The story of the Happy New Year song, which is now one of the most popular New Year’s songs, did not develop as smoothly as one might think. It originated from a joke track written by the musicians from ABBA for an unrealized project, and then it took her almost ten years to become an international hit.
Not everyone knows that the text of the song, without which the New Year’s Eve is rarely complete, is not only not joyful, but even pessimistic and somewhat gloomy. Let’s start with the fact that Happy New Year was not written for the New Year holidays, as is often the case, but shortly after them.
The story of the creation of the song Happy New Year
It happened in January 1980, when Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus were vacationing in Barbados. There they met John Cleese of the comedian group Monty Python. They suggested that he create a cheerful musical about people who, on the eve of the New Year, are taken to philosophize and discuss various important issues.
They even wrote the song Daddy Don’t Get Drunk on Christmas Day for this production. Cleese was not interested in the idea, and he refused to cooperate. Accordingly, the musical was not born, but the composition mentioned above was recorded as a New Year’s song, which the members of the ABBA group had long wanted to diversify their repertoire. Of course, they rewrote the text, making it lyrical, and changed the title to a banal, but win-win version of Happy New Year.
The meaning of the song Happy New Year – ABBA
The lyrics of the song are frankly sad, and many believe that Happy New Year is dedicated to the separation of Agnetha and Bjorn. And the last verse makes many people think that the composition expresses the uncertainty about the future, which usually covers people before the start of each new decade.
In general, it is by no means a festive song, which, nevertheless, is traditionally heard in many New Year’s shows.
Release and achievements
Happy New Year was the first track recorded for Super Trouper (1980), but was not released as a single in English-speaking countries. But a version of the song was released in Spanish, which was called Felicidad. He reached the fifth line of the Argentine chart. In 1999, Happy New Year was finally released as a single in many European countries and in some of them took high positions in the charts.
Video of Happy New Year – ABBA
Check out the music video for ABBA’s Happy New Year.
Happy New Year Lyrics by ABBA
No more champagne
And the fireworks are through
Here we are, me and you
Feeling lost and feeling blue
It’s the end of the party
And the morning seems so gray
So unlike yesterday
Now’s the time for us to say
chorus:
happy new year
happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbor is a friend
happy new year
happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don’t we might as well lay down and die
You and I
Sometimes I see
How the brave new world arrives
And I see how it thrives
In the ashes of our lives
Oh yes, man is a fool
And he thinks he’ll be okay
Dragging on, feet of clay
Never knowing he’s astray
Keeps on going anyway
Seems to me now
That the dreams we had before
Are all dead, nothing more
Than confetti on the floor
It’s the end of a decade
In another ten years time
Who can say what we’ll find
What lies waiting down the line
In the end of eighty nine
Lyrics Happy New Year by ABBA Alternate
No more champagne
And the fireworks are over
And we are here – you and me
Depressed and sad
It’s the end of the party
And the morning seems so gray
So unlike yesterday
It’s time to say
Chorus:
Happy New Year,
Happy New Year
May we all sometimes be able to imagine
A world where all neighbors are friends
Happy New Year,
Happy New Year
May we all try to make our hopes come true
After all, without it, we can only lie down and die
To you and me
Sometimes I see
As the brave new world comes
And I see it flourish
On the ashes of our lives
Oh yes man is stupid
And he thinks he’ll be alright
Though he barely trudges on clay feet
And he does not understand that he has gone astray,
He keeps on wandering
Now it seems to me
That all our former dreams
The end and what’s left of them
Only confetti on the floor
It’s the end of the decade
Who can say what we’ll get
Another ten years later
What awaits us abroad
When will 89 end
