Song of the day 10-08-05: New Year's Day

[Cassis]

New Year's Day

All is quiet on New Year's Day
A world in white gets underway
And I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's Day

I will be with you again
I will be with you again

Under a blood-red sky
A crowd has gathered in black and white
Arms entwined, the chosen few,
The newspapers say, say, say it's true
And we can break through,
Though torn in two, we can be one

I will begin again, I will begin again
Oh and maybe the time is right
Oh maybe tonight

I will be with you again
I will be with you again

And so we are told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Though I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's day

 

[Popmartijn]

Maybe not the classic to me that many consider it to be, but that bass line is way beyond cool.

 

[Carmelu2fan]

That song is the very first song I ever heard by U2 and from that day forward I have been a fan !!!! I love that song!!!

 

[VertigoGal]

I think it's a little overrated, but everytime I hear it, I love it. This is my younger brother's favorite U2 song (just ahead of Streets and Sunday Bloody Sunday).

I love the final verse on the album, wonder why they got rid of it for the Best Of?

 

[MumblingBono]

ditto Carmelu2fan. The first and still the best.

 

[xtihn]

this song rocks.

 

[MsMofoGone]

My all-time favorite song ... never be another one like it ... EVER !!
Hearing this song on the radio back in 1983, was all it took to make me a fan !!

 

[Layton]

This song defines the '80's political climate as well as any song has ever defined a political climate. Those cold, icy notes embody the nuclear tensions that existed at the time between the East and the West. I hear those notes and I immediately start fearing that the USSR might bomb my childhood Seattle area home. For you youngsters, this was a REAL fear at the time.

 

[Zoots]

My #4 all-time favorite after One, Streets and Until The End. It's just an excellent song where all the band members shine!

 

[Carmelu2fan]

So sorry Vertigo gal I dissagree with your comment, New Years day is not overrated, it is one of the most essential songs of the early 80's and really defined U2 sound back then...however I do agree with your observation, I have always wondered why they took out that final verse on the Best Of
"And so we are told this is the golden age"

 

[BluRmGrl]

That song is the very first song I ever heard by U2 and from that day forward I have been a fan !!!! I love that song!!!

Ditto

 

[AtomicBono]

So sorry Vertigo gal I dissagree with your comment, New Years day is not overrated, it is one of the most essential songs of the early 80's and really defined U2 sound back then...however I do agree with your observation, I have always wondered why they took out that final verse on the Best Of
"And so we are told this is the golden age"

Agreed.

I think they took it out because otherwise there wouldn't be enough space on the album? I think Streets and Bad were slightly edited too, weren't they?

Anyway, New Year's Day - classic. In my top 25. Always brilliant live. Adam's best bassline ever.

 

[Popmartijn]

I love the final verse on the album, wonder why they got rid of it for the Best Of?

On The Best Of 1980-1990 they used the single version (edit) of the song.

 

[thrillme]

The first U2 recording I was given, was the best of 1980-90, "New Year's Day" I liked it right off the bat. I went and bought "War" because I heard "New Year's Day" on the radio, and noticed it was longer, and had another verse. I liked that version more.

It's probably the U2 song I've listened to the most, but I'm not sick of it.

 

[Carmelu2fan]

Agreed.

I think they took it out because otherwise there wouldn't be enough space on the album? I think Streets and Bad were slightly edited too, weren't they?

Anyway, New Year's Day - classic. In my top 25. Always brilliant live. Adam's best bassline ever.

That makes since(using the single version to allow space on the album)
I did not notice if Streets and Bad where edited also. I could tell right away that New Years was!I agree with you totally - Adam's bassline on that song still give me chills

 

[MacPhistoPT]

I play guitar and I think that playing bass is boring, but I've learned the bass riff of New year's Day on the same way.... so easy and so hooking

 

[Carmelu2fan]

Why do you think that bass playing is boring? Because it is easy?I think the bass is essential to that song it would not sound the same with out it.

 

[MacPhistoPT]

Yeah, of course it's essential , what I tried to say it's that personally, I don't like to play, I rather prefer the guitar. And it's because it's easy, because it's not as easy as it seems! You have to be 101% concentrated to never lose the ryhthm. The guitar let's you be a bit more creative. But of course I like good bass lines and I appreciate good bass players

 

[RavenBlue]

The solo is this one gives me chills... whenever I hear it I can feel goosebumps rise on my arms!

 

[MacPhistoPT]

The solo is this one gives me chills... whenever I hear it I can feel goosebumps rise on my arms!

Again, the greatness of this song. the solo is so simple, so easy to play on guitar... but it's so great.

magic

 

[jmccuanu2]

Absolute killer track. This is the one that put me over the top with this band. The first song I ever heard (and first U2 video on MTV) was "Gloria," and I remember saying to myself, "Cool, who is this band?" Then a year or so later I saw "New Year's Day" once again on MTV--Uh, yeah, I used to watch A LOT of MTV--and I said to myself, "OK, WHO IS THIS BAND?!!!" So a week later I went out and bought WAR, and well, we all know what happened after that. Haven't looked back since.