| "The Best Things in Life Are Free" | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music, 1927 | |
| Song | |
| Published | 1927 (1927) by De Sylva, Brown and Henderson |
| Genre | Show tunes |
| Composer(s) | Ray Henderson |
| Lyricist(s) | Buddy DeSylva andLew Brown |
"The Best Things in Life Are Free" is apopular song written by the songwriting team ofBuddy DeSylva andLew Brown (lyrics) andRay Henderson (music) for the 1927 musicalGood News. It enjoyed a revival during the period from 1947 to 1950, when it was covered by many artists.
On January 1, 2023, the composition entered thepublic domain in the US.[1]
The song first enjoyed chart success in 1927 with the recordings byGeorge Olsen and Frank Black.[3]
Jo Stafford recorded the song on November 7, 1947,[4] bringing the song to a new genre. She enjoyed chart success with the song reaching the No. 21 spot in 1948.Dinah Shore also covered the song in 1948;[5] her single reached peaked at No. 18 on the charts.[3]
The song was included in both film adaptations ofGood News, in1930 and1947; the 1947 film featured the song several times, sung byJune Allyson,Mel Tormé, andPeter Lawford.
The filmThe Best Things in Life Are Free (1956), about DeSylva, Brown and Henderson, was named after the song and featured it with a version sung bySheree North (dubbed byEileen Wilson).
In an episode ofThe Muppet Show, a group of kleptomaniacprairie dogs sang the song as they looted the set.
The song was sung byBonnie Bedelia in the 1969Sydney Pollack filmThey Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Robert Morse performed the song in theMad Men (season 7) episode "Waterloo" (May 25, 2014), in a dream sequence.[13]
Also featured in the filmNanny McPhee Returns during the piglet feeding in the beginning of the movie. Sung byBing Crosby.
Season 2 ofThe White Lotus features the song twice. In episode 2, "Italian Dream,"Beatrice Grannò performs it at a piano, in character as "Mia." Sam Cooke's version plays over the final scene of episode 7, season finale "Arrivederci."
The 2007 video gameBioShock makes use of the Ink Spots cover throughout its narrative.
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