[2025] Classic Western songs to celebrate the New Year: Popular tracks to kick off the year
When it comes to New Year’s in Japan, we can’t help but think of traditional Japanese music for the background, right?
For all the Western music lovers out there, even for New Year’s celebration BGM, we’d love for you to choose classic hits from the West.
With that in mind, this time we’re bringing you an article focused on Western songs that celebrate the New Year!
There are plenty of playlists like “Western songs to listen to at Christmas,” but a list of Western tracks for ringing in the New Year is actually pretty rare, isn’t it?
Of course, we’ve included famous songs that straightforwardly celebrate the New Year, as well as positive tracks perfect for kicking off a fresh year and some curveball selections too—so it’s a lineup recommended even for deep-cut Western music fans.
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[2025] Classic Western songs to celebrate the New Year: Popular tracks to start the year (51–60)
Gonna Make It Through This YearGreat Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers are a Canadian band active since 2003.
Centered around singer-songwriter Tony Dekker, they are known for their pastoral, melodic folk sound, and they won a Canadian Indie Award in 2010.
This track was released in 2006.
New year’s eveMal Blum
Mar Bloom is a New York-based singer-songwriter, writer, and performer.
He is known for a folk sound that incorporates elements of rock and punk.
This track is included on For Making Art: The EP, released in 2009.
New Year’s EVEPale Waves
This is a highly recommended classic as BGM for couples who love alternative rock from the 2010s and beyond to play from New Year’s Eve into the New Year! It’s a 2017 track by the UK band Pale Waves, fronted by the charismatic singer-guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie, and since it wasn’t included on their debut album My Mind Makes Noises released the following year, you could call it a hidden gem.
It’s quintessentially them: a poppy fusion of ’80s-style new wave and post-2010 indie-rock sensibilities, and even listeners who don’t usually listen to Western pop should find it easy and pleasant to enjoy.
As for the lyrics, they read like a recollection of events on New Year’s Eve, with the protagonist openly expressing feelings for the special person who stays by their side despite their mistakes.
If this song comes on during a drive to catch the first sunrise of the year, it’s bound to set the perfect mood!
Merry Christmas And A Happy New YearThe Bellamy Brothers
The Bellamy Brothers are a country music duo who were active in the 1970s and 1980s.
Their song “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” is their most famous Christmas track.
Pay attention to how the tempo picks up in the latter half.
[2025] Classic Western songs to celebrate the New Year: Popular tracks to kick off the year (61–70)
CELTIC NEW YEARVan Morrison
Van Morrison is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and producer who has been active since 1958.
This song is included on the album Magic Time, released in 2005.
The album was a hit in the United States and various European countries.
New Years DayMary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American singer-songwriter active since 1987.
She has won five Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
This song is included on her 2012 album “Ashes and Roses.”
Congratulations （A happy new years song）Pink Martini
Pink Martini is a popular American jazz ensemble.
They often sing not only in English but also in many other languages such as French, and this song, “Congratulations (A Happy New Year’s Song),” is sung in Chinese.
The melody is on the darker side, but it’s quite a charming tune.