The Best Things in Life Are Free (Ray Henderson song) explained

The Best Things in Life Are Free
Cover:The Best Things in Life Are Free (1927) sheet music.pdf
Caption:Sheet music, 1927
Type:song
Published: by De Sylva, Brown and Henderson
Genre:Show tunes
Composer:Ray Henderson
Lyricist:Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown

"The Best Things in Life Are Free" is a popular song written by the songwriting team of Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown (lyrics) and Ray Henderson (music) for the 1927 musical Good 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 the public domain in the US.[1]

Lyrics

There are so many kinds of riches,

And only one of them is gold.

Though wealth you miss,

Remember this :

Worthwhile things cannot be bought or sold.

Refrain

The moon belongs to everyone -

The best things in life are free

The stars belong to everyone

They gleam there for you and me

The flowers in spring

the robins that sing

The sunbeams that shine

They're yours! - They're mine!

And love can come to everyone -

The best things in life are free[2]

Recordings

The song first enjoyed chart success in 1927 with the recordings by George 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]

Other recordings

In film and television

The song was included in both film adaptations of Good News, in 1930 and 1947; the 1947 film featured the song several times, sung by June Allyson, Mel Tormé, and Peter Lawford.

The film The Best Things in Life Are Free (1956), about DeSylva, Brown and Henderson, was named after the song and featured it with a version sung by Sheree North (dubbed by Eileen Wilson).

In an episode of The Muppet Show, a group of kleptomaniac prairie dogs sang the song as they looted the set.

The song was sung by Bonnie Bedelia in the 1969 Sydney Pollack film They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Robert Morse performed the song in the Mad Men (season 7) episode "Waterloo" (May 25, 2014), in a dream sequence.[13]

Also featured in the film Nanny McPhee Returns during the piglet feeding in the beginning of the movie. Sung by Bing Crosby.

Season 2 of The 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 game BioShock makes use of the Ink Spots cover throughout its narrative.

Notes and References

  1. Wexler . Ellen . December 29, 2022 . These Works Are Now in the Public Domain . Smithsonian Magazine . en . 2023-12-16.
  2. Book: DeSylva . B.G. . Schwab . Laurence . Good News: A Musical Comedy . 1959 . Samuel French . 9780573680199.
  3. Book: Whitburn. Joel. Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. 1986. Record Research Inc. Wisconsin, USA. 0-89820-083-0. 477.
  4. Web site: Fred Fox School of Music. Fred Fox School of Music. May 13, 2017.
  5. Web site: Gilliland, John. . Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #20 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library . Digital.library.unt.edu . 197X . 2021-02-06.
  6. Web site: 45worlds.com. 45worlds.com. May 13, 2017.
  7. Web site: Discogs.com. Discogs.com. May 13, 2017.
  8. https://genius.com/Frank-sinatra-the-best-things-in-life-are-free-lyrics genius.com
  9. Web site: 45cat.com. 45cat.com. May 13, 2017.
  10. Web site: Discogs.com. Discogs.com. May 13, 2017.
  11. Web site: 45cat.com. 45cat.com. May 13, 2017.
  12. Web site: secondhandsongs.com. Aug 5, 2018.
  13. Web site: Robert Morse on His Big 'Mad Men' Number . Dave . Itzkoff . The New York Times . May 27, 2014.