Worst That Could Happen


"Worst That Could Happen" is a song with lyrics and music written by singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb. Originally recorded by the 5th Dimension on their 1967 album of nearly all-Jimmy Webb songs, The Magic Garden, "Worst That Could Happen" was later recorded by Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge and reached the Billboard Hot 100's top 40, at #38 on January 4, 1969, peaking at #3 on February 1-8, 1969.
The song tells about a man wishing a woman well with whom he is still in love, but because the man was unwilling to settle down, she left him and is about to marry someone else who is more stable; the singer accepts the marriage but still feels that it is "the worst that could happen to ". It has been stated that, along with "MacArthur Park" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Worst That Could Happen" is about a relationship that Webb had had with a woman named Susan.
The song is noted for the quoting of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" from the incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, which is heard at the end; in the Brooklyn Bridge version this is played by a handful of trumpets, while in the Fifth Dimension track, it is played by an electric organ.
According to BMI the legal title of the song is "Worst That Could Happen."
The Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge version appeared on the list of songs deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions