About the song

There’s a certain tenderness in Barry Manilow’s “Ready to Take a Chance Again” that only comes from someone who truly understands both the pain of love lost and the quiet courage it takes to try again. It’s a song that whispers to the heart rather than shouts — a melody built on hope, vulnerability, and the kind of optimism that only comes after heartbreak has done its worst.

Released in 1978, the song perfectly captures the romantic spirit of late-’70s pop: smooth orchestration, soft strings, and that signature Manilow warmth that feels like a hand reaching out in the dark. It was written for the film Foul Play, but it transcended its soundtrack origins, becoming one of those timeless ballads that people turn to when they’re trying to believe in love once more.

Manilow doesn’t sing this song as a performer dazzling the crowd; he sings it as a friend who’s been there — who’s known the ache of closing your heart to protect it, only to realize that living without love is its own kind of emptiness. His voice carries both ache and optimism, sadness and surrender. It’s a song about healing, about rediscovering your capacity to feel deeply after you’ve been hurt.

There’s something cinematic about it, yet so deeply human — that universal moment when you tell yourself, “Maybe this time, it’ll be different.” “Ready to Take a Chance Again” feels like standing at the edge of a new beginning, the past still lingering behind you but the light ahead pulling you forward.

For anyone who’s ever loved, lost, and dared to open their heart again, this song feels like a quiet anthem — not of triumph, but of bravery. Because sometimes, courage isn’t about never falling. It’s about being willing to love again, despite the fall.

Video