The Best Things in Life Are Free (song)

**"The Best Things in Life Are Free"** is a 1927 song from *Good News!* In all versions except the 1974 Broadway revival, it has served as Tom and Connie's theme. The song's message of love over profit has turned it into an American standard. It has been changed very little since its first appearance in 1927, and has appeared in every version of the show to date.

## 1927 - Broadway/1993 - Wichita

After Pat ditches her fiancee Tom as his astronomy tutor, she enlists her cousin Connie to teach him instead. The two connect immediately and fall in love.

#### CONNIE (AND TOM - 1927 VERSION ONLY)

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.

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!

[THE FOLLOWING IS ONLY IN THE 1993 VERSION.]

#### TOM

The moon belongs to everyone,

The best things in life are free.

The stars belong to everyone,

They gleam there for you and me.

#### TOM, CONNIE

They're yours,

They're mine.

And love can come to everyone...

And love can come to everyone,

The best things in life

Are free...

## 1930 - Film

In this version, Tom has already been forced into his agreement with Pat and sings it as a solo in an attempt at apologizing to Connie.

## 1947 - Film

In the film, the song is led in by "The French Lesson," although it is kept essentially the same.

### REPRISE

A reprise is added for this version as a showcase for Danny, played by jazz singer and composer Mel Tormé. In this film, Tom fails his exams (French, instead of astronomy) halfway through the story, due in part to his rejection of Connie in favor of Pat and her carefree lifestyle two months earlier. Johnson, Pooch, Babe, and the students convince her to tutor him for a retest. The air between them is cold until Danny begins to sing in the next room, accompanied by a girl on piano. This version is stripped down compared to the rest of the film's orchestrations.

#### DANNY

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...

The flowers in spring,

The robins that sing,

[TOM AND CONNIE BEGIN DIALOGUE UNDER THE SINGING]

The sunbeams that shine,

[TOM. Connie, you've gotta let me say I'm sorry. You haven't even talked to me for two months.][

They're yours, they're mine.

[CONNIE. There's nothing to talk about, you've-- You'd better study, because if you study, you'll play, and if you play, you'll win, and if you win, you'll be engaged to Pat. That's what you want, isn't it?]

And love can come to everyone...

[TOM. Yeah, sure... That's what I want.]

[CONNIE. Well, you'd better finish that translation and then we'll be done for the night.]

The best things in life...

The best things in life...

(Tom attempts to sing the song in French for Connie.)

#### TOM

La lune, c'est tout le monde,

On n'a pas besoin d'argent.

Le ciel, c'est I pour tout le monde,

On n'a pas besoin d'argent.

Les fleurs de printemps,

Les oiseaux qui chantent,

Ces belles choses sont tout,

Pour moi,

Pour vous.

And love can come to everyone...

The best things in life are free.

## 1948 - The Railroad Hour

The radio broadcast version of *Good News!* slimmed down the story in many aspects but left this number intact, even adding on an ending to the 1927 version. The beginning is sung entirely by Connie, then:

[DIALOGUE]

#### TOM

The flowers in spring,

The robins that sing,

The sunbeams that shine,

They're yours,

#### TOM, CONNIE (CHOIR)

And love can come to everyone,

The best things in life are free. (Are you and me!)

The best things in life are free! (Aah...!)

## 1956 - *The Best Things in Life Are Free*

The song is performed in this biopic, which follows the career of songwriting team Buddy G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, and Ray Henderson, the writers of *Good News!* and other shows. Gordon MacRae, who played DeSylva, played Tom Marlowe in the *Railroad Hour* broadcast in 1948.

## 1974 - Broadway

Although no real information on this version is readily available, it can be assumed from its placement in the show, the movement of the plot to the 1930s, and the information listed in the production's Playbill that this number involved Professor Kenyon giving the students a lecture on the value of the "best things in life" as a response to the financial troubles currently faced by the nation. It is also possible that this version concerned the value of knowledge over sports, as a rebuttal to angry Tait fans who want Tom to pass his exams.

## Other Versions

The song has become a pinnacle of 20th century American culture, having been covered by numerous notable artists and featured in many pieces of media, including:

* Alfred Hitchcock's *Blackmail* (1928)
* The Ink Spots (1947)
* *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946)
* Kay Starr (1947)
* Les Paul and Mary Ford (1954)
* Sonny Stitt (1957)
* Michael Holliday (1961)
* Hank Mobley (1961)
* *The Dinah Shore Show* (1962) - Dinah had portrayed Connie in the *Railroad Hour* broadcast in 1948.
* Sam Cooke (1964)
* *They Shoot Horses, Don't They?* (1969)
* *The Dean Martin Show* (1970)
* Lou Donaldson (1970)
* Bing Crosby (1975)
* Jim Henson's *The Muppet Show* (1979)
* *White Men Can't Jump* (1992)
* Woody Allen's *Manhattan Murder Mystery* (1993) and *Melinda and Melinda* (2004)
* Michael Feinstein (2000)
* *Fun with Dick and Jane* (2005)
* Adam Sandler's *Click* (2006)
* 2K Games' *BioShock* (2007)
* 2K Games' *Mafia II* (2010)
* *Nanny McPhee Returns* (2010)
* *Mad Men* (2014)