Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! so What Are You Doing New Years Eve? Welcome To the Future on New Years Day!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas – is it just me, or did this year fly by much faster than last year? Meanwhile, Monday has arrived – and you know that Monday means music!

For the month of December, our Spotlight Dancer is our friend and the brain child of Monday’s Music Moves Me, our very own Marie of Xmas Dolly! The theme selected for this month is “For the entire month, you’re invited to share all things Christmas. Get inventive, let’s make this the hap-happiest Christmas season ever!” 

Since Christmas is completed for this year, and New Year is looming at the end of this week, I thought I’d segue with a transition from Christmas to New Year for this week. Either way – let’s party!

Let’s start with these two artists who are well attuned to the emotional resonances of relationships. One of the artists is no stranger to holiday music, as the original version of her holiday music reached the #3 chart on the US Indie charts, stole hearts in 2018 and hasn’t given them back since. Meanwhile, the other artist is the closest thing Hollywood has to a real life Christmas elf. The pair duet on this song, one of five tracks appended to the deluxe reissue of the other artist’s album.

For the video, they called on fibre artist and filmmaker Andrea Love to amplify the song’s warmth and Christmas spirit. She’s an animator who creates entire worlds out of wool. Her plush worlds are populated by whimsical characters who are impossibly beautiful, while maintaining a delightful, squeezable softness. Fun fact, she’s from my state – specifically Port Townsend, Washington.

Get ready for goosebumps, here’s Ingrid Michaelson and Zooey Deschanel with “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year”:

Next up is a perennial favorite song, the Frank Loesser’s classic written in 1947, when Loesser was already an accomplished songwriter who went on to win two Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and an Academy Award for the holiday standard, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” from the film “Neptune’s Daughter” (1949). Sadly, Loesser died from cancer at the age of 59 in 1969 – can you imagine how many more cool hits he would have had over the years?

This fun a cappella group does this song justice in my opinion.

Here’s Straight No Chaser with “What Are You Doing New Years Eve?”

Next up is my all-time favorite country boy, with a song from 2009 (whoa – has it already been that long ago?!) that is still perfect for all New Year celebrations to come. The lyrics describe the changes that the narrator has seen in his lifetime, including the advances in technology and inter-cultural relationships. For instance, in the first verse, he tells of how he wanted to be able to watch television in the car as a child, or have his own video game system instead of having to go to the video arcade.

He included memories of his own childhood in the song, as well as those of his grandparents. He said:

“If you went back in time and told me, waiting in line for Pac-Man, or my grandfather, who fought against Japan in World War II that his grandson would be playing in Japan… that is just something.”

Embrace the future with this reminder of the constant changes in our world – here’s Brad Paisley with “Welcome To The Future”:

About four years ago, he recorded a short reprise of this song for a new album, where he talks more specifically about his own personal life. In particular, it mentions how he attended a showing of Father of the Bride with a girl from his hometown. After breaking up, he wondered who his wife would be and what his children would be like, saying he got his answer when he tucked them in. This is a reference to the fact that his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley starred in that particular movie.

For fun, here’s Brad Paisley with “Welcome To The Future (Reprise)”:

Last, but certainly not least, is a song that has become my all time favorite New Year’s tunes since it’s debut in November 2017. The story behind the song as told by the artist:

“We threw a big New Year’s Eve party in London this year, and I was thinking about how everybody talks and thinks about who you kiss at midnight. Like it’s this big romantic idea of like, ‘Who are you gonna kiss at midnight, like ring in the New Year.’ And I think that is very romantic.

But I think there’s something even more romantic about who’s gonna deal with you on New Year’s Day. Who’s willing to give you Advil and clean up the house. I think that states more of a permanence. So I was thinking about that, and I wrote this song called ‘New Year’s Day.’”

The artist debuted the song a day before the album’s release, during a special performance shot at her Rhode Island home in a candle-lit living room, and surrounded by fans.

Here’s the inimitable Taylor Swift with “New Year’s Day”:

That’s a wrap for this week – see you on the dance floor!

Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:  

I have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, the awesome Cathy from Curious as a CAThy, Callie of JAmerican Spice, and Alana of Ramblin’ with AM!

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!