Frank Loesser wrote the popular New Year's Eve song “What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?”
Loesser wrote the song in 1947, creating a romantic standard built around anticipation of a future New Year's Eve date. Unlike many midnight anthems, its lyrics ask about plans for a later celebration rather than simply describing the moment when the year changes.
The song has been recorded by numerous performers and has appeared in holiday programming, jazz performances, and popular-music collections. Its elegant question-and-answer structure helped it remain recognizable even as arrangements and vocal styles changed.
Frank Loesser was also known for writing other major American songs and stage works, including the musical Guys and Dolls. The New Year's Eve song is sometimes confused with “Auld Lang Syne,” but the two have different writers, melodies, and purposes: one is a romantic popular song, while the other is a traditional farewell song associated with Robert Burns.