"The Best Is Yet to Come" is a 1959 song composed by Cy Coleman to lyrics by Carolyn Leigh.^[1] It is associated with Frank Sinatra, who recorded it on his 1964 album It Might as Well Be Swing accompanied by Count Basie under the direction of Quincy Jones. It was the last song Sinatra sang in public,^[2] on February 25, 1995, and the words "The Best is Yet to Come" are etched on Sinatra's tombstone.^[3] Although Sinatra made it popular, the song was written for and introduced by Tony Bennett.^[4]

Before it was recorded by Sinatra, the song's debut was sung and played by Cy Coleman on Hugh Hefner's Playboy's Penthouse variety show.

Notable recordings

Tony Bennett (I Left My Heart in San Francisco) (1962)^[5]
Tony Bennett and Diana Krall (Duets: An American Classic) (2006)^[6]
Tony Bennett and Diana Krall in Tony Bennett: An American Classic. Documentary directed by Rob Marshall (2006)
Michael Bublé (Call Me Irresponsible) (2007)^[7]
James Darren (This One's from the Heart) (1999)^[8]
Blossom Dearie (May I Come In?) (1964)^[9]
Matt Dusk (Back in Town) (2006)^[10]
Bob Dylan (Triplicate) (2017)^[11]
Ella Fitzgerald (The Best Is Yet to Come) (1982)^[12]
Stacey Kent (The Boy Next Door) (2003)^[13]
Chaka Khan (ClassiKhan) (2004)^[14]
Peggy Lee (Sugar 'N' Spice) (1962)^[15]
Diane Schuur (In Tribute) (1992)^[16]
Frank Sinatra (It Might As Well Be Swing) (1964)^[17]
Lisa Stansfield (Swing: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1999)^[18]
Nancy Wilson (Yesterday's Love Songs/Today's Blues) (1963)
Bobby Caldwell - Come Rain or Come Shine (1999)
Sarah Vaughan (You're Mine You) (1962)^[19]

In popular culture

In February 1999, James Darren and Avery Brooks sang the song in the final scene of "Badda-Bing Badda-Bang", a seventh-season episode of the syndicated science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.^[20]
The song was played as a wake-up call for the crew of Apollo 10 on May 22, 1969. The historic day marked the first time that the Lunar Module flew solo in lunar orbit as it made man's closest approach to the lunar surface to date.^[21]

References

^ "Original versions of The Best Is Yet to Come written by Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^ Di Nunzio, Miriam (6 March 2016). "Happy 100th birthday, Frank Sinatra". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
^ Baker, Christopher P. (3 November 2008). Explorer's Guide Palm Springs & Desert Resorts: A Great Destination. Countryman Press. pp. 141–. ISBN 978-1-58157-048-9. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
^ Liner Notes, Natalie Cole, Still Unforgettable
^ Ruhlmann, William. "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ Bush, John. "Duets: An American Classic". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ Collar, Matt. "Call Me Irresponsible". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ Nathan, Dave. "This One's from the Heart". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ Yanow, Scott. "May I Come In?". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "Back in Town". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Triplicate". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "The Best Is Yet to Come". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "The Boy Next Door". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "Classikhan". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "Sugar 'n' Spice". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "In Tribute". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "It Might as Well Be Swing". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "Swing". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ "You're Mine You". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
^ Ira Steven Behr & Hans Beimler (writers); Mike Vejar (director) (1999-02-24). "Badda-Bing Badda-Bang". Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Season 7. Episode 15. Syndicated.
^ David Woods; Robin Wheeler; Ian Roberts. "Apollo 10 Flight Journal". NASA. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 13 Jun 2012.