Ring Out the Old, Ring in the New

Preparing the New Year's Ball in Times Square

Hard to believe, but in just a matter of hours we'll bring the curtain down on 2011 and begin a bright, fresh new year. I'm ready for it, and I hope it brings some much-needed change. What a wonderful device the new year is -- an opportunity for a clean slate and a fresh start once each year. And it's a testament to the resilience of the human spirit that even those of us who have been through this exercise more than a few times can still view each new year as an opportunity to do better and begin anew. In late 2007, I put together a handful of CDs featuring a collection of offbeat New Year's tunes and gave them to a few close friends with hopes for a better new year. Unfortunately, 2008 started poorly and quickly grew worse, although I'm pretty sure my little CD had little to do with it. So I've posted that CD on my website where it's now available for download HERE. I've been working to put together an updated New Year's collection, but I'm afraid it won't ready in time to share this year. In the meantime, here are three of my favorite New Year's tunes, which I hope you'll enjoy:

Happy New Year, by Charley Weaver

Happy New Year, by Spike Jones and His City Slickers

Happy New Year, by the Glad Singers