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New Year (song)

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This article is about the Sugababes song. For other songs, see New Year.
"New Year"
Single by Sugababes
from the album One Touch
B-side
  • "Forever"
  • "Little Lady Love"
  • "Sugababes on the Run"
Released18 December 2000
Recorded
  • Bear Studios
  • London, England
Genre
Length3:50
LabelLondon
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Sugababes singles chronology
"Overload"
(2000) 		"New Year"
(2000) 		"Run for Cover"
(2001)

"New Year" is a song by British girl group the Sugababes, released as the second single from their debut studio album One Touch (2000). The song was written by group members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan in collaboration with Cameron McVey, Jony Lipsey, Felix Howard and Matt Rowe, and produced by McVey, Lipsey and Paul Simm. "New Year" is a pop and R&B ballad with influences of soul and alternative rock. It features acoustic instrumentation, and the lyrics describe the experience of breaking up on Christmas Day.

Critics praised the song for its seasonal nature and the group's performance. Upon release, it charted at number twelve in the United Kingdom and number twenty-five in Ireland. To promote the song, a music video was directed by Alex Hamming and filmed in London. On 31 December 2012 the trio performed "New Year" at a New Year's Eve party in London, under their new group name Mutya Keisha Siobhan.

Background and release

Mutya Buena (pictured) formed the Sugababes with Siobhán Donaghy and Keisha Buchanan in 1998.

British girl group the Sugababes were formed in 1998 by Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan.[1] Donaghy and Buena first met during an a cappella gig, where they heard each other sing and later performed a duet.[2] The duo decided to work together on a new song, and while they were in the studio, Buchanan came to visit her friend Buena.[2] Donaghy's manager, Ron Tom, concluded that the trio were to join together as a band, known as the Sugababes.[2] They later signed to London Records and began writing songs for their debut album One Touch.[1]

"New Year" was written by the group's members in collaboration with Cameron McVey, Jony Lipsey, Matt Rowe and Felix Howard.[3] The song was produced by McVey, Lipsey and Paul Simm.[3] It was recorded and engineered by Goetz Botzenhardt at Bear Studios, and mixed by its producers at Metropolis Studios.[3] London Records released "New Year" in the United Kingdom on 18 December 2000 as the second single from One Touch.[4] Two B-sides were featured on the first CD single: "Forever" and "Sugababes on the Run".[5] On the second CD, a B-side titled "Little Lady Love" was included.[5][6] "New Year" was omitted from the group's greatest hits album Overloaded: The Singles Collection.[7]

Composition and lyrics

"New Year" is a midtempo[8] pop and R&B ballad with influences of soul[9] and alternative rock.[10][11][12] It contains acoustic instrumentation in the form of beats, bass, strings, guitar and keys,[3][9] and features tight production juxtaposed with the group's harmonious vocals.[9] Writers for the BBC characterised the song as having "a melodic swagger" reminiscent of All Saints' earlier work, and a "classy arrangement [...] boosted by an infectiously splashy drumbeat and stabs of acoustic guitar".[11] "New Year" features a seasonal theme,[9] focussing on the holiday of Christmas,[13] which is referenced in the song's lyrics.[14] It is about the experience of a breakup on Christmas Day.[15] According to Betty Clarke of The Guardian, "New Year" "tells [a tale] of festive fumblings to Last Christmas", and through lines such as "I'm older than my years, drowning in my tears" the Sugababes are shown singing with insight.[16]

Reception

Critical

The song was raved by critics. A journalist from the BBC wrote that the single as "lives up to the hype" and praised the inclusion of lyrics about Christmas as "without sounding remotely contrived".[11] The Sunday Herald's Samuel McGuire interpreted "New Year" as a "mellow [and] dewy-eyed" song that will "undoubtedly cement [the Sugababes'] 'new All Saints' tag early in 2001".[17] Eva Simpson of the Daily Mirror gave a positive review, writing: "Taken from outstanding debut album One Touch, this soulful track is head and shoulders above other festive releases. A must for Christmas stockings."[18] Yahoo Music's Andy Strickland stated that while "New Year" is not as "wired or skewed" as the group's debut single "Overload", it is a representation of the group members' vocal abilities.[19] Hot Press writer Stephen Robinson praised the song as "a shameless attempt at a January hit",[20] while Peter Robinson called it the group's best ballad.[21] In December 2012 Bernadette McNulty of The Daily Telegraph picked it out as one of the newspaper's favourite Christmas songs:

A relentless tearjerker from the pouty North London teenagers off their debut album. Sneakily giving the song a title that makes it last throughout the festive season, this updates old school girl-group harmonies from Christmas classics by the likes of the Ronettes with a clunky drum beat.[22]

Commercial

Because of its release around Christmas time, media outlets considered "New Year" to be a contender for the 2000 Christmas number one.[23] In the issue dated 30 December 2000 the song debuted and peaked at number twelve on the UK Singles Chart, where it charted for nine weeks.[24] By early 2010, it had sold approximately 85,000 copies in the United Kingdom and was the group's eighteenth highest-selling single there.[25] "New Year" reached number twenty-five on the Irish Singles Chart, where it appeared for five weeks.[26]

Promotion

From left to right: Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan.

