Twelve "Begin" Songs to Start the New Year

"Auld Lang Syne" may be the traditional song associated with the New Year celebration, but it is actually more associated with the end of a party rather than a new beginning.

To brighten the anticipation for the beginning of a new year, a party's host must have better selections than "Auld Lang Syne."

Here is a playlist of songs with some form of the verb "begin" in their titles. There are twelve songs, honoring this upcoming year.

"Beginnings" by Chicago: This is one of the many hits from the band's debut album, along with "Color My World," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" and "I'm a Man."

"Begin the Begin" by REM: This title from Life's Rich Pageant refers to Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine," which has been recorded by artists from Tom Jones to Sammy Davis, Jr. The highlight of the alternative baned's song is the lyric, "A philanderer's tie, a murderer's shoe."

"We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters: This love song is typical of the classy brother-sister duo. Karen's strong vocal never sounds better than after the antipatory pause leading to "to live" following the four words in the title.

"The World Began in Eden and Ended in Los Angeles" by Phil Ochs: The folk singer who was the voice of protest in the 60s recorded this song toward the end of his career. The album title, Rehearsals for Retirement, should have been a harbinger of not only the end of his music, but of his suicide just a few years later.

"From the Beginning" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer: Greg Lake's beautiful guitar work in this gem from Trilogy rivals masterpieces created by any of the most famous classical composers.

"Propinquity (I've Only Just Begun to Care)" by the Monkees: Michael Nesmith takes the lead vocal on his acoustic track from the Missing Links album.

"The Beginning of the End" by Guster: The band's best album, Ganging Up on the Sun, is loaded with poignant pop tracks. This one is not as captivating as "One Man Wrecking Machine" or "Satellite," but it outshines anything else on the pop charts at the time.

"The Beginning" by the Eels: Oddly enough, this track appears on an album called End Times. Fans of the indie band, though, have come to expect such eccentricity from Mark Oliver Everett, whose whispered vocal complements the acoustic guitar on this tune.

"In the Beginning Was Love" by the Waterboys: The 80s alternative band is better known for "The Whole of the Moon," but this song has the band sounding great even when scaling back the production.

"When It All Began" by Poco: Though not as popular as "Pickin' Up the Pieces" or "Crazy Love" from Richie Furay and Jim Messina's country-rock band, this smooth track can be found on any of its greatest hits collections.

"Begin" by Ben Lee: The singer-songwriter's friendly tenor almost makes listeners overlook the clever, often humorous, lyrics on most of the songs on Awake Is the New Sleep.

"White Queen (As It Began)" by Queen: The band's sophomore album is often overlooked between its debut and its chart-topping Sheer Heart Attack, mainly because Queen II contained no true single. This tune, along with "Seven Seas of Rye," is the closest Freddie Mercury and his band came to a hit on this record.