{"id":65279,"date":"2023-12-30T00:00:48","date_gmt":"2023-12-30T00:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/30\/why-do-we-sing-auld-lang-syne-on-new-years-eve\/"},"modified":"2023-12-30T00:00:48","modified_gmt":"2023-12-30T00:00:48","slug":"why-do-we-sing-auld-lang-syne-on-new-years-eve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/30\/why-do-we-sing-auld-lang-syne-on-new-years-eve\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do We Sing \u2018Auld Lang Syne\u2019 on New Year\u2019s Eve?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n Victoria and David Beckham.<\/span> Courtesy of Victoria Beckham\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cShould old acquaintance be forgot \/ And never brought to mind\u201d \u2014 wait, what does that even mean?<\/p>\n

Every New Year\u2019s Eve<\/a> brings about many attempts at singing the one song everybody associates with the holiday: \u201cAuld Lang Syne.\u201d Few partygoers, however, know the words, and fewer still understand what \u201cauld lang syne\u201d even means. If your resolution going into 2024 was to not start the year off ignorant of the song\u2019s history, allow Us Weekly<\/em> to help you keep that promise.<\/p>\n

Keep reading to learn the tune\u2019s meaning and find a few notable covers to add to your playlist.\n<\/p>\n

What Does \u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d Mean?<\/h3>\n

\u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d literally means \u201cold long since,\u201d which roughly translates to \u201cdays gone by.\u201d When you sing, \u201cShould old acquaintance be forgot \/ And never brought to mind,\u201d you\u2019re rhetorically asking, \u201cShould old friends be forgotten?\u201d Should the old days we\u2019ve experienced be left behind, or, should we remember them and toast them with a \u201ccup o\u2019 kindness,\u201d as mentioned later in the song?<\/p>\n

The tune is essentially a drinking song<\/a> about fond remembrance of the good ol\u2019 days, which is appropriate to sing at the start of a new year, when the chance to make some new \u201cgood ol\u2019 days\u201d is just around the corner.<\/p>\n

The History of \u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d<\/h3>\n

\u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d is attributed to Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland. In 1788, Burns wrote down the lyrics to \u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d and sent them to the Scot Musical Museum, a collection of traditional folk music of Scotland. Burns wrote that the words were taken \u201cfrom an old man\u2019s singing.\u201d While the song has long been associated with Burns, Encyclopedia Britannica notes that poets including Sir Robert Ayton and Allan Ramsay wrote works that had similar lines to \u201cAuld Lang Syne.\u201d These works are cited as Burns\u2019s inspiration, while the credit for \u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d remains solely his.<\/p>\n

The melody is credited to Geroge Thomson, who put it to Burns\u2019 words in 1799. Like Burns\u2019 lyrics, Thomson\u2019s melody has been linked to prior works, including that of William Shield (who used a similar tune in 1782) and volume four of the Scot Musical Museum in 1792, though this version didn\u2019t use the \u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d lyrics. Thomson paired the music and words together, and thus the song we\u2019ve come to know as the New Year\u2019s Eve anthem was born.<\/p>\n

As for how it became associated with the holiday, credit Guy Lombardo. The Canadian-born bandleader would lead his group, the Royal Canadians, in playing \u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d on his popular radio broadcasts. Lombardo made the successful leap to television, and for more than 30 years, he and the Royal Canadians would play \u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d on New Year\u2019s Eve for viewers at home. Other bandleaders followed, including Jack Parnell (who the Muppets and Vincent Price lampooned on The Muppet Show), further spreading the association between New Year\u2019s Eve and \u201cAuld Lang Syne.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lyrics to \u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d<\/h3>\n

Since this is a song adapted from a Scottish poem and based on Scottish folklore, there are a few Scottish words in the song.<\/p>\n

Should old acquaintance be forgot,<\/em>
And never brought to mind?<\/em>
Should old acquaintance be forgot,<\/em>
And auld lang syne.<\/em><\/p>\n

[Chorus]<\/em>
For auld lang syne, my jo,<\/em>
For auld lang syne.<\/em>
We\u2019ll take a cup o\u2019 kindness yet,<\/em>
For auld lang syne.<\/em>

And surely ye\u2019ll be your pint-stowp!<\/em>
And surely I\u2019ll be mine!<\/em>
And we\u2019ll take a cup o\u2019 kindness yet,<\/em>
For auld lang syne.<\/em><\/p>\n

[Chorus]<\/em>
For auld lang syne, my jo,<\/em>
For auld lang syne.<\/em>
We\u2019ll take a cup o\u2019 kindness yet,<\/em>
For auld lang syne.<\/em>

We twa hae run about the braes<\/em>
And pu\u2019d the gowans fine<\/em>
But we\u2019ve wander\u2019d mony a weary foot<\/em>
Sin auld lang syne.<\/em><\/p>\n

[Chorus]<\/em>
For auld lang syne, my jo,<\/em>
For auld lang syne.<\/em>
We\u2019ll take a cup o\u2019 kindness yet,<\/em>
For auld lang syne.<\/em>

And there\u2019s a hand, my trusty fiere<\/em>
And gie\u2019s a hand o\u2019 thine<\/em>
And we\u2019ll take a right gude-willy waught,<\/em>
For auld lang syne<\/em><\/p>\n

[Chorus]<\/em>
For auld lang syne, my jo,<\/em>
For auld lang syne.<\/em>
We\u2019ll take a cup o\u2019 kindness yet,<\/em>
For auld lang syne.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>The Best Albums of 2023: Dolly Parton, Olivia Rodrigo and More<\/a>
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\n\t\t\tGetty Images (3) While 2023 has been the year of the monster tour \u2014 with Taylor Swift, Beyonc\u00e9, Drake and others hitting the road for colossal shows after sitting on the sidelines due to COVID \u2014 there have been some incredible releases within the last 12 months. Olivia Rodrigo defied the sophomore slump with Guts, [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Notable Covers<\/h2>\n

Mariah Carey<\/h3>\n

While the song\u2019s lyrics still capture the bittersweetness of the holiday, <\/strong>Carey turns her version<\/a> into a club banger.<\/p>\n

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band<\/h3>\n

Taken from Springsteen\u2019s New Year\u2019s Eve concert<\/a> at the Nassau Coliseum in 1980, this rendition is a rockin\u2019 version that shows that you don\u2019t need words to celebrate.<\/p>\n

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