Last night, I went to the New York Pops holiday concert at Carnegie Hall. As the evening came to a close, the orchestra played “Auld Lang Syne,” and Ingrid Michaelson started singing: “Should old acquaintance be forgot…”
As I listened last night, just like every other time I’ve heard the song, a montage of memories came to my mind: A montage of friends, of relationships, of colleagues, of family.
The text of the song is by Scottish poet Robert Burns. In 1788, Burns sent the lyrics to a friend, along with the note: “Is not the Scotch phrase ‘Auld Lang Syne’ exceedingly expressive? There is an old song and tune which has often thrilled through my soul.” (The Scottish phrase “auld lang syne” is often translated to modern English as “for old time’s sake.”) Later, Burns sent the lyrics to the Scots Musical Museum, telling them: “The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man.” The song’s lyrics are, as Burns notes, adapted from older sources — “Auld Lang Syne,” for instance, is quite similar to the 1711 ballad “Old Long Syne” by James Watson, though Burns also adjusted the lyrics quite a bit.
Determining which lyrics were written by who and when is quite difficult. In the words of author John Green: “Part of what makes dating various lines within the song difficult is the song’s eternality: It’s about drinking together and remembering old times, and almost every idea within it could’ve been written five hundred, a thousand, or even three thousand years ago.”
It’s the song’s opening lyrics that hit me the hardest: “Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?” The song forces reflection — a reflection on the people that matter to us, both past and present.
It’s no surprise then that the song serves as the emotional climax of the 1989 rom-com When Harry Met Sally. As the song plays and friends-turned-lovers Harry and Sally are dancing on New Year’s Eve, Harry asks Sally: “What does this song mean? … I mean, 'Should old acquaintance be forgot'. Does that mean that we should forget old acquaintances? Or does it mean that if we happened to forget them, we should remember them, which is not possible because we already forgot 'em?”
Sally responds: “Well, maybe it just means that we should remember that we forgot them, or something. Anyway, it’s about old friends.” In a movie about the line between friendship and relationship, it seems right to end with a song about how we remember old acquaintances. Because, as I once had a friend astutely say, both friendships and relationships are defined by shared history, and Harry and Sally had a dozen years of shared history.
Our modern melody of “Auld Lang Syne” wasn’t what Burns originally intended. But the original tune was, in Burns own words, “mediocre.” So, in 1799, after Burns had passed away, music publisher George Thompson attached Burns’ lyrics to a different traditional Scottish melody. Thompson published this new combination in his Select Songs of Scotland book, and the song we know today was born.
This tune — part melancholic, part hopeful — adds power to the words. “We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.” The tune adds an earnestness to these lyrics. It’s about the importance of kindness and connection, and the tune — not jarring, not difficult to master — enables this connection.
Not long after Thompson published his version, the song became rooted in Scottish New Year’s Eve celebrations. In America, its popularity as a new year song is sometimes attributed to bandleader Guy Lombardo who, in 1929, played “Auld Lang Syne” as transitional music while performing during a New Year’s Eve broadcast. The song was heard across the airwaves just after midnight, establishing the American tradition of playing the song just as the New Year’s clock strikes midnight. (Or so the rumor goes.)
It’s an apt song for this time of year because it provides an opportunity to reminisce on the past year and to value not our accomplishments but our relationships.
In turn, it’s no surprise “Auld Lang Syne,” thanks to its universally resonant message, is one of the most popular songs in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Today, it’s often played in Japanese department stores before closing. In the 1940s, the tune was used for the South Korean national anthem. And, during World War I, the song was sung not only by British soldiers but also by French, German, and Austrian ones, too.
Five months into World War I, on Christmas 1914, a series of unofficial ceasefires swept across the Western front. It was the Christmas truce. Soldiers crossed trenches to exchange seasons greetings, to share food and souvenirs, to play soccer together. And, in at least one corner of the Western front, all the soldiers came together to sing “Auld Lang Syne.” “It was absolutely astounding, and if I had seen it on cinematograph film, I should have sworn it was faked,” Captain Sir Edward Hulse wrote of this Christmas sing-along.
This is the power of “Auld Lang Syne.” As John Green put it: “I think ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is popular because it’s the rare song that is genuinely wistful — it acknowledges human longing without romanticizing it, and it captures how each new year is a product of all the old ones.”
So, as we enter the holiday season, I hope “Auld Lang Syne” gives you an opportunity to reflect on those that have and continue to matter to you. And, if you haven’t heard the song yet this season, it’s worth a listen… for old time’s sake.
Notes.
“Auld Lang Syne” is my favorite holiday song, and my favorite version is Ingrid’s cover (linked at the top of this post), but I also like The Beach Boys’ cover and this one by Colbie Caillat.
The history of the song is largely taken from this Mental Floss article and this CBS Sunday Morning clip.
John Green did an excellent episode of his Anthropocene Reviewed podcast on the song, which can be found here. The World War I story is sourced from his podcast.
When Harry Met Sally… leaves Netflix on December 31st, so rewatch it before it’s gone! (Yes, Harry shares the same last name as poet Robert Burns…)