The Good Life is a jazz standard that originated as the French song La Belle Vie, written by Sacha Distel with French lyrics by Jean Broussolle and published in 1962.
The tune gained its most lasting fame with an English version titled The Good Life, with lyrics by Jack Reardon. It was first recorded by Betty Carter and then by Tony Bennett, whose rendition became the hit.
Tony Bennett released The Good Life as a single in April 1963 from the album I Wanna Be Around...; the B-side was Spring in Manhattan. The recording was made on December 19, 1962 at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio in New York City, and the track runs 2 minutes 14 seconds in the jazz genre.
In the United States it reached number 18 on the pop chart and number 7 on the Easy Listening chart; in the United Kingdom it peaked at number 27. The song became one of Bennett’s signature tunes and appeared on several top albums, including MTV Unplugged and Duets: An American Classic, and Bennett later named his 1998 autobiography after the song.
Other artists have covered The Good Life, including Billy Eckstine, Julius La Rosa, and Dionne Warwick, and it has been used in film, television, and commercials over the years. It is certified Gold in the United States.
