Listen to Sam Cooke’s ‘The Best Things in Life are Free’ from The White Lotus, Season 2, Ep. 7 – still wonderfully upbeat

American R&B, soul and gospel singer songwriter Sam Cooke’s ‘The Best Things in Life are Free‘ (live version) was played over the end credits of the HBO comedy drama series The White Lotus last night — The White Lotus, Season 2, Episode 7, “Arrivederci“.

The song itself is still wonderfully upbeat, although quite a bit tongue-in-cheek when it comes to the people in The White Lotus, eh?

Cooke’s ‘The Best Things in Life are Free‘ was originally written for the 1927 musical Good News, but then was re-released two decades later several times by several different artists.

Sam Cooke’s cover of the song, however, came out in 1964 on his live album Sam Cooke at the Copa.

It was the only live album the soul singer released, and one that was recorded over several nights during Cooke’s two-week residency at the iconic New York City nightclub the Copacabana.

The album featured 11 songs, including ‘The Best Things in Life are Free‘, was well-received by music critics, and made it to #29 on the Billboard 200 chart.

It was released just two months before his death at the young age of 33.

A death that occurred after Cooke was shot in what now appears to have been a robbery or planned murder set-up at a local South Central Los Angeles motel, and not a “justifiable homicide” as courts at the time ruled.

Sam Cooke at the Copa was remastered and re-released in 2003, almost 40 years after his untimely death.

Listen to Sam Cooke’s ‘The Best Things in Life are Free‘ (live version) as heard on The White Lotus on that album, and in the video.

Season 2 of The White Lotus is currently streaming on HBO.

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About Michelle Topham

I'm a Brit-American journalist, former radio DJ at 97X WOXY, and Founder/CEO of Leo Sigh. I'm also obsessed with music, anime, manga, and K-dramas. Help!