Guy Lombardo’s New Year’s Eve broadcasts helped make “Auld Lang Syne” the best-known New Year’s song in North America.
The song uses a poem written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788, set to a traditional melody. Its title is Scots for “old long since,” conveying the idea of remembering past times and old friendships. Lombardo and his band, the Royal Canadians, performed it during their long-running New Year broadcasts.
The song is not an original composition by Lombardo, and it is not exclusively a New Year’s song. It is also used at farewells, graduations, memorials, and other transitions. The familiar English wording varies among performances because the song has multiple verses and translations, while the melody remains widely recognizable.