Standards
The Best Things In Life Are Free chords & key
- Key
- C major
- Form
- AB
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium-up swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“The Best Things In Life Are Free” is a jazz standard by DeSylva-Brown-Henderson. Most bands play it in C major, medium-up swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AB form. Harmonically it contains 4 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 14 different chords and moves between the key centres C major, F major and D minor. In this atlas it appears on 2 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — C major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Dm7×10
- C6×7
- G7×6
- Cmaj7×3
- Fmaj7×2
- C6/E×1
Key centres reached by ii–V
C major, F major and D minor
Recorded on these albums
| 1976 | That's What Life Is All About Bing Crosby |
| 2026 | Too Marvelous For Words Peggy Lee · “The Best Things in Life Are Free” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
Frequently asked questions
What key is The Best Things In Life Are Free in?
The Best Things In Life Are Free is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote The Best Things In Life Are Free?
The Best Things In Life Are Free was written by DeSylva-Brown-Henderson.
What is the form of The Best Things In Life Are Free?
The Best Things In Life Are Free has 2 sections (AB) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is The Best Things In Life Are Free played?
The usual groove is Medium-up swing.
What are the chord changes to The Best Things In Life Are Free?
The opening bars are C6 | C6 | Cmaj7 | Cmaj7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.