[2026] Classic Western songs to celebrate the New Year: Popular tracks to kick off the year

Get LuckyDaft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers

Daft Punk – Get Lucky (Official Audio) ft. Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers

In the spring of 2013, the Parisian electronic duo released a track featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers that captures the exhilaration of dancing all night and reaching for something new with the sunrise.

At first glance, it might seem like a party song celebrating nightlife pleasures, but Pharrell has said he sang about “the luck of feeling a strong chemistry with someone and connecting,” making it a perfectly uplifting choice for anyone seeking new encounters or the courage to take a first step in the New Year.

Released as a single from the album Random Access Memories, the song won Record of the Year at the 56th Grammy Awards.

Its live-instrumentation ethos pays homage to ’70s disco, and Rodgers’s crisp, cutting guitar is invigorating—an ideal listen for anyone looking to elevate their mood from New Year’s morning onward.

Don’t Stop Believin’Journey

Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’ (Official Audio)

When the New Year arrives, it’s natural to feel a vague sense of unease alongside your hopes and expectations.

In those moments, music that urges you to “never stop believing,” even in difficult times, can be a powerful ally.

Formed in 1973 and still going strong despite multiple lineup changes and hiatuses, the American rock band Journey released this classic track as a single in 1981, from their seminal album Escape.

Its lyrics—portraying a girl leaving a small town to chase her dreams and a young man smoldering in the city, each boarding a midnight train toward the future—carry a universality that lets people of all walks of life see themselves in the story.

From the memorable piano intro to the gradually building ensemble, and finally the climactic, explosive chorus of the title phrase, it’s absolutely breathtaking.

How about starting the new year with this song to give you courage?

Happy New YearA*Teens

Happy New Year (Radio Version)

Released at the end of 1999, A*Teens’ cover of ABBA is a dazzling Europop number that reached No.

4 in Sweden as a standalone single celebrating the millennium.

The original’s bittersweet, hopeful melody is layered with a four-on-the-floor beat and shimmering synths, delivering teenage-positive harmonies that sing of anticipation for the new year and reflection on time gone by.

The extended version adds a club-ready arrangement, perfect for countdown parties with an extra dose of euphoria.

Still beloved on holiday playlists, this track is recommended for anyone looking for a year-end listen or the courage to take a new step forward.

FireworkKaty Perry

Katy Perry – Firework (Official Music Video)

Singing out a universal message of believing in the possibilities that lie within and unleashing your inner brilliance, this song is the third single from the album Teenage Dream, released in October 2010.

Its creation was memorably inspired by a passage from Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road, which Katy Perry was introduced to by her then fiancé.

With a structure that builds from a quiet intro to a soaring climax, it powerfully uplifts listeners.

Reaching No.

1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning RIAA Diamond certification, it’s the perfect anthem for those who want to start the new year with a renewed resolve to move forward as their true selves.

Next Year BabyJamie Cullum

Next Year Baby

Every time the new year comes around, everyone vows, “This year I’ll really change,” yet those resolutions always fizzle out in a few days… Capturing that relatable, real-life youth with humor is a signature song by British jazz pianist Jamie Cullum.

The track appears on his acclaimed 2003 October release, Twentysomething—his definitive album, which became the fastest-selling jazz album in UK history and sold 2.5 million copies worldwide.

In the lyrics, he reels off New Year’s resolutions like “drink less,” “read more books,” and “call my grandma every week,” only to confess in the end that what he truly wants is to tell the person he’s always liked how he feels.

With a swinging piano feel and warm analog recording, it’s a song whose blend of self-deprecation and romance hits home—a perfect listen for the New Year.

Next YearsFoo Fighters

Foo Fighters – Next Year (Official HD Video)

Next Year is a track from the Foo Fighters’ 1999 album There Is Nothing Left to Lose.

Foo Fighters is a band from Seattle, Washington, USA, formed in 1994 and debuting in 1995, known for their alternative rock, post-grunge, and hard rock style.

PompeiiBastille

Bastille – Pompeii (Official Music Video)

This is a signature track by Bastille, the London-based rock band, released as a single from their 2013 debut album Bad Blood, which became a global hit.

While it draws on the historical tragedy of the people buried alive by the eruption at ancient Rome’s Pompeii, it poses the question, “If you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?”—a parable of the human tendency to avoid facing change even after catastrophic events and to remain captive to the past.

Its uptempo beat and rich choral layers create a unique exhilaration that balances festivity with a sense of the end times, encouraging listeners to look ahead while reflecting on the past at the start of a new year.

In 2023, an orchestral version in collaboration with Hans Zimmer was also produced, whose grand sound makes the opening of the New Year all the more resplendent!