Music video

To promote "New Year", a music video was directed by Alex Hamming and filmed in London, England.[27] It was included on the song's CD release.[4] The video is mainly black-and-white, but also features shades of pink and blue.[28] During the video, the group's members sing in front of a white background, while computer graphics such as snow, letters and butterflies appear throughout.[28] Other features in the video include a bird cage, stars and a calendar.[28] Donaghy, Buena and Buchanan are shown both individually and collectively in the video; in some clips they are seated on chairs and against walls.[28] The Daily Telegraph's Bernadette McNulty described their appearance in the clips, writing: "The original trio sulk their way through the video in boot-cut jeans and smudged eyeliner".[22]

Live performances

The Sugababes performed "New Year" on the 15 December 2000 broadcast of TFI Friday. In October 2011, news outlets began to report that the original members of the Sugababes would reform.[29] In July 2012, it was officially confirmed that they had reformed under the name Mutya Keisha Siobhan. The trio played their first gig together in over ten years on 31 December 2012 at a New Year's Eve party held in London.[30] "New Year" was the second song on the set list, which also included their songs "Overload" and "Freak like Me", and a cover version of Rihanna's single "Diamonds".[31]

Cover versions

The song was covered by Welsh indie pop band The Darling Buds and released as a digital single on Oddbox Records on 15 December 2018.

Track listings and formats

Credits and personnel

Recording
  • Recorded by Goetz Botzenhardt at Bear Studios, London, England
Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of One Touch, courtesy of London Records.[3]

Charts

Chart (2000) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[26] 25
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[24] 12

References

  1. ^ a b "Colourful past of pop's Sugababes". BBC News. BBC. 21 December 2005. Archived from the original on 26 December 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Soteriou, Andreas (16 September 2009). "Siobhan Donaghy – The one that got away". Ponystep. Mandi Lennard Publicity. Archived from the original on 22 September 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e One Touch (album booklet). Sugababes. Universal Island Records. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ a b "New Year (CD2)". Amazon (UK). 2000-12-18. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "New Year – Sugababes". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  6. ^ a b "New Year – Sugababes". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  7. ^ Adams, Cameron (14 December 2006). "Such sweet relief". Herald Sun. The Herald and Weekly Times. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  8. ^ Kolesnikov, Sergey (5 January 2008). "Sugababes – New Year". Rolling Stone (in Russian). Jann Wenner. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d Perry, Tim (9 December 2000). "Single of the week". The Independent. Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013. (subscription required)
  10. ^ "Friday Live: new sounds". South Wales Echo. Trinity Mirror. 30 August 2002. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2012. (subscription required)
  11. ^ a b c "Pick of the Christmas singles". BBC News. BBC. 17 December 2000. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  12. ^ Paoletta, Michael (23 June 2001). "London/Sire Sweetens Up Roster With Pop/R&B Trio The Sugababes". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. p. 13. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  13. ^ "What will be the Christmas number one?". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media. 24 November 2000. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  14. ^ "Christmas singles". Sunday Mirror. Trinity Mirror. 17 December 2000. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2013. (subscription required)
  15. ^ Robinson, Peter (11 December 2005). "Peter Ronbinson talks to the Sugababes". The Observer. Guardian News & Media. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  16. ^ Clarke, Betty (24 November 2000). "Album of the week: Sugababes". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  17. ^ McGuire, Samuel (3 December 2000). "Too cool for school". Sunday Herald. Newsquest. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2012. (subscription required)
  18. ^ Simspon, Eva (18 December 2000). "Eva on the charts: Cool Single 1". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2013. (subscription required)
  19. ^ Strickland, Andy (30 November 2000). "Sugababes – One Touch". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo! UK & Ireland. Archived from the original on 13 March 2004. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  20. ^ Robinson, Stephen (7 December 2000). "One Touch". Hot Press. Niall Stokes. Archived from the original on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  21. ^ Robinson, Peter (11 November 2006). "Peter Robinson on the Greatest Hits formula". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  22. ^ a b McNulty, Bernadette (10 December 2012). "Christmas songs advent calendar: Day 10. The Sugababes – New Year". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  23. ^ "Eminem voted Christmas favourite". BBC News. BBC. 14 December 2000. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  24. ^ a b "Sugababes". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  25. ^ "Sugababes Official Top 20 Best Selling Singles". MTV UK. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  26. ^ a b "Irish Charts – Sugababes". Irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  27. ^ Overloaded: The Singles Collection (DVD liner notes). Island Records. November 2006.
  28. ^ a b c d Sugababes (2000). New Year. London, England: London Records. {{cite AV media}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help)
  29. ^ "Original Sugababes lineup of Keisha, Mutya and Siobhan set to reform". Metro. Associated Newspapers. 18 October 2011. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  30. ^ "Original Sugababes perform together". Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  31. ^ "Original Sugababes Mutya Keisha Siobhan play secret comeback gig". NME. IPC Media. 1 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  32. ^ "Sugababes - New Year (Cassette) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2000-12-18. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
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