Dec

Auld Lang What?

It’s a song we often hear at the start of the new year. But what does “auld lang syne” even mean? And how did it come to be associated with New Year’s Eve? With a little musical sleuthing, we find Charlie Chaplin might have something to do with it…

This time on Sidedoor, we’re doing a little musical sleuthing through old newspapers, audio archives, a Canadian orchestra conductor, and one of America’s most beloved movie stars to understand the rise of this note-worthy tradition.

Crop of sheet music and lyrics for “Auld Lang Syne,” published between 1820 and 1825 by G. Graupner of Boston, MA. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, control number 2014568164.

Guests:

James Deutsch, curator of folklife and popular culture at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Black and white photo of Guy Lombardo and his orchestra

Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians in 1946. Image courtesy of the Comet Over Hollywood blog.

Listen now:

Links and Extras

Take a tour through versions of “Auld Lang Syne” from years gone by with selections heard in this episode:
- Westminster Chimes, William H. Reitz — Auld Lang Syne (Old Scottish Air). 1921 Victor Records. Library of Congress.
- The Troubadours — Good-night Medley Waltz “Good-night Ladies” “Auld Lang Syne” “Home Sweet Home” (Buenos Noches). 1924 Victor Records. Library of Congress.
- Swiss “Coffin” Box by Mermod — Auld Lang Syne from the album Music Boxes, Carousels, and Hand Organ. 1950 Cook Records. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
- George and Madeleine Brown — Auld Lang Syne from the album The Story of the Music Box. 1952 Cook Records. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
- Roger Sprung, Hal Wylie and the Progressive Bluegrassers — Auld Lang Syne from the album Bluegrass Blast: A Mixed Bag of Ol’ Timey Music. 1974 Folkways Records. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
Watch the 1925 film The Gold Rush starring Charlie Chaplin online.
Celebrate the New Year across classic films with a compilation of “Auld Lang Syne” playing in movie scenes.
Learn more about “Auld Lang Syne,” including what the song is best known for in other cultures and a breakdown of the lyrics, in a video from Vox.
Reminisce about years gone by with an audio essay about the history of “Auld Lang Syne” and the people and memories we carry with us from the WNYC Studios podcast, The Anthropocene Reviewed.
Stay in the holiday spirit with our season nine episode, A Very Merry Sidedoor which explores the origins of seasonal traditions like kissing under the mistletoe, figgy pudding, and watch night.
A festive New Year’s scene from The Gold Rush. United Artists Corporation, 1925. Still from digitally restored film issued by the Criterion Collection, 2012.