When I stumbled back across my old 2012 “Auld Lang Syne” mix on ccMixter, I was hit with this wave of nostalgia for those magical collaborative days. There was something so pure about that recording - SackJo22’s warm vocals weaving with Admiral Bob’s distinctive harmonies, plus my own voice layering in those sweet spots. The whole thing had this joyful, almost Celtic celebration vibe that made it feel less like a traditional New Year’s song and more like friends gathered around a fire sharing stories. But listening to it again, I kept thinking about how the original Robert Burns poem, beautiful as it is, can feel so distant in its old Scottish dialect. What if we could capture that same intimate, folky spirit but make the message more immediate for today’s listeners?

That’s where the AI collaboration got really interesting. I’d been experimenting with Suno, training it on my own voice to create this digital persona that could sing alongside my ideas. I tried uploading the full original mix with SackJo and Admiral Bob first, but content ID systems blocked it - one of those frustrating modern realities. So I worked with just the instrumental version, letting the AI help me reimagine the lyrics in modern English while keeping that indiefolk DNA intact. The whole process felt like having a creative partner who could instantly try out vocal ideas - we’d bounce back and forth between honoring Burns’ sentiment about friendship and time, but expressing it in words that hit you right in the chest today. What emerged was “For days of long ago” - still that same fingerpicked intimacy and Celtic ornamentation, but with lyrics that ask the questions we’re all carrying: about the friends we’ve lost touch with, the connections that slip away, and whether there’s still time to reach back across the years. In a way, it felt like the most authentic tribute I could give to both Burns’ original vision and the beautiful collaborative spirit that SackJo, Admiral Bob and I captured all those years ago.

I also included Auld Lang Syne in the downloads - the version I was originally working on with the Robert Burns lyrics. 1759-1796


—- TECHNICAL DETAILS —-

This AI-assisted track was created on Suno.com using my original 2012 instrumental recording as reference audio.

Original Recording: “Auld Lang Syne ” by jeris (VJ_Memes) - 2012
https://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/40622
Licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0


AI Platform: Suno.com, Claude 4.5
Process: voice persona created, audio uploaded as reference
Auld Lang Syne An intimate indiefolk holiday tune blending male and female vocals in close harmony, The arrangement features fingerpicked ukulele and acoustic guitar, lively mandolin chops, upright bass, and expressive violin lines.

Lyrics:

For days of long ago
Should old friends be forgotten,
And never brought to mind?
Should old friends be forgotten,
In memories left behind?

For days of long ago, my dear,
For days of long ago,
We’ll drink a toast of kindness yet,
For days of long ago.

And surely you’ll buy your pint!
And surely I’ll buy mine!
And we’ll drink a toast of kindness yet,
For days of olden time.

We two have run about the hills,
And picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary mile,
Since days of that sunshine.

We two have paddled in the stream,
From morning sun till noon;
But seas between us wide have roared
Since days of youthful tune.

And here’s a hand, my trusted friend!
And give me your hand too!
And we’ll take a hearty drink together,
For days of skies so blue.