Another New Year
By Jai Cafarella on January 7, 2024 12:33 pm
Welcome back everyone to Another New Year of Weekly Beats! 
This year I'm hoping to do an even-ish mix of brand new off-the-cuff material and finishing off ancient relics from the festering ideas vault (such as this one).
This song stemmed from a 16 year old idea. The first verse was written as a melancholy acoustic guitar bit to mirror my lament for the social 'tradition' (ie, pressure) for establishing goals and striving for success at the turn of a new year. I wanted to be a part of it all to feel like I was fitting in but also felt disheartened by the expectations and inevitable failure rather than just trying to manage what I can manage and being okay with that.
As Weekly Beats 2024 approached, I had a quick look at this one and gathered a few other verse lines I had added over time including the outro bit, but I never liked the original chorus, hence why it stayed shelved for so long (only to subtly nag me every New Years since 2008). After a few minutes I had written a new chorus I was more content with than the original, so I continued to tinker with the build and here we are.
Instead of going angsty whiney acoustic ballad as originally written, I wanted to pep it up with an ironically upbeat pop band vibe (guitars, bass, drums), but as it was coming together it sounded way too much like a cheesy 90s sitcom theme tune so I scrapped that approach and switched to electro with different guitar parts to suit.
Another new year, another year gone
Another resolution revealing
So raise your glasses for disappointment
'Cause that's the only feeling I am feeling tonight
Don't say "everything's alright"
The real life is the real lie
I wanna be wasted so I forget
The last year with too many tears
Knowing the worst is yet to come
The years begin with the best intentions
When goals and dreams had meaning and feeling
But now it's over, another failure
Another book of wasted empty pages again
Don't say "everything's alright"
The real life is the real lie
I wanna be wasted so I forget
The last year with too many tears
Knowing the worst is yet to come
"Tradition is peer pressure from the dead"
The real life is the real lie
I wanna be wasted so I forget
The last year with too many tears
Knowing the worst is yet to come
Another new year, another year done
I guess I'll try and make the best of this one
Audio works licensed by author under:
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Thanks for getting me onto WB!