Battle of the Bands New Year’s Edition! – HAPPY NEW YEAR

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Battle of the Bands New Year’s Edition! Happy New Year Y’all!

Since it’s a holiday, this is going to be short and sweet. I’m featuring two different songs by the same name. In celebration of the day, both songs are called Happy New Year. Since it’s not the same song, just vote on which one you’d rather listen to on New Year’s Day. And tell us why.

Contender #1:  “Happy New Year” by Kid Rock: from the 2012 album Rebel Soul: A video for Happy New Year came out in late December. It featured a cameo by super model Cindy Crawford. It gained minor attention from CMT and VH-1 and failed to chart.

 

Contender #2: “Happy New Year” by Abba

The cut appeared on the iconic Swedish pop group’s first album of the ’80s, Super Trouper, which reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200 in 1981. Reflecting on its ’70s heyday, the act sings, “It’s the end of a decade / In another 10 years time, who can say what we’ll find? / What lies waiting down the line, at the end of ’89?”

 

Time to vote! When you’re done voting here, be sure to go visit the other Battle of the Bands participants and check out their cool battles:

Hope you’re rockin’ into this new year! This next song has nothing to do with today’s battle. Just thought I’d rock you into the New Year with a little U2. Here’s their 1983 hit song New Year’s Day, from their album War.

About the song: “It was released as the album’s lead single in January 1983. Written about the Polish Solidarity movement, “New Year’s Day” is driven by Adam Clayton’s distinctive bassline and the Edge’s piano and guitar playing. It was the band’s first UK hit single, peaking at no. 10, also becoming the band’s first international hit, reaching for example no. 9 in Norway, no. 11 on the Dutch Top 40, no. 17 in Sweden and charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States (just missing the Top 50) for the first time in their career.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Here’s a studio promo video of U2 performing New Year’s Day. Look how young they all were! Enjoy! and Happy New Year…

 

See you on the 15th for the next Battle of the Bands…

31 thoughts on “Battle of the Bands New Year’s Edition! – HAPPY NEW YEAR

  1. Happy New Year, Michele! Gosh, Kid Rock and I are on opposite sides of the planet! Never heard this song but that’s okay, as there was option # 2 – ABBA. They were a favorite group of mine. everything they sang was so good to me. I’d forgotten about their “Happy New Year” song. Nice hearing it again. My vote goes to them.

    This might be a tough battle – lots of Kid Rock fans, and the video was hysterical. Have fun.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Happy New Year Dixie! Glad you liked the Abba song. I think this battle is going to end up lopsided but that’s okay. It’s fun! Hope you had a wonderful New Year’s Eve. May you have a blessed and prosperous new year!

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  2. Hi, Michele!

    Happy New Year!

    Gosh, you could have turned this into a 3-way BOTB. Adding that U2 song as a contestant would have made the decision much harder for me. It was very easy for me to pick ABBA in this two-way battle because I love the Swedish group, have almost all their songs in my CD collection and have three of their DVDs. Their “Happy New Year” is so simple, so beautiful, that it brought tears to my eyes. There were two things about the Kid Rock video that turned me off. The extended vignette at the beginning seemed self-indulgent. Too many bands waste our time with long intros that don’t work and waste our time. I say, get on with the song already! The other thing I didn’t like was when the guys guzzled liquor on stage and urged the crowd to get shit-faced. That endorsement of alcohol abuse rubbed me the wrong way. There are far too many alcohol fueled traffic accidents on New Year’s Eve and every other night of the year, resulting in tragic loss of innocent lives. The Kid Rock song and video were irresponsible and that made it even easier to vote for ABBA.

    Thank you, dear friend Michele!

    Liked by 1 person

    • That’s an interesting take on the Kid Rock video. I didn’t even think about that.
      So far Abba has all the votes (three of them so far). I do like that song. I think it’s pretty. I did think the Kid Rock video was kinda funny… but moreso I really liked the song.
      Glad you liked the U2 song too. I just had to include their New Year’s Day song… I’ve been singing it all day!
      Hope you had fun last night Shady. Happy New Year!

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  3. Happy New Year, Michele!

    I liked Kid Rock’s song; it was fun and the video was pretty funny, especially at the beginning. But I liked ABBA’s song better; it captured the feeling of leaving a comfortable year behind and looking forward into the unknown year that just started. Give my vote to ABBA.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Happy New Year John! Hope you had fun last night and are having a fabulous start to this new year.
      Thanks for stopping by and I have you down for Abba.

