Most Requested New Year's Day Pop Songs

Top Pop Hits Are One Sweet Day & Waiting For Tonight

Dec 19, 2008 Daniel Workman

This creative playlist focuses on songs that deliver hope and determination for success in the New Year in matters ranging from love, self-reflection to plain old fun.

Considering all the traditional holidays during the year, New Year’s Day has the least number of appropriate pop songs.

Alternatively, pop songs played at bars or at New Year’s Eve parties include the keywords ‘New Year’. Even then there is a scarcity of pop music hits with those two words in the title.

Songs Written For New Year’s Day

Some artists have written songs specifically for the New Year, like The Walkmen’s 2008 release In The New Year and Jeff Buckley’s 1998 release New Year’s Prayer. Gretchen Peters wrote Alabama’s New Year’s Eve 1999 long before its so-called “sell-by” date to take advantage of buzz from the upcoming millennium.

The following pop song compilation is creatively based on the Pop Culture Madness database for most requested songs starting in 1960. Song titles that qualified have at least one reference to the words ‘New’, ‘Year’ or ‘Day’ including plural versions ‘Years’ and ‘Days’.

Most Popular New Year’s Day Pop Song

The song New Year’s Day was U2’s first single to hit the charts in America. Bono wrote the lyrics about the struggle for love, referring also to the Polish solidarity movement led by Lech Walesa. Based on Pop Culture Madness’ year-round data, the U2 hit is number 25 among the currently most-requested songs from 1983.

Top 10 New Year’s Eve Songs

Mariah co-wrote One Sweet Day with Boys II Men to reflect the pain of losing a loved one and the desire to be together again in heaven. New Jersey-born Frank Sinatra sang New York, New York with a swagger that reminds all of us to take personal responsibility because everyone has an opportunity to succeed no matter who one is. A Whole New World is the romantic theme to Disney’s animated movie Aladdin.

  1. One Sweet Day ... Mariah Carey & Boys II Men (Number 2 from 1995)
  2. New York, New York ... Frank Sinatra (Number 2 from 1989)
  3. Through The Years ... Kenny Rogers (Number 3 from 1982)
  4. Bang The Drum All Day ... Todd Rundgren (Number 8 from 1983)
  5. Feelin' Stronger Every Day ... Chicago (Number 12 from 1973)
  6. A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme) ... Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle (Number 13 from 1993)
  7. What's New Pussycat ... Tom Jones (Number 15 from 1965)
  8. Ms. New Booty ... Bubba Sparx (Number 21 from 2006)
  9. Another Day In Paradise ... Phil Collins (Number 21 from 1989)
  10. It Was a Very Good Year ... Frank Sinatra (Number 22 from 1966).

Burt Bacharach had to coax barrel-chested and manly voiced Tom Jones to sing What’s New Pussycat, which Bacharach originally wrote as instrumental theme music to a Peter Sellers movie. A truly inspiring hit for New Year’s celebrations, Tom Jones later rejoiced on taking on a musical project outside his normal range as Pussycat is now one of his most requested songs.

Phil Collins’ Another Day In Paradise asks listeners to help overcome the problem of ignoring the needy and homeless – a socially conscious message for New Year’s Day.

Other New Year’s Eve Songs From Pop Music Stars

Bono passionately sings Beautiful Day about a inspired man who realizes the value of what he has after losing his material possessions. Many New Year’s resolutions depend on a new attitude, as described in the Patti LaBelle song for Beverly Hills Cop. In the movie, Eddie Murphy plays a Detroit policeman who has to approach a murder in Beverly Hills much differently than his normal investigations. Since Brand New Bag is slang for a new way to do something or to embark on a novel lifestyle, the James Brown signature song offers an inspiring start for any January 1.

  1. Beautiful Day ... U2 (Number 25 from 2001)
  2. Our Day Will Come ... Ruby & Romantics (Number 28 from 1963)
  3. New Attitude ... Patti LaBelle (Number 36 from 1985)
  4. Golden Years ... David Bowie (Number 38 from 1976)
  5. I Won't Last A Day Without You ... The Carpenters (Number 40 from 1974)
  6. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag ... James Brown (Number 40 from 1965)
  7. I Want A New Drug ... Huey Lewis and the News (Number 41 from 1984)
  8. New Age Girl ... Dead Eye Dick (Number 43 from 1995)
  9. Still Crazy After All These Years ... Paul Simon (Number 46 from 1976)
  10. All Those Years Ago ... George Harrison (Number 47 from 1981).

Adding humour to the list is I Want A New Drug which is actually about desiring women. George Harrison wrote All Those Years Ago as a tribute to John Lennon, a pop song that brings back fond but sober memories for many baby boomers.

Author’s Choice For Best New Year’s Day Song

Waiting For Tonight enjoyed the height of its popularity around New Year’s Eve 2000, offering an anthem of hope and anticipation at the beginning of the new millennium. What better way to start the New Year than watching the passionate dance music video featuring Jennifer Lopez singing and dancing to Waiting For Tonight as a countdown to the year 2000?

Sources for this Article

This article presents independent calculations and insights based on Pop Music Charts song data presented by Pop Culture Madness and songfacts.com.

The copyright of the article Most Requested New Year's Day Pop Songs in Pop Music is owned by Daniel Workman. Permission to republish Most Requested New Year's Day Pop Songs in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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