Song Clearance Sheet
4 sources citedAuld Lang Syne
Folk1780sPictured: “Auld Lang Syne” (John Masey Wright) (public domain) · source
112BPM
UnconfirmedKey
More around 110 BPM → · More “Public Domain” →
Tempo/key via Deezer →
Algorithmically estimated; acoustic-era recordings are a documented hard case for automated tempo/key detection.
The verdict
Public Domain
In the public domain — but check the Rights Status below; a specific host's copy can carry its own caveat.
Used by independents?
Yes — it’s in the public domain — free for any independent artist to use, with no clearance needed.
Words & origin
Words by Robert Burns, 1788; first published posthumously in 1796 (Scots Musical Museum, vol. 5)
The melody
The now-standard melody predates Burns; first paired with these words in 1799 (George Thomson's Select Songs of Scotland)
Classical arrangements
Arranged by Joseph Haydn (1792) and Ludwig van Beethoven (1814, WoO 156/11)
Rights Status
Licenses explained →Public domain is not one blanket badge — each source can carry its own caveat
The compositionPublic domain
The early recordingPublic domain
Cultural Impact
Documented covers, adaptations, and cultural echoes — each with a real, dated source
The North American New Year's tradition, traced to one bandleader
Canadian bandleader Guy Lombardo popularized it as the North American New Year's Eve standard via an annual radio (later TV) broadcast from Dec 31, 1929 until 1976.
CBS News · read it →
Modern pop crossover
Cliff Richard used the melody for his 1999 single 'The Millennium Prayer,' setting the Lord's Prayer to the tune.
Classic FM · read it →
A rare 1940 recording at the Library of Congress
A 1940 performance by African American singers with Liberian and Chinese guests, at the home of Fisk University's sociology head, is preserved in the LOC's American Folklife Center.
Library of Congress · read it →
Used far beyond New Year's
Also standard at farewells, funerals, graduations, Scout jamboree closings, military passing-out parades, and the last lowering of the Union Jack as a colony gains independence.
Wikipedia · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?Yes — free to use without clearance
References
Every source cited on this page — 4 in total
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Page history · 3 updates
Jul 2026BPM/Key added via two-source check (GetSongBPM/Deezer)
Jul 2026BPM/Key fast-follow: tempo and key are interpretation-dependent across arrangements and performances — no canonical value, so both marked Unconfirmed rather than invented
Jul 2026Page created