Will You Spend the “New Year’s Day” as Taylor Swift Does?

It has been an ancient tradition for many of us to make grand preparation to welcome the New Year. We’re even busier doing a lot of things on the New Year’s Eve than on the New Year’s Day itself. The elegant preparation seems to be the event’s highlight. Many Christmas songs also mention this in their lyrics. But in the 2017 single of Taylor Swift “New Year’s Day,” the singer offered a different approach to celebrating the New Year. This song is very timely to listen to as we are starting the year 2019. Let’s look into the song’s context to understand the meaning and message behind the lyrics better further.  

Lyrics’ Meaning

The song basically narrates the singer’s plan on spending the New Year’s Day ut it also refers to a specific relationship given the addition of the words “with you,” referring to a man. The following line further affirms this observation and offers clarity as to the song being considered a romantic tune.

“I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day”

That is probably the most powerful part of the song’s lyrics. It actually implies two things. First is the cleaning of bottles. At the opening of the song, the narrator talks about the glitter on the floor that has been left after the party the previous night. And since the fun is over, she’s left with the clutter needing cleanup. It only means that she’ll be spending the first day of the year cleaning the bottles and all of the party’s leftovers. We can all relate to this. No one can escape from cleaning the mess that the New Year’s Day celebration left. The second thing that the song implies is the romantic relationship that probably involves the narrator. A sudden feeling of sorrow engulfs her upon realizing that the party is over and all of her friends have left. Yet, she found hope from the man beside her who remained. It makes sense to her that this man is worth spending her life with as he stays with her during the fun times and through all of the messiness afterward.

Don’t read the lastpage
But I stay when you’re lost, and I’m scared
And you’re turning away
I want your midnights
But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day

A Few Facts of the Song

Taylor Swift co-wrote the lyrics to “New Year’s Day” with Jack Antonoff. According to the latter, they wrote the song very quickly at his apartment. A New Year’s Eve party at Swift’s London residence was the inspiration behind the song. The track was the fourth single off of Swift’s 2017 album Reputation. It was one of the last songs from the album revealed prior to the record’s release. It made a debut on ABC’s hit television series Scandal, particularly during a commercial break for its November 9, 2017 episode. Moreover, Swift performed the song at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon also in November 2017.

Watch her live performance below.