Episode
Auld Lang What? The surprising origins of the New Year’s song
- Podcast
- Twenty Thousand Hertz
- Published
- Dec 31, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 1353
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://www.20k.org/episodes/auld-lang-what
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Summary
Every New Year’s at midnight, we raise our voices to sing a song that few of us understand: “Auld Lang Syne.” So when and why did this become the anthem of the holiday? In this episode, our friends at the Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast trace the mysterious rise of “Auld Lang Syne” from rural Scotland, to a New York jazz club, to a classic film and an iconic actor. Featuring folklorist Jim Deutsch. Support the show and get ad-free episodes at 20k.org/plus. Subscribe to Sidedoor wherever you get your podcasts. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound. Subscribe on YouTube to see our video series. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Join our community on Reddit. Get 3 months of free payroll at gusto.com/20k. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices