New Year's Day

About

New Year’s Day is the eighth track on the Christmas Future disc of The Christmas Present. Written by Robbie Williams and Karl Brazil, the song closes the main sequence of original material on the album with a tone of acceptance and renewal.

Williams described the piece as a story about two former lovers who have found peace after a difficult parting. It captures a mature kind of affection — no longer romantic, but appreciative of what once was. Its production builds gently from piano and percussion into a layered, gospel-tinged arrangement, with choral backing that adds emotional scale.

The lyrics blend resignation with optimism: “If I had to die tonight, I’d like to think we’d be all right,” and “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” They frame the idea that closure can coexist with fondness. In contrast to the more extroverted songs on the album, New Year’s Day looks inward, concluding the year’s story with grace rather than grandeur.

“It’s a song about two ex-lovers whose relationship ended acrimoniously, but they have a fondness for each other and want to reconcile — not to be together, but to recognise that what they had was real.”Robbie Williams

Subtle and reflective, New Year’s Day rounds off The Christmas Present with themes of forgiveness and perspective. Its emotional warmth and elegant melody underline Williams’s ability to find humanity in moments of farewell.