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New Year's Day (song)




  Cover U2nydjpg
  Caption UK cover (double 7" vinyl)
  Artist U2
  From Album War
  Released January 1983
  Format 7" Vinyl , 12" Vinyl , CD
  Genre Rock
  Length 5:35
  Label Island
  Producer Steve Lillywhite
  Chart Position <ul>
  Last Single " A Celebration "<br/> (1982)
  This Single "'''New Year's Day'''"<br/> (1983)
  Next Single " Two Hearts Beat As One "<br/> (1983)
  Misc {{Extra album cover
  Upper Caption Alternate Covers
  Background khaki
  Cover U2nyd_francejpg
  Lower Caption France cover (12" vinyl)


  Cover U2nyd_japanjpg
  Lower Caption Japan cover


  Album War
  Type studio
  Prev Track " Seconds "
  Prev No 2
  This Track "'''New Year's Day'''"
  Track No 3
  Next Track "Like a Song"
  Next No 4


  Album Under A Blood Red Sky
  Type live
  Prev Track " The Electric Co "
  Prev No 6
  This Track "'''New Year's Day'''"
  Track No 7
  Next Track " 40 "
  Next No 8


  Album The Best Of 1980-1990
  Type compilation
  Prev Track " Pride (In The Name Of Love) "
  Prev No 1
  This Track "'''New Year's Day'''"
  Track No 2
  Next Track " With Or Without You "
  Next No 3


  Album U218 Singles
  Type compilation
  Prev Track " Vertigo "
  Prev No 5
  This Track "'''New Year's Day'''"
  Track No 6
  Next Track " Mysterious Ways "
  Next No 7




"New Year's Day" is the third song and lead single from U2 's 1983 album, '' War ''. The song is driven by Adam Clayton 's distinctive bassline and The Edge 's keyboard. It was the band's first hit single, breaking the top ten in the UK and charting on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in their career. In 2004 , '' Rolling Stone '' magazine placed the single at number 427 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time .


HISTORY

The lyric had its origins in a love song from movement.Robert Hilburn, ''The Los Angeles Times'', " Where Craft Ends and Spirit Begins ", 8 August 2004. Retrieved 14 December 2006.

The video was their first to see heavy rotation on MTV . It was filmed in Sweden in December 1982 and directed by Meiert Avis . The band only appeared in the performance scenes of the video as it was filmed in the dead of the Swedish winter. U2 guitarist Edge revealed in the official U2 biography that the four people riding on horseback in the video that appeared to be the four U2 members were in fact four Swedish teenage girls disguised as the members of U2 riding on horseback with masks over their faces. This was done as the band were frozen from shooting the video in sub-freezing temperatures the day before. The biography also states that Bono refused to wear any headgear despite the cold weather and had a lot of trouble mouthing the lyrics.

"New Year's Day" is U2's third most frequently performed live song,http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/most-played-songs-no-snippets.html with The Edge switching back and forth between piano and guitar during the song. It has been a standard on every U2 tour since its debut on 1 December 1982 at the first show of the War Tour 's Pre-Tour. During the 1980s, The Edge used a Fender Stratocaster to perform this song, along with a keyboard. During the 1990s and 2000s, he has alternated between a Gibson Les Paul Custom and Les Paul Standard. Up until the Elevation Tour , Adam normally used a chorus effect on his bass guitar for this song live.

"New Year's Day" has appeared on numerous U2 concert video releases, beginning with 1983's '' Under A Blood Red Sky ''.

The B-side of "New Year's Day", "Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop?)", was never performed live. However, an early version known simply as "Pete the Chop" was played at some concerts in 1980 and can claim the title of being the last commercially unreleased pre-'' Boy '' known to have been performed live.http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/show544.html


TRACK LISTINGS


7": Island / WIP 6848 (UK)

#"New Year's Day" (Short Version) – 3:53
#"Treasure" (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop)" – 3:24


7": Island / 811 323-7 (France)

#"New Year's Day" (Edit) – 3:40
#"Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop)" – 3:24


7": Island / 7S-86 (Japan)

#"New Year's Day" (Special Version) – 4:16
#"Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop)" – 3:24


2x7": Island / UWIP6848 (UK)


#"New Year's Day" (Short Version) – 3:53
#"Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop?" – 3:24

#" Fire " (Live from Werchter, July 4, 1982) – 3:45
#"I Threw a Brick Through a Window / A Day Without Me " (Live from Werchter, July 4, 1982) – 6:58


12": Island / 12 WIP 6848 (UK)

#"New Year's Day" (Long Version) – 5:35
#"Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop)" – 3:24
#" Fire " (Live from Werchter, July 4, 1982) – 3:45
#"I Threw a Brick Through a Window / A Day Without Me " (Live from Werchter, July 4, 1982) – 6:58



12": Island / 814 948-1 (France)

#"New Year's Day" (U.S. Remix) – 4:30
#" Two Hearts Beat As One " (U.S. Remix) – 5:40



CD: Island / 664 973 (Austria)

#"New Year's Day" (Long Version) – 5:35
#"Treasure" (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop?) – 3:24
#" Fire " (Live from Werchter, July 4, 1982) – 3:45
#"I Threw a Brick Through a Window / A Day Without Me " (Live from Werchter, July 4, 1982) – 6:58


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