Guy Lombardo's orchestra famously played “Auld Lang Syne” at midnight on New Year's Eve broadcasts.
Lombardo and his Royal Canadians became associated with New Year's Eve through radio and later television broadcasts from New York. Their annual performances helped make the song a standard part of American year-end celebrations, especially from the 1920s onward. The arrangement connected the tune with the final seconds of the old year and the opening moments of the new one.
“Auld Lang Syne” is a Scots song whose best-known lyrics are associated with Robert Burns. Lombardo did not write the song; his importance lies in popularizing its midnight performance in mass media. His orchestra's style also helped give the tradition a polished dance-band sound.
The song is now heard in many countries, but its meaning and timing vary. Some communities sing it at farewells, graduations, or other transitions rather than exclusively at New Year's midnight.