Here are 26 New Year music quiz questions with answers, in five rounds: songs about the New Year, the words of Auld Lang Syne, music fun facts, two ordering questions and a round on the music of 2025. Read them out at a party, print the page, or run them live so everyone answers on their phone.
We rebuilt this quiz for 2026. It is now all about the New Year (the Christmas songs have moved to our Julemusikquiz), every answer has a source, and nothing needs a music clip, so there are no recordings to licence or play.
hurtige fakta
På et overblik4 hurtige svar
Hvor mange spørgsmål er der?
Svar26, in five rounds, each with its answer underneath
Does it use music clips or lyrics?
SvarNo. Every question works as text, and the only words quoted are Robert Burns's 1788 poem
How recent is it?
SvarRound 5 covers 2025, from Billboard's year-end charts, last checked on 3 October 2026
Kan jeg være vært for det live?
SvarYes, with the New Year music quiz template on AhaSlides (below)
Round 1: New Year songs (multiple choice)
Six questions on songs written about the turn of the year. Every one is about the New Year, not Christmas. Each answer links to its source.
Songs with New Year in the title6 spørgsmål
1ABBA's "Happy New Year" is on which 1980 album?
Flere detaljerKilde: udiscovermusic.com.
2Which band had its first UK top-10 hit with "New Year's Day" in 1983?
Flere detaljerIt was the band's first top 10 single in the UK (kilde).
3Taylor Swift's "New Year's Day" is on which album?
Svarry (2017). It is the final track (kilde).
4Who recorded "Auld Lang Syne (The New Year's Anthem)" in 2010?
Flere detaljerIt is on her Christmas album Glædelig jul II dig (kilde).
5In which year did Barry Manilow write "It's Just Another New Year's Eve"?
Flere detaljerKilde: billboard.com.
6Which Tori Amos album closes with "Our New Year"?
SvarMidvinter nåde (2009) (kilde).
Round 2: Auld Lang Syne, in Robert Burns's own words
The words to "Auld Lang Syne" are by Robert Burns and more than 230 years old, so they are free to quote. This round fills in the gaps from his poem, then asks about the song's history. Sources: Scotland.org, The History and Words of Auld Lang Syne og University of Glasgow, Burns C21, Auld Lang Syne.
Fill in the blanks, 1788 text8 spørgsmål
7Udfyld det tomme felt: Should auld ___ be forgot, and never brought to mind?
8Udfyld det tomme felt: We'll tak' a cup o' ___ yet, for auld lang syne.
9Udfyld det tomme felt: And there's a hand, my trusty ___! And gie's a hand o' thine!
Svarudstillinger, an old Scots word for a friend or companion.
10Udfyld det tomme felt: We twa hae paidl'd in the ___, frae morning sun till dine.
Svarbrænde, the Scots word for a stream.
11In which year did Robert Burns send "Auld Lang Syne" to the Scots Musical Museum?
Svar1788, with the note that it was an old song he had taken down from an old man.
12True or false: "auld lang syne" can be loosely translated as "for the sake of old times".
Flere detaljerScotland.org gives the meaning as "for old times' sake".
13True or false: Robert Burns wrote the tune we sing "Auld Lang Syne" to today.
Flere detaljerBurns wrote the words. The tune sung today appeared in print in 1759 as "The Miller's Wedding", and George Thomson published it with Burns's words in 1799.
14In a letter to the song editor George Thomson, how did Burns describe the older tune that first went with the song?
Flere detaljerBurns wrote that the air was "but mediocre", and that the old song was enough to recommend any air.
Round 3: New Year music fun facts (true or false)
Three true-or-false statements and one question on the most famous countdown in the world.
True or false and Times Square4 spørgsmål
15True or false: In the Scottish tradition, singers cross their arms and join hands at the start of the final verse of "Auld Lang Syne".
Flere detaljerEveryone stands in a circle, and at the start of the final verse ("And there's a hand, my trusty fiere") they cross their arms and hold hands with the people on either side (kilde).
16True or false: U2's "New Year's Day" was inspired by the Polish Solidarity movement.
Flere detaljerU2's own site says Solidarity leader Lech Walesa inspired the song (kilde).
17True or false: Kenny G's instrumental "Auld Lang Syne" reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Flere detaljerIt entered the chart dated 25 December 1999 and peaked at number 7 on the chart dated 8 January 2000 (kilde).
18Which John Lennon song is performed in Times Square at 11:55 p.m., just before the ball drops?
Flere detaljerThe Times Square Alliance calls a performance of it moments before the Ball Drop a special New Year's Eve tradition (kilde), and its schedule for 31 December 2025 puts the performance at 11:55 p.m. (2025 tidsplan).
Round 4: Put them in order
Two ordering questions. On AhaSlides these are Correct Order slides: players drag the items into place.
