Some New Year’s Day songs

It is only Auld Lang Syne, there is no other. That has been the answer to the question, “Know of any New Year’s Day songs?” for over a hundred years or perhaps more. And it is a very right answer. You say Christmas songs and you get a list that continues for yards and yards and actually seems never finished. You say New Year’s Day songs and you get Auld Lang Syne, then maybe that end of war anthem, Happy Days Are Here Again. So I went into a search and found a few other New Year’s songs.

It’s Just Another New Year’s Eve composed and recorded by Barry Manilow in 1977. It is a love song but quite atypical and a really sad one. Its message is the kind that says, no need to make a big deal out of this New Year’s Eve because you can pull it through. After all, it is just another day. “It’s just another New Year’s Eve, another night like all the rest…”

Happy New Year by ABBA. Composed by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, this song is from the big-selling Super Trouper album of 1981. In it, the Scandinavian foursome is thinking of what the future holds for them. “It’s the end of a decade/in another ten years time/who can say what we’ll find/what lies waiting down the line at the end of ’89.” I say a lot. In fact, there came Mamma Mia and because of that more people around the world today are listening and I’ll say big fans of ABBA music. That is Agnetha Faltskog doing lead vocals.

Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg. Included in his 1980 album The Innocent Age. He is the same guy who wrote and recorded the big hits Longer and Leader Of The Band. The song is not about the New Year. The story happens during Christmas. But its tale of lovers meeting again so embodies the message of Auld Lang Syne that it has now become a Holiday staple. That is Michael Brecker playing the sax at the end of the song.

What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve by Ella Fitzgerald. To avoid getting into a situation like Barry’s in It’s Just Another New Year’s Eve, composer Frank Loesser is making an early pitch for a date on Dec. 31. He is saying that no matter what happens, I will make sure I am not alone on New Year’s Eve. The song is part of the great American songbook and has been recorded by the likes of Ella, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra.

New Year’s Day by Taylor Swift. A country-tinged ballad, this is one of the great cuts in Taylor’s latest album reputation. In it, she looks beyond having a date or somebody to kiss on New Year’s Eve. What she is looking for is someone who will be there for her. Maybe help her fix the house and clean the mess after the party. Nice thought.

New Year’s Day by U2. Released in 1983, this one was the lead single of the album War and was one of the group’s early hits. Knowing how Bono makes a world issue of everything, and a lot of times, I am glad he does because he really manages to accomplish so much, the Irish band’s take on New Year’s Day has a political theme. That time, it was something about the Polish Solidarity Movement.

Funky New Year by The Eagles. I have a feeling that these guys recorded the song for their fans in their gigs during the holiday season. It is not bad but it is not included in any Eagles album or in any of the iconic band’s classic compilations. It was only available as the B Side of a single. Guess what the A Side was? One great version of the rock and roll carol, Please Come Home For Christmas.

Happy Days Are Here Again, a rousing cheery song by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen, that is now known as a ballad thanks to Barbra Streisand. The great Barbra actually made several versions of this song. One early in her career in 1963 for her first album, as a mash-up with Get Happy in a duet with Judy Garland, several live recordings and another one in her latest album Walls, her musical diatribe about the state of things today in America. Same song. Different times. Listen and see how her interpretation brings out two different messages.

And the timeless Scottish ode to friendship and goodbye’s written by the great poet Robert Burns, Auld Lang Syne. If you are looking for one, I say that Mariah Carey has a very good version that has a nice pop touch. For sentiments, you cannot go wrong with Kenny G’s. A big hit in the year 2000, his sax just made everything about leaving the old year behind sadder still.

But let’s not be sad. Who knows what lies ahead for us in 2019. May just be the best ever time of our lives.

A happy and blessed 2019 to all.