The excitement of graduation can also be an anxious time as students face their future. And then there’s the sadness of saying goodbye to friends, teachers, and the familiar surroundings of the halls kids have roamed for years. Music helps us through many things, and graduation is no different. If you need a song to crank in celebration, or to cry, or both, let the below tracks help you start a “School’s Out” playlist.
“School’s Out” by Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper’s 1972 glam rock anthem remains the standard for celebrating the end of the school year. There’s a Conan O’Brien-produced episode of The Simpsons where students trash their school as they leave for the summer. Cooper’s rebellion jam plays in the background as the kids stage a mutiny. This isn’t meant to endorse campus destruction, but it’s hard to beat “School’s Out” when you need a graduation song.
“Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” by Green Day
Leave it to a punk band to write a tender folk song that’s now a graduation staple. Green Day broke through with “Longview” in 1994. The pop punk tune was an MTV hit and describes killing time and boredom with a certain activity one does alone. So, to go from this and “Brain Stew” to “Good Riddance” surprised fans. However, Billie Joe Armstrong’s wistful ode could be a break-up song or a graduation soundtrack. For many, it’s both.
“Lovely Day” by Bill Withers
There’s a lot of uncertainty after graduating from high school or college. You’re supposed to have everything figured out. Bill Withers sings about how insurmountable the future sometimes feels. But “Lovely Day” describes the optimism found in being around a kind person. He repeats the hook and turns it into a mantra. Say it enough times and it will happen.
“Graduation (Friends Forever)” by Vitamin C
Vitamin C interpolates Pachelbel’s Canon to emphasize the sadness of how graduation can permanently separate close friends. While the lyrics promise that “We will be friends forever,” the orchestra’s rendition of Canon in D suggests how new chapters begin by closing the old ones. And the friends you spend all your time with now may wind up just one of many you scroll past on social media.
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