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Taylor Swift - New Year’s Day Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Am, F, G, Em
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
  • Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
  • Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
  • Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
  • Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram

[Opening]
[C] [Am] [F]There’s glitter on the floor after the [C]party [Am] [F]
Girls carrying their shoes down in the [C]lobby [Am] [F]
Candle wax and Polaroids on the [C]hardwood [Am]floor [F]
You and me from the night before but

[chorus]
[C]Don’t [Am]read[F]the [C]last page
[C]But I [Am]stay [F]when you’re lost and I’m scared and you’re turning [C]away
I [Am]want [F]your [C]midnights
[C]But I’ll be cleaning up [Am]bottles with you on [F]New Year’s [C]Day

[section 2]
[C] [Am] [F]You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the [C]taxi [Am] [F]
I can tell that it’s gonna be a long road [C] [Am] [F]
I’ll be there if you’re the toast of the town babe [C] [Am] [F]
Or if you strike out and you’re crawling home

[chorus]
[C]Don’t [Am]read [F]the [C]last page
[C]But I [Am]stay [F]when you’re lost and I’m scared and you’re turning [C]away
I [Am]want [F]your [C]midnights
[C]But I’ll be cleaning up [Am]bottles with you on [F]New Year’s [C]Day

[chorus]
Hold on [C] [Am]to the [F]memories, they will [G]hold on to you
[C]Hold on [Am]to the [F]memories, they will [G]hold on to you
[C]Hold on [Am]to the [F]memories, they will [G]hold on to you
[Am] [Em] [F]And I will [G]hold on to you

[section 3]
[C] [Am] [F] [G] [C] [Am] [F] [G]
[C]Please [Am]don’t [F]ever become a [G]stranger whose
[C]Laugh [Am]I could [F]recognize [G]anywhere
[C]Please [Am]don’t [F]ever become a [G]stranger whose
[C]Laugh [Am]I could [F]recognize [G]anywhere

[section 4]
[C] [Am] [F]There’s glitter on the floor after the [C]party [Am] [F]
Girls carrying their shoes down in the [C]lobby [Am] [F]
Candle wax and Polaroids on the [C]hardwood [Am]floor [F]
You and me forevermore

[chorus]
[C]Don’t [Am]read [F]the [C]last page
[C]But I [Am]stay [F]when you’re lost and I’m scared and you’re turning [C]away
I [Am]want [F]your [C]midnights
[C]But I’ll be cleaning up [Am]bottles with you on [F]New Year’s [C]Day

[chorus]
Hold on [C] [Am]to the [F]memories, they will [G]hold on to you
[C]Hold on [Am]to the [F]memories, they will [G]hold on to you
[C]Hold on [Am]to the [F]memories, they will [G]hold on to you
[Am] [Em] [F]And I will [G]hold on to you

[Closing]
[C]Please [Am]don’t [F]ever become a [G]stranger
To the memories they will hold on to you)
Whose [C]Laugh [Am]I could [F]recognize [G]anywhere
(Hold on to the memories they will hold on to you)
[C]Please [Am]don’t [F]ever become a [G]stranger
(Hold on to the memories they will hold on to you)
Whose [C]Laugh I [Am]could [F]recognize [G]anywhere
(And I will hold on to you)

[outro]
[C] [Am] [F] [C] [Am] [F]

SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on the ukulele.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master ukulele today with the 100 most repeated chord transitions from 14,015 analyzed.
ArtistTaylor Swift
AlbumReputation
GenresPop
Year2017
KeyC
DifficultyEasy

How to play New Year's Day on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Taylor Swift - New Year's Day on ukulele requires 5 chords and 8 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

New Year's Day uses these transitions most often: Am → F (42), C → Am (42), and F → C (25). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with C - Am chord transition.

1. C → Am chord transition

Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram

To move from C to Am;

  1. While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
  2. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.
C to Am

3. F → C chord transition

Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram

To move from F to C;

  1. While playing F, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
F to C

4. F → G chord transition

Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram

To move from F to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 3.
F to G

5. G → C chord transition

To move from G to C;

  1. While playing G, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.

6. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am;

  1. While playing G, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.

7. Am → Em chord transition

To move from Am to Em;

  1. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
  2. Place index finger on A string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 4.

8. Em → F chord transition

To move from Em to F;

  1. While playing Em, lift your ring finger from C string fret 4.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.

New Year's Day chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in New Year's Day.

  • New Year's Day includes 149 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • New Year's Day contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how New Year's Day connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → Am: 10%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → Em: 10%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains extracted from real songs. See which songs use each chain, learn the finger transitions, and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.