“Happy New Year” is the ABBA song released in 1980 that became a recurring New Year's Eve anthem.
The song appeared on ABBA's album Super Trouper, released in November 1980. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus wrote it, and ABBA recorded it during the group's later period of international success. Its lyrics combine hopes for a better future with a more reflective and uncertain view of humanity, giving it a mood that differs from a purely celebratory party song.
The original English-language recording became especially associated with year-end broadcasts and countdown playlists in many countries. ABBA also recorded versions in Spanish and Swedish, helping the song reach audiences beyond English-speaking markets.
It is sometimes mistaken for “Auld Lang Syne,” the traditional song commonly sung at midnight in English-speaking countries. “Happy New Year” is a modern pop composition, not the older Scottish song whose lyrics are based on Robert Burns's 1788 poem.