Synopsis

U2 perform "New Year's Day" against a stark, snow-covered Swedish landscape. The band members play in the open air as wintry hills, drifting snow, and wide cinematic views create an atmosphere of isolation and tension. Brief images of horse riders moving through the snow add a mysterious, almost dreamlike dimension, while wartime footage connects the song's personal yearning with its political undertones. The stripped-down presentation emphasizes the band's intensity rather than a conventional narrative.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in December 1982 in and around Salen and Mora, Sweden, and released in January 1983 alongside the first single from *War*.

• The Swedish location was chosen because the production needed reliable snow. The shoot took place in sub-freezing conditions, making the performance scenes particularly uncomfortable for the band.

• Bono reportedly refused to wear a hat so his appearance would remain recognizable on camera. The cold affected his lip-syncing, and The Edge later recalled that Bono's mouth was nearly frozen.

• The riders who appear to be U2 members were actually four Swedish teenage girls wearing masks and similar clothing. They stood in for the band after the musicians had endured the previous day's freezing conditions.

• Wartime footage showing Soviet troops and tanks gives the video a broader political context. The song was inspired in part by the Polish Solidarity movement and the imprisonment of its leader, Lech Walesa.

• The clip became one of U2's earliest videos to receive substantial MTV exposure, helping introduce the band to a much larger American audience.

• The opening portion is letterboxed before the image changes to a standard 4:3 frame. The video was later included on *The Best of 1980-1990* and *U218 Videos*.