Last Night / Auld Lang Syne

Sing a Song to Celebrate the Last Night of the Year

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote down the lyrics for “Auld Lang Syne” in1788 and claimed that they came from “an old man’s singing.” He may have heard other poems and folk songs with similar words or meanings. Since traditional folk songs were transmitted from one generation to another and from one place to another through the oral tradition, Burns was building on what he had heard.

Similarly Noel and his friend George Emlen were acting in the folk tradition when they created a lyric and counterpoint melody as a musical complement to “Auld Lang Syne.” Their version of “Last Night / Auld Lang Syne,” accompanied by Michael McInnis on synthed saxophone/keyboard, is a song that invites memories of good times with old friends—not just in the past year, but throughout our lives— and anticipation of new friends in the years to come.¹

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Connections:

Read about the history and words of “Auld Lang Syne.”

Vibrations:

Enjoy the video of “Last Night / Auld Lang Syne.”

Old friend, new friend
Shall we gather here
And share a song to celebrate
This last night of the year

1. The text of this post is reposted from Dec. 30, 2024.