I’m slightly worried. I recently admitted that most of the time I’m listening to my iPod I’m pretending to be in a music video, which I thought was widespread, normal behaviour. Apparently not.

For those unfamiliar with this pastime, the best location to try this is on trains, where looking a bit sad whilst staring out the window is the perfect accompaniment to many songs. Natalie Imbruglia in “Shiver” demonstrates the wistful look I aim for perfectly:

Also good is simple walking through faceless crowds – the underground is ideal – whilst again looking a bit sad or even angry, like Richard Ashcroft:

Possibilities are endless. You can have walking on a beach à la Chris Martin in “Yellow”:

Dramatic walking on a cliff top (Take That, “Patience”):

Even standing in crowded room (as Will Young showed us):

But all this is a distraction from the main reason for the blog post. Today it dawned on me (whilst on train, pretending to be in music video), that, as there are Christmas songs (i.e. “Driving Home For Christmas”), there should also be songs to mark the strange time in-between Christmas and New Year (i.e.“Getting The Train Back After Christmas”). Post-holiday truly is an undiscovered genre.

At least that’s what I thought. Until my Literary Agent Flatmate alerted me to another blog on this topic, which lists a few songs that fit this niche. (Seriously now, this was going to be my first highly innovative blog post and someone got in there first, just 3 days ago).

But I can add one more! Sugababes, “New Year”*. I was reminded of this song when Noddy Holder declared that it was his 37th favourite Christmas Song (“Don’t You Love Me Baby” by Human League was his 3rd though, so we’re not entirely convinced by his chart). A little known song, released when the Sugababes were still great, i.e. when they included Siobhan Donaghy. (Siobahn created officially the most underrated album of all time, Ghosts, which incidentally includes a song sung part backwards. Siobhan deserves a whole blog post of her own, so more on her in the future). For now, here is the underrated “New Year” : a song who’s title promises positivity, but it’s actually mostly about reflecting on the disappointment of the year just gone. I personally think the Sugababes’ bluesy harmonies perfectly sum up this time of year.

And another! Dina Carol’s “The Perfect Year” (remember her?) is set on New Year’s eve. She even says so in the song. I guess the hideous “Millennium Prayer” by Cliff also sort of fits. I’ve found one more: Barry Manilow’s cheery “It’s Just Another New Year’s Eve”.

However, I campaign for a major, relevant artist to release a song that defines that post Christmas pre New Year feeling, please, in the way that Mariah sums up Christmas in “All I Want For Christmas”. It’s a funny time of year, full of post Christmas melancholy and wistful reflection, plus a bit of hope. It would be massive.

And on that note, Happy New Year to all my wonderful Internet Following (i.e. housemates, The Boyfriend, Paul and a few other random people who google rude things about X Factor contestants). Here’s to 2010 and much blogging.

*OK, technically the Sugababes “New Year” could be said to be a Christmas song, as it talks about a “year ago at Christmas”. And they repeat the word Christmas a lot. But it’s set at 2:30am so I’d say it was Christmas evening, and therefore Boxing Day, alright? And it’s all about the the last/New Year really.

P.S. It seems I’m not alone after all! On trains Literary Agent Flatmate believes she is Gabrielle in “Out Of Reach”. As below.