Which composer wrote the 1947 song “What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?”

Frank Loesser wrote the 1947 song “What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?”

Loesser wrote the song as a romantic popular standard rather than as a traditional countdown anthem. Its title asks about plans for a future New Year's Eve, giving the song a distinctive anticipatory mood instead of focusing only on the moment of midnight.

The song was introduced by Margaret Whiting, whose recording helped establish it in the American popular repertoire. It has since been recorded by many singers in jazz, pop, and traditional vocal styles, so listeners may encounter very different arrangements.

The title is sometimes mistaken for the name of a specific New Year's Eve television special or for a song written by one of the better-known American composers of the Great American Songbook. The credited songwriter is Frank Loesser, who also wrote the music and lyrics for the musical Guys and Dolls.