The Best Things in Life Are Free is a classic 1927 show tune from the musical Good News, written by Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown (lyrics) with music by Ray Henderson. It was first performed live by Mary Lawlor and John Price Jones on September 6, 1927, and the first recording came from George Olsen and His Music in August 1927. The song became a popular chart staple in 1927, with early hits by George Olsen and Frank Black, and it later enjoyed a revival from 1947 to 1950 with Jo Stafford, Dinah Shore and the Ink Spots among others. The refrain proclaims that the moon, the stars, flowers, sunbeams, and love are free to all, a message that helped the tune endure across genres and media. It has appeared in film adaptations of Good News in 1930 and 1947, and inspired the 1956 film The Best Things in Life Are Free about the songwriters. The composition entered the US public domain on January 1, 2023.
