Four Auld Lang Synes, My Dear

Happy New Year to everyone who reads this blog, whether you’re going out to catch a live performance at a safe venue or staying home to avoid the dangers of COVID-19. Maybe celebrating NYE on your sofa was already a tradition due to the number of drunk drivers out and about on this holiday. The following is an edited version of a post that first appeared here on December 31, 2009.

One of the reasons people still get misty-eyed at the end of It’s A Wonderful Life is because all the family, friends, and neighbors singing “Auld Lang Syne” at the Bailey residence remind us of our own situation. The song has always conveyed a bittersweet ambience. A celebration of the loved ones we’ve cherished throughout our lives, and a recognition that for one reason or another, many of them have moved on. John Lennon explored a similar sentiment with The Beatles on “In My Life.”

There was a time when just about everybody thought of Guy Lombardo when it came to “Auld Lang Syne” since he and his Royal Canadians played it every New Year’s Eve for years on radio and TV. Nowadays, probably nobody under 50 even knows who he is, although his version is available on iTunes and YouTube. Somehow, it sounds particularly melancholy.

“Auld Lang Syne” continues to be covered by various musicians. The version by The Smithereens on Christmas With The Smithereens opens with the band harmonizing like a barbershop quartet before the guitars and drums kick in. From there, it morphs into a pulsating surf rock tune that’s predominantly instrumental.

Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken also tackled the song as part of group called Husky Team. This inspired and fun instrumental take, from the Hi-Fi Christmas Party Volume 2 CD, mixes “Auld Lang Syne” with the Booker T & The MG’s 1960s hit, “Green Onions.”

My favorite version of “Auld Lang Syne” comes from a New Jersey band called The Cucumbers and can be found on the Ho Ho Ho Spice CD. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a link to this song, so you’ll have to trust my description. The guitar-driven, slightly Celtic, power pop arrangement and Deena Shoskkes’s spirited vocals cast out any trace of sadness and offer instead an exhilarating sense of triumph. The journey’s over and the quest has been successful. That doesn’t quite fit 2021, which was another emotionally draining year. But we survived it, and if we all work together, can hope for happier and healthier circumstances in 2022.