I had an English teacher in high school that suggested the best way to spend New Year’s Eve involved watching “The Sound of Music.” At 174 minutes, starting the movie sharply at 9 p.m. would give six minutes to open a bottle of champagne, watch the ball drop, and then go to bed. This teacher also would tell us “if nothing happens before midnight, it’s not going to happen.”
While I don’t agree with said teacher’s depressing outlook on social situations, I’m still not a huge fan of New Year’s. “Amateur hour” is typically the phrase used when describing the night’s over hyped ridiculousness, but it’s mainly because its sort of sad. It’s the end the holiday season, the christening of the winter, and an end to a chapter of your life.
Still the best way to go about it is to just have fun and not worry about meeting some grandiose expectations. This list is a grab bag of some reflective year end songs, fun tunes to get you in the mood, and motivation for the year ahead.
Jeff Buckley – “New Year’s Prayer”
One of Jeff Buckley‘s last songs before his 1997 passing. “New Year’s Prayer” was originally a poem Buckley used to read at shows that he eventually rewrote and crafted into this pensive dirge – featured posthumously on “Sketches for My Sweatheart the Drunk.”
The Breeders – “New Year”
A pump up jam for starting the new year with confidence. One interesting note about the Breeders’ “Last Splash” for which “New Year” opens, is that it was originally conceived as being an album showcasing Throwing Muses’ Tanya Donnelly. When Kim Deal and Donnelly formed the Breeders in 1989, a halfhearted agreement was made that the first album (“Pod”) would be written and sung by Deal while the followup would be Donnelly’s chance in the spotlight, having played second fiddle to Kristin Hersh in Throwing Muses for years. Instead, Donnelly left the Breeders and formed Belly whose debut, “Star,” was made up of songs originally intended to be Breeders candidates.
Chumbawamba – “Tubthumping”
Having a memorable bar song is a ticket to eternal life. Whether or not you want to pour a whiskey drink or throw your vodka drink on the jukebox when “Tubthumping” comes on doesn’t really matter – Chumbawamba are still getting paid for it. Love it or hate it, it’s a New Year’s staple, and the dark secret hiding in everyone’s dusty CD collection.
They Might Be Giants – “Tubthumping”
If you still can’t bear to hear Chumbawamba’s original, check out They Might Be Giants‘ live cover on The A.V. Club. Redeeming for even the most vigilant naysayers.
Rihanna – “Cheers (Drink to That)”
Another bar room anthem that could go either way in terms of it being either the perfect theme to the pinnacle of your night, or your cue to go to the bathroom and throw up (it really all depends on how you feel about Avril Lavigne samples). “Cheers” is Rihanna‘s feel good anthem from “Loud,” an album more focused on enjoying life than “Rated R”‘s mostly heavy handed feel-bad jams.
Frank Black – “White Noise Maker”
A white noise maker is actually the opposite of the obnoxious sound offs from those twisty pieces of plastic everyone spins around on New Year’s. “White Noise Maker” is also a great song buried in the back end of Frank Black’s second solo album “Teenager of the Year.” A double album (on vinyl), it was unfortunately Black’s last flirtation with heavy production use, going the opposite way for the rest of his career, recording almost exclusively live to two-track.
Chris Rock – “Champagne”
Most people are more familiar with Chris Rock’s Baz Luhrman spoof, “No Sex,” but “Champagne,” released two years earlier, was always the superior song. Taking the hook from Run-DMC’s “Rock Box,” the song and video are a spoof of late 90′s hip-hop videos, which were not far off from “Champagne”‘s neon yellow outfits and Jacuzzi beds believe it or not. Check the excellent Kool Rock-Ski verse at the end.
LCD Soundsystem – “Drunk Girls”
Maybe New Year’s would be more fun if it was like this video – you know, dozens of people in panda costumes duck taping you and then throwing confetti and champagne all over you while singing “Auld Lang Syne.” Regardless there’s bound to be a lot of drunk girls and boys wherever you go this weekend so be careful.
Tori Amos – “Pretty Good Year”
Tori Amos’ second and best record, “Under the Pink,” begins with this cascading ballad. The song is a reflection on the year’s drawbacks with an optimistic summation. Even if it was a year full of looking back on better times, “still…pretty good year.” Interesting note: the lyric, “Greggie writes letters, and burns his CDs.” Who the hell had a CD burner in 1994?
Tom Waits – “New Year’s Eve”
“Bad As Me” was another great batch of disjointed ditties from Tom Waits. This tipsy waltz closes out the album and now provides the world with another great drinking song for NYE – complete with a reading of “Auld Land Syne” in its coda.
Whether you go the “Sound of Music” route or for a stroll in the champagne rain, make sure to have a good, but most of all safe time this weekend. Happy New Year!
