Three 1980s songs to countdown your New Year's Eve to 2024

You're almost there, music fans! A new year begins in just a few hours. Heck, if you live in New Zealand, your New Year's Eve has come and gone. (Tell us, how does the new year feel?)

More importantly, I wonder what those who already experienced the change over from 2023 to 2024 played at midnight. I have some suggestions below, and hopefully, one or two of them will work for you. And no, I do not have Taylor Swift's "New Year's Day" on this list (because it is not from the 1980s, duh!).

Maybe Swift will produce a new album in 2024? Or maybe a few more songs from the vault. Either way, 2024 is happening and this is what you should be listening to.

Prince - "1999"

Adding 1999 to a title just made sense in 1982 because 1999 was close to a new millennium and everyone knew what the year meant: A new beginning, a new hope, and new possibilities. Even if you play Prince's "1999" at a New Year's Eve party to ring in 2024, people will understand. Plus, the track is just a banger that people should love anyway.

REM - "It’s the End of the World as we Know It (And I Feel Fine)"

REM vocalist Michael Stipe is not even a big fan of the melody because there isn't much of one. Plus, the lyrics are just a list of noteworthy news pieces. Is this the best REM song ever? No, far from it. But it's still a quite enjoyable one.

The song might even be dated a bit due to its references. While there is an inherently pessimistic feel to the title, the tune is far too fun to get saddened by. Plus, this will get people out of their seats while drinking their punch and start dancing around.

U2 - "New Year's Day"

The lyrics as written are not overly dark. Once the music is added, however, this U2 song from their third album, the magnificent War, there is a feeling of great foreboding. So why would you play this at a New Year's Eve party?

First, you need a classic feeling rock song and this song is amazing. The best thing to do is have your playlist going while the video shows on a large-screen TV. It's winter and this video is the definition of what that looks like.

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