, performed by Simon, and produced by

Ted Templeman Edward John "Ted" Templeman (born October 24, 1942) is an American record producer. Among the acts he has a long relationship with are the rock bands Van Halen and the Doobie Brothers and the singer Van Morrison; he produced multiple criticall ...

. The song served as the second single from Simon's sixth studio album, ''

Another Passenger ''Another Passenger'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Elektra Records, on June 5, 1976. For this album, Simon enlisted a new producer, Ted Templeman, as well as his clients, The Doobie Brothers ...

'' (1976). Simon made her only appearance on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' on May 8, 1976, where she performed the song, along with "

You're So Vain "You're So Vain" is a song written in 1971 by American singer and songwriter Carly Simon and released in November 1972. It is one of the songs with which Simon is most identified, and upon its release, reached No. 1 in the United States, Canada, ...

". It was a pre-taped performance—a rare occurrence on that show—because Simon suffered terrible bouts of

stage fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

Reception

"Half a Chance" reached No. 39 on the ''Billboard''

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

. '' Cashbox'' said of the single that "the chorus is authoritative, filled with confidence, and, as usual, her words are striking."

Ken Tucker Kenneth Tucker is an American arts, music and television critic, magazine editor, and non-fiction book writer. Early life and education Tucker was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned a ...

, writing in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', referred to it as "entertaining, loping, slick."

Track listing

;7" single * "Half a Chance" – 2:49 * "Libby" – 4:38

Charts

References

External links

Carly Simon's Official Website
*, official audio (no music video) {{Carly Simon 1976 songs Carly Simon songs Songs written by Carly Simon Songs written by Jacob Brackman Song recordings produced by Ted Templeman