New Year's Day singles

by Matt McGee

U2's first big worldwide hit is also the first single the band released worldwide on more than just the standard 7" 45 rpm format. "New Year's Day" led the way for the War album, and was inspired by Polish dissident and Solidarity union leader Lech Walesa. The piano-driven track features some of Edge's finest work, as he moves effortlessly back and forth between the piano keyboard and his guitar. Compared to the band's earlier output, "New Year's Day" was given the all-out treatment from Island (and its counterparts in different countries) with enough unique promo and official 12" versions to keep most any collector busy.

The original 7" single features Peter Rowan, the original "Boy", on its picture sleeve (see image). This version was sent out as a double-pack, and along with the 12" single, it featured "Treasure Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop)" on the b-side and three additional live tracks recorded at the Werchter Festival in Belgium in July, 1982:

• "Fire"
• "I Threw a Brick Through a Window"
• "A Day Without Me"

When Island began reissuing U2's early singles on CD in the late 80s, the CD single for "New Year's Day" also included all five tracks.

The addition of the three live tracks make these versions of the single a worthy addition to any collection. The live tracks are a less-than-crisp recording, which makes them somewhat unique given U2's later penchant for dubbing and overdubbing any and all imperfections out of future live releases.

Another version of the 7" single featured a black picture sleeve with a photo of U2 posing outdoors. This is the French promo version of the single.

But any U2 fan who considers "New Year's Day" a favorite song should be sure to track down the version available on the 7" double-pack or 12" single of "Two Hearts Beat as One." This shorter version of "New Year's Day" runs only 4:30, a full minute less than the album version. It opens with Edge alone on piano for almost 45 seconds before the rest of the band join in, and Bono singing new lyrics over the melody:

You won't hold me, hold me down
You won't break this up
I ... I will be free again
Stone cold night on a cold stone floor
A cross of light on a prison door
I want to be with you, be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's Day...

This alternate version is also available on the "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" CD single issued in the late 1980s, and was also featured on a rarely-seen promo video which somehow got included on an official Polygram video release called "The Ultimate Eighties" (Polygram TV 516-867-2).

As mentioned earlier, there are many additional versions of "New Year's Day" you may come across in your collecting travels.

The 12" U.S. promo (45 rpm) to the right is fairly standard issue, and shouldn't be difficult to find. More valuable is a 12" promo version from France with a unique red cover. Among 7" versions, the Japanese release on Polystar carries a high value among collectors.