Spring is finally here, and summer is totally within reach. Thank god. A lot of vacation plans might not be working out, but for many people, this time of year really means the end of the school year. Whether your graduation ceremony is happening or not, it’s definitely a time to celebrate regardless. Step one? A killer playlist of the best graduation songs.
And no, not “Pomp and Circumstance,” because there are a lot of other songs out there that are perfect for graduation. Whether you’re graduating in 2021, celebrating someone who is, or just feeling nostalgic, here are some of the best graduation songs of all time.
“Good Riddance” (Time of Your Life) —Green Day
We’ve all heard this song hundreds (if not thousands) of times before, and for good reason: It’s a classic about moving on and taking your memories with you. “It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right/I hope you had the time of your life,” read the lyrics in the chorus, but we all already knew that, because who doesn’t have this one memorized?
“Graduation” —Vitamin C
Calling all ’90s babies! This one’s for you. This Vitamin C song has been played at just about every graduation since the song first came out in 1999, but it’s easy to see why. The song is about graduating, moving on to the next stage of life, and wondering where you and your friends will be in the future—emotions we’ve all experienced during a transition like this one.
“Unwritten” —Natasha Bedingfield
Not only is this the theme song from The Hills, but it’s also the theme song for anyone who’s about to embark on an exciting new adventure. You’re heading into the unknown, but there’s something awesome waiting out there, trust! Just like Bedingfield sings in the song, the rest is still unwritten.
“Moment 4 Life” —Nicki Minaj
Even though some people are ready to move on and never look back, plenty of graduates are already feeling nostalgic for the years they spent in high school and college. Sound familiar? “Moment 4 Life” is for you. Minaj wants to keep that moment 4 life (get it?), because she feels so alive…and celebrating the end of an era can definitely feel like that too.
“See You Again” —Wiz Khalifah feat. Charlie Puth
This song was originally meant to memorialize Paul Walker in Fast & Furious 7 after his passing, but it can also work for any situation where we’re saying goodbye to a good friend who we might not see for a while.
“The Climb” —Miley Cyrus
This one’s a little cheesy, but it’s also kind of inspirational if you think about it. Like Cyrus is telling us in the song, it’s all about the climb, and getting to the point where graduation is finally happening is one heck of a climb. And since Cyrus still performs the song to this day, it seems like she agrees it’s totally relevant.
“Started From the Bottom” —Drake
When this Drake single came out in 2013 (and for years afterward) it seemed like every single Instagram caption included the lyrics “started from the bottom, now we’re here.” And now, for the sake of graduation, it might be time to whip those lyrics out one more time, because you did start from the bottom, and now you’re here, with a degree. That’s worth celebrating!
“Everybody’s Free” (To Wear Sunscreen) —Baz Luhrmann
This song was written to dispense advice to the graduates of the class of 1999, but it definitely still applies in 2020. Floss your teeth, try not to be jealous of other people, spend time with your family, and don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts—yep, this kind of advice could apply to us all.
And yes, please wear sunscreen. Your skin will thank you.
"I Hope You Dance" —Lee Ann Womack
This song basically sums up the wishes we all have for anyone we care about when they're setting out on that journey called life. It's basically the hopeful vibe of Oh, the Places You'll Go, but in song form.
"My Wish" —Rascal Flats
Need another song that sums up that "I want all of your dreams to come true in life" vibe? "My Wish" by Rascal Flats does it *very* nicely.
"Today My Life Begins" —Bruno Mars
Excited to get out there and start living that future where everything falls into place and your dreams come true? Then you're in that headspace where graduation feels like the day your life really begins and this is your current soundtrack.
"My Shot" —Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of Hamilton
Just in case you start to feel a lull in that go-take-on-the-world momentum, keep "My Shot" from Hamilton on your personal playlist because, like Hamilton and the United States in 1776, you're "young, scrappy, and hungry."
"Breakaway" —Kelly Clarkson
If following your post-grad dreams means uprooting your life, traveling off the beaten path, and/or risking disappointing people who have a different vision for your life, that's okay. Make like Kelly Clarkson and "make a wish, take a chance, make a change and breakaway."
"I Will Remember You" —Sarah McLachlan
Because graduation is a time for celebration and looking to the future, but it's also a time for getting sad AF and wallowