15 OLD “NEW”SONGS TO ADD TO YOUR MUSIC LIBRARY FOR THE NEW YEAR
Everyone loves new things, don’t we? A new year brings new hopes and new plans, with new chances to experience all kinds of newness. “New” is a word used over and over again in song titles–aside from rhyming with countless words, “new” always gets someone’s attention. None of these songs are mew releases, but they might be new to you! They’re available across all streaming music platforms, so add some new music to your library and give your old ears something new to listen to.
- “The New Year,” Death Cab For Cutie. “So this is the New Year,” Ben Gibbard sings on the opening track of their signature album Transatlanticism, “and I don’t feel any different.” But everybody put your best suit or dress on, let’s make believe we are wealthy for just this once.

2. “New Romantics (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift. “Heartbreak is the national anthem/We sing it proudly” is possibly the most defining couplet for TaylorNation. As a Swiftie Over Fifty, I can tell you that we’re too busy dancing to get knocked off our feet, and this banger vault track from 1989 (Taylor’s Version) will have you doing the same.

3. “New Religion,” Duran Duran. This one is a deep cut for my fellow lifelong Durannies. If you only know “Hungry Like the Wolf” or “Girls On Film,” I suggest you download this fan fave from the Rio album and just try to resist John Taylor’s funky bass solo.

4. “New Song,” Howard Jones. This is a song for all of our friends! So bouncy and cheerful, it’ll keep you from cracking up and bending your brain. Hee-hee-hoo!

5. “New Sensation,” INXS. Michael Hutchence was one of the sexiest lead singers of all time, proven repeatedly by his every performance. Even in a suit with his famous locks pulled back, Hutchence is magnetic as he tears through this instantly irresistable mood-booster that’s so impossible to refuse. Crank it up anytime you got to let it out!

6. “New York,” St. Vincent. There are so many songs written about the Big Apple, they deserve their own list. This haunting gem by St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) is NSFW or if the kids are in the car with you, because it’s about New York. Once you hear it, my darling, you won’t be the only (expletive) who’ll understand why I included this particular song about New York, love.

7. “New Way Home,” Foo Fighters. “I’m not scared,” Dave Grohl repeatedly sing-screams on the closing track from The Colour and the Shape (or the third-to-closing song if you have the extended version that includes the title track and the note-perfect cover of “Baker Street”). This fan-favorite deep cut has only been performed live a handful of times, and is great to scream along to in the car when you on your way home.

8. “I Will Buy You a New Life,” Everclear. The rags-to-riches-via-addiction-and-recovery story of Everclear’s Art Alexakis is the stuff of Portland, Oregon, legend. Inspired by the band’s new success after “Santa Monica” became a huge hit, the locals particularly enjoy this song for its references to the tony West Hills, where all the big houses are.

9. “No New Tale to Tell,” Love and Rockets. Every goth kid I knew in high school and college loved Bauhaus, so of course they loved Love and Rockets, a brighter and Peter Murphy-less version after Bauhaus broke up. You might also recall their cover of “Ball of Confusion,” which hit the US Top 20. I’ve always loved this track from 1987’s Earth Sun Moon, which imparts such vital 80’s wisdom as “Our little lives get complicated/It’s a simple thing/Simple as a flower/And that’s a complicated thing.”

10. “The New Pollution,” Beck. First pegged as a one-hit wonder when he released “Loser” in 1994, Beck has instead proven himself to be a prolific songwriter. It doesn’t matter if the lyrics don’t make any sense–no, I don’t know what “the lily-white cavity crazes” are, or what being “alone in the new pollution” means–it’s a catchy tune with a retro-themed video. Throw on your paradise camouflage and dance!

11. “New Slang,” The Shins. These indie darlings got a lot of attention when this sweet little song was used in the movie “Garden State.” Lead singer James Mercer told Billboard in 2021 that it “changed everything” for the band. To this day, anytime I hear those haunting “ooohs,” they take me right back to 2004.

12. “What’s New,” Linda Ronstadt. “How is the world treating you?” sings the legendary Linda Ronstadt on the title track from her 1983 album of old standards recorded with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. While the album surprised the music industry at first, Ronstadt eased into this era of her career with her rich honeyed voice like she was born in the wrong era and found an even bigger audience.

13. “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” The Stylistics. We’re going all the way back to 1974 with this Philly Soul classic. Mere words could not explain the joy between the baritone and falsetto vocals in this song for you, my love.

14. “New Attitude,” Patti LaBelle. You never knew you had such a lesson to learn, but Patti LaBelle is here to deliver it to you in her full 1980s glory. It’s every affirmation you’ll ever need in one song that seems tailor-made for an aerobics class in every way. TIDY UP YOUR POINT OF VIEW!

15. “I Want a New Drug,” Huey Lewis and the News. This song was considered controversial when it was released in 1985 thanks to people not taking the time to read the lyrics. What could make Huey Lewis feel the way he does when he’s with his former lady? NO DRUG, get it? Anyway, the catchy undeniable insta-earworm hook (that was stolen by Ray “Ghostbusters” Parker Jr) and silly video propelled this song to #1 on the US Disco chart (aw, nostalgic!).