Release order2 spørgsmål
19Put these New Year songs in release order, oldest first: Mariah Carey, Barry Manilow, Taylor Swift, ABBA, Tori Amos, U2.
SvarBarry Manilow (1977), ABBA (1980), U2 (1983), Tori Amos (2009), Mariah Carey (2010), Taylor Swift (2017).
20Put the history of "Auld Lang Syne" in order, oldest first: Kenny G's chart hit, the tune is printed in Bremner's Scots Reels, Burns sends the song to the Scots Musical Museum, Thomson publishes the tune with Burns's words.
SvarThe tune is printed in Bremner's Scots Reels (1759), Burns sends the song (1788), Thomson publishes the tune with Burns's words (1799), Kenny G's chart hit (1999).
Round 5: 2025 in music
Five questions and an ordering question on the year that just ended, taken from Billboard's 2025 year-end Hot 100 og Billboard 200 charts. We checked the results on 3 October 2026 against the published year-end charts.
Billboard year-end charts, 20256 spørgsmål
21Which song topped Billboard's 2025 year-end Hot 100?
SvarDø med et smil by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars (kilde).
22Who is behind "A Bar Song (Tipsy)", number 3 on the 2025 year-end Hot 100?
Flere detaljerKilde: billboard.com.
23Who sang "Lose Control", number 4 on the 2025 year-end Hot 100?
Flere detaljerKilde: billboard.com.
24Which artist had the number 1 album on Billboard's 2025 year-end Billboard 200?
SvarTaylor Swift, med En showgirls liv (kilde).
25Which artist joined Bruno Mars on "APT.", number 9 on the 2025 year-end Hot 100?
Flere detaljerKilde: billboard.com.
26Put these into their 2025 year-end Hot 100 order, number 1 first: Birds Of A Feather, Luther, Lose Control, Die With A Smile, A Bar Song (Tipsy).
Svar1. Die With A Smile, 2. Luther, 3. A Bar Song (Tipsy), 4. Lose Control, 5. Birds Of A Feather (kilde).
Want questions that are not about music? Try the Spørgsmål til nytårsaften-quiz for general trivia, or the Nytårs quiz for teams and the workplace.
How to host a New Year music quiz live with AhaSlides
Everyone joins with a code on their phone, no app needed, and the questions show on the TV or a shared screen. Scores add themselves up.
- Match diastypen med runden. Pick Answer suits rounds 1 and 5, quiz slides in general cover the rest, and Fill in the Blanks is made for the Burns round.
- Use Correct Order for the release-order questions. Players drag the items into place.
- Add a True or False round for the fun facts: one statement, two big cards.
- Keep the music live and your own. The questions need no recordings. If you want a sing-along at midnight, sing "Auld Lang Syne" yourselves: the words and the melody are both out of copyright.
- Vælg en præmievinder. Drej en Spinnerhjul for the midnight draw, or finish with a Duck Race.
AhaSlides er gratis at prøve: the Free plan lets you run up to 5 quiz questions per presentation with up to 50 people joining, which is enough for one short round. For the full 26-question deck you need a betalt plan.
Tips for a New Year music night
- Save Auld Lang Syne for last. Run the Burns round at 11:45 p.m., then stand in a circle and sing it at midnight.
- Pair people into teams so the ones who know 1980s songs and the ones who know the 2025 charts can help each other.
- Add your own decade round. Swap in a round on the songs your group grew up with, using the same slide types.
- Give the 2025 round a bonus. It is the one most players will argue about, so double the points for fun.
More New Year and music quizzes
- Spørgsmål til nytårsaften-quiz: general trivia for the countdown.
- Nytårs quiz: a team and workplace quiz for the first week back.
- Julemusikquiz: the Christmas songs from the old version of this page, with an audio round.
- Live virtuel årsafslutningsfest: ideas for a remote party to go with the quiz.
Ofte stillede spørgsmål
How many questions should a New Year music quiz have?
Twenty to thirty is plenty for one evening. As a rough estimate, with about 25 seconds per question and the same again to reveal and talk over the answer, 26 questions take about 25 minutes, plus a few minutes for joining and the leaderboards.
Can I print these questions?
Yes. Print the page from your browser. Each answer sits directly under its question, so cover the answers or read the questions from the quizmaster's copy.
Why are there no song lyrics or music clips in this quiz?
Modern lyrics and recordings are copyrighted, so we only quote Robert Burns's 1788 poem, which is in the public domain, and ask about songs by title, artist, album and year.
Answers last checked on 3 October 2026. Sources: Scotland.org, University of Glasgow, Burns C21, UDiscover Music (ABBA), u2.com, Billboard (Taylor Swift), Rolling Stone (Mariah Carey), Billboard (Barry Manilow), Consequence (Tori Amos), Billboard (Kenny G), Times Square Alliance and Billboard's 2025 year-end Hot 100 og Billboard 200.
