Which song, written by Frank Loesser, became a standard associated with New Year's Eve celebrations?
Answer
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” is the New Year’s standard written by Frank Loesser.
Loesser wrote the song in 1947, and the first known recording was made by the vocal group The Orioles in 1949. Its lyric asks a romantic question about plans for the coming New Year’s Eve rather than describing a public countdown or a traditional ceremony.
The song became a durable part of seasonal popular music through recordings by many singers. Its sophisticated melody and conversational premise helped it work both as a romantic ballad and as a holiday-season standard. It is often played in December even though the lyric is directed toward the future New Year’s Eve.
The title is sometimes shortened informally, but the canonical title includes the question and the possessive form “New Year’s.” It should also be distinguished from “New Year’s Day,” a separate song title used by several artists.