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  4. Cool choices, Michele! I’m going with Kid Rock (not an Abba fan…) — and I’m so glad you didn’t include U2 in your battle, haha… They’re my Battle for today 😀 (Well, not *them*… I wouldn’t dare pit them against anyone, not for this song anyway 😉 ). Happy 2016 for you, too! Hope it’s a fabulous year for you 🙂
    Guilie @ Quiet Laughter

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hey Guilie. Happy New Year! Hope you had a great time last night and are having a wonderful start to this new year. Glad you liked the Kid Rock song. I’ll put you down for him. There’s one for Kid Rock now. Yay! Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Tough call. I like ABBA, always have – but not crazy about this particular song.

    As for Kid Rock – not normally a fan but I think this is a funny song. The more he drinks, the better his gal in the red dress looks. That’s what all the diehard drinkers experience, I’ll wager. Hey, it’s better than Death Metal and the wall of noise bands, any day.

    Kid Rock gets the vote for me in your very interesting battle. Great start to 2016!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I don’t normally look at the videos as I don’t want it to affect my voting but this was an easy one for me-ABBA all the way! I am a huge …HUGE ABBA fan and have all their records including the Spanish one (Not Swedish). This song was one of reflection and hope…their voices are so in sync and beautiful. Kid Rock’s version is funny in some ways but I was also hear about getting really drunk as if that is all there is to New Year’s. I prefer the lyrics and voices of ABBA. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a prude and have had heavy heads in the past but not my idea of a great way to end the year.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Many Abba fans in our little group of BOTB friends! Abba is a great group. Their New Year song is very meaningful. Couple the lyrics with their incredible voices and you have one fabulous song! Thanks for stopping by and voting. Happy New Year Birgit!

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  7. Happy New Year, MICHELE! I hope you “git a goot one!”

    I came here to vote yesterday, played the KID ROCK song and then I got distracted by something and never completed the job. (I think I saw a chicken through my window or something.)

    I just now watched and listened to KID ROCK for a second time, just for the pleasure of it. I guess I don’t need to say who I’m voting for, do I?

    To steal an oldie but a goodie, that video could have been titled “A 2 AT 10 IS A 10 AT 2”.

    I didn’t know anything about KID ROCK prior to the invention of BOTB, and he just looked like a typical “modern maroon” to me. But I’ve come across some of his songs now, and learned a bit about him, and I think I’m really starting to like the guy. He’s got a sense of humor and doesn’t take himself too seriously. (Was that a curling iron he was using on his hair in the beginning? HA!)

    I really liked the song and the entertaining video, too.

    As far as Abba goes, I’ve never, ever been a fan. To me they’re like a very small bag of unsalted popcorn: nuttin’ to get excited about and never satisfying.
    A wee bit o’ fluff,
    and it’s never enuf.

    Thanks for the amusing KID ROCK video, MIchele! You rock, kid!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    ‘Loyal American Underground’

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lol! A 2 at 10 is a 10 at 2: hilarious! Amazing the transformation that is possible with a little alcohol! 🙂
      And yep, that was a curling iron he was using on his hair although i think he was using it to straighten that hair of his!
      I thought the video was really funny and I’m glad some of you are finding it funny too.
      Question: do you normally see chickens out your window???

      Thanks for stopping by. Hope 2016 is really good to you Stephen!

      Rock on…

      Like

  8. The Kid Rock song was fun and enjoyable to listen to. I am an Abba fan and figured I’d be voting for them. However this song seemed kind of trite and lackluster. Guess I’d rather listen to Kid Rock’s song unless I was in a particularly maudlin mood.

    A vote for Kid Rock.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    Liked by 1 person

    • Happy New Year Lee! So glad you enjoyed the Kid Rock video. I love the song too. The tune is very catchy. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll put you down for Kid Rock.

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  9. Have to go with AbbA. I’ve never been a Kid Rock fan. Certainly not one of Abba’s better songs, I still chose them over Kid Rock.
    PS – Sorry, I ended up not participating in BOTB this time. Time ran out on me and I was feeling all that well this time.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hey Jeffrey. Hope you’re feeling better by now. I’ll put you down for Abba. This contest is pretty neck and neck so will be interesting to see who ultimately wins out. Thanks for your vote. And Happy New Year!

      Like

  10. I like Abba, but I’m not all that crazy about this song. I’m rather surprised that Kid Rock didn’t do better with this song. It’s fun (as is the video). So, chalk one for Kid Rock.

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  11. I’m not necessarily a fan of Kid Rock, especially his ‘country’ stuff, but this was funny and I have to give him the vote if for nothing else in the very end Cindy Crawford did NOT end up with the Kid either, but a much better looking guy. I guess she was hitting that bottle of Beam also.

    Happy New Year Michelle

    Liked by 1 person

    • Happy New Year to you too Fae! Thanks for stopping by. I have you down for Kid Rock. I’m glad you found the video funny too…

      Like

  12. Pingback: Battle of the Bands RESULTS: Abba vs. Kid Rock | Angels Bark

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