Don’t be fooled by the name of the song, which will be discussed in the article. “New Year’s Day” can hardly be considered New Year’s Day in the traditional sense. Rather, it is a love song, which, due to significant changes, has acquired political overtones. It occupies a special place in U2’s discography, because it was with this single that the now legendary rock band first achieved recognition on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
The book Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song by Niall Stokes claims that the lyrics to “New Year’s Day” are based on a song Bono dedicated to his wife. The author spontaneously remade them at one of the rehearsals, dedicating the composition to the Polish Solidarity movement. Bono later recalled:
We improvise and I let whatever comes to light come into being. I must have been thinking about Lech Walesa, who was being held in custody. Then, when we recorded the song, it was announced that martial law was lifted in Poland on New Year’s Day. Incredible.
Rolling Stone 2011
In another interview, Bono claimed that the main theme of “New Year’s Day” is still the struggle for love.
The song was recorded at Dublin’s Windmill Lane Studios. On January 1, 1983, the composition was released as the lead single from the album “War”. It rose high on the charts in many countries, becoming the first international hit by the rock band U2.
Bono said the following about this:
…I think the fact that “New Year’s Day” climbed into the top ten of the charts indicated that the record buyers were disappointed. I don’t think “New Year’s Day” was a pop single. Certainly not in the mind of Mickey Most, who could define a pop single as something that lasts three minutes and three weeks on the chart. I don’t think we could write such a song.
NME, 1987
In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine included it in the list of the five hundred greatest tracks of all time.
A video was filmed for the song, which received heavy rotation on the MTV channel. The video was filmed in Norway.
Interesting Facts
- The bass part came about when Adam Clayton picked up the chords for Visage’s “Fade to Grey”.
- Edge played not only the guitar, but also the piano. When the band plays the song live, he sits at the synthesizer with a guitar on his lap and gets up when it’s her turn.
- At first, the video was going to be filmed in Sweden, but at that time there was almost no snow there.
- The band members were going to appear in the video on horseback. But none of them was a skilled rider, and the band was just on tour, so the musicians came to the conclusion that they should not risk it.
- Although it is clearly not a New Year’s song, it is often sung in bars during the festive period.
New Year’s Day by U2 Lyrics
All is quiet on New Year’s Day
A world in white gets underway
I want to be with you, be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year’s Day
On New Year’s Day
The world is covered in white
I want to be with you, be with you day and night
Nothing changes on New Year’s Day
On New Year’s Day I will be with you again
I will be with you again
I’ll be with you again Under a blood red sky
A crowd has gathered, black and white
Arms entwined, the chosen few
The newspapers says, says Under the bloody sky
Gathered black and white crowd
Intertwined hands, a select few
Newspapers say, say… Say it’s true, it’s true
We can break through
thought torn in two
We can be one
We can break through
Even torn in half
We can be one I, I will begin again
I, I will begin again
I, I’ll start again Oh, maybe the time is right
Oh, maybe tonight
Oh maybe tonight I will be with you again
I will be with you again
I’ll be with you again
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Thought I want to be with you, be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year’s Day
On New Year’s Day
On New Year’s Day We’re told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we fight
Though I want to be with you, be with you day and night
Nothing changes on New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day
