New Years Eve rock songs? Do they exist?

Scott Randall

Everyone knows many Christmas songs are already drilled into our heads this season. But what about New Year’s Eve? I’ve been trying to remember New Year’s Eve songs and am drawing a blank.

Except for “Auld Lang Syne” of course. Still to this day, I don’t know what it means but according to the Internet, “Auld Lang Syne” translates to “old long since” in English and means something like, “times gone by.”

So I took it upon myself to do a little research and find a few New Year’s Eve Songs. Now this is no easy task by all means. I had to scroll through endless YouTube videos. endure pop-up ads for hair loss creams, as well as help with my extended warranty on my truck.

Have no fear Christmas is near so this gave me time to seek out some real gems for New Year’s Eve Rock songs that you may or may not have ever heard of.

Please don’t be too hard on me as I also include my band of 11 years, The Almost Greatest Band In The World, ” Chit!” The story behind my writing is the rockiness New Year’s Eve classic.

• Dan Fogelberg - Same Old Lang Syne

  Ok So I thought I’d get this one out of the way first. Still a great story song. In 1975, Fogelberg was visiting his parents in Peoria, Illinois for Christmas and went to a convenience store to buy whipping cream. His high school sweetheart, Jill Anderson Greulich, was also in the store, having been sent by her family to buy egg nog. They recognized each other, hugged, and laughed until they cried. They talked inside the store and then went outside to drink beer in the parking lot. They reminisced and toasted to innocence and now.
  Greulich kept the story a secret for decades because she didn’t want to disrupt Fogelberg’s marriage. She finally revealed the story in an interview with The Peoria Journal Star after Fogelberg’s death from prostate cancer in 2007.
  The conversation

• NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY - GEORGE THOROGOOD & The DESTROYERS

  The first time that I heard this and I am a longtime fan. Great to hear George mention the town Philly in the lyrics, this song hits home. Cheers. The song has a 1950s style to it with the backing horns

• Eagles Funky New Year

  Eagles released this song in 1978 as the B-side to Please Come Home For Christmas.  Funky New Year is not a huge hit and often overlooked classic. Eagles members include Don Felder on guitar, Don Henley on lead vocals and drums, Glenn Frey on piano and vocals, Joe Walsh on guitar and backing vocals, Timothy B. Schmit on bass guitar

• U2 New Year's Day

  The full version of U2’s New Year’s Day on the album “War” is the third track on their 1983 album “WAR” and was released as the album’s lead single in January 1983. With lyrics written about the Polish Solidarity movement. One of the most recognizable songs when it comes to the New Year ahead. Lead singer Bono says the song started as a love song to his wife. The song also had a video that got heavy play on MTV music television. 

• Kid Rock - Happy New Year

• Bon Jovi - New Years Day

  The song — inspired by Sting’s Broadway musical The Last Ship — is “not about a date on the calendar,” but about new beginnings, Jon Bon Jovi said at a live listening party at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey. Jon also said the meaning can also stand for the re-birth of his band. 

• Everybodys Rockin This New Years Eve Chit Original Song

  The story behind this song came to me while trying to sleep one night. Quickly I jumped out of bed and started writing the base of the song. The reason was simple, I was amazed that there were not many songs about New Year’s Eve that rocked. So I finished the song with the help of my best friend and Chit! band manager Jen Powers aka, “sugarbee.” The song as you will see was made in the living room of my home with friends that dropped in to help. Others that appear in the video are Chitheads, friends that follow the band wherever we play live in concert.

• Five Iron Frenzy - New Year's Eve

  Five Iron Frenzy is an American band from Denver. Best known for playing ska punk music characterized by an offbeat sense of humor. Fun songs and had to list this one for my love of ska-punk bands of the ’90s

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