 | Auld Lang SyneFrank Stanley |
Writer(s): Robert Burns (lyrics adapted by), music (unknown) (see lyrics here) First Published: 1796 First Charted: December 14, 1907 (Frank Stanley) Peak: 2 BB, 1 DF (Stanley); 5 PM (Peerless Quartet, 1921); 18 DF (Chas & Dave, 1982); 7 BB, 40 R, 3 AC, 15 A40, 98 RB, 31 DF (Kenny G, 1998) (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 47.07 video, 28.08 streaming (multiple versions) |
Awards:Click on award for more details. 
Awards (Frank Stanley):Click on award for more details. 
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About the Song:Author Don Tyler asserts that along with “Happy Birthday” and “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” “Auld Lang Syne” “may be one of the most well known and most often sung or performed songs in American history.” DT The title, when translated into standard English, is “Old Long Since,” which can be interpreted as “since long ago” or “for old times’ sake.” BR It was a commonly used expression as far back as the reign of King Charles I from 1625 to 1649. DT Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, wrote the words for “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788. He claimed he adapted the words “from an old man’s singing.” BR Indeed, there have been similar poems that preceded Burns’ version. It has been cited as the inspiration for Burns’ version. BR In 1720, Scottish poet Allan Ramsay published a poem beginning with the line “should auld acquaintance be forgot” but otherwise it is dissimilar to Burns’ poem. BR The poem did not appear in print until after Burns’ death when it was published in the fifth volume of James Johnson’s Scots Musical Museum in 1796. BR The lyrics are “about old friends having a drink and recalling adventures they had long ago.” BR The words were set to a Scottish song by an unknown composer. The melody was first published in 1687. SS In 1782, the comic opera Rosina by William Shield used a similar tune. BR Another version of the tune was published in 1792 but with different words.BR George Thomson set the verses to an old Scottish tune which had been the basis fo several songs, including “I Fee’d a Lad at Michaelmas,” “The Miller’s Wedding,” and “The Miller’s Daughter.” DT In 1799, the words and music were published together as we now know them. BR By at least the 1890s, the song was used as a New Year’s Eve celebratory song. SS In 1907, Frank Stanley recorded what may be the first and finest version of the standard. SS It “shows off the resonant, rumbling power of his voice.” SS Bandleader Guy Lombardo made it an annual tradition to perform the song for radio and television broadcasts, first doing so on December 31, 1929, BR and continuing to do so for more than 30 years. BR Resources:
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First posted 11/24/2025. |
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