The Best Is Yet to Come is a 1959 jazz standard composed by Cy Coleman with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. It was introduced by Tony Bennett and later popularized by Frank Sinatra, who recorded it for his 1964 album It Might as Well Be Swing with Count Basie under the direction of Quincy Jones. The track, produced by Sonny Burke, was released in August 1964 on the Reprise label and blends jazz, traditional pop, and swing. Although Bennett wrote it for his debut, Sinatra’s version became closely associated with him. The tune has been covered by many artists, including Ella Fitzgerald and Michael Bublé, and remains a staple of the jazz and pop repertoire. Notable facts include that Sinatra gave his last public performance in 1995 with this song, and the words The Best Is Yet to Come were carved on his original tombstone until 2020 when they were replaced with Sleep Warm, Poppa. Cy Coleman first performed the tune on Hugh Hefner’s Playboy’s Penthouse, and the song has appeared in popular culture such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Apollo 10 wake-up calls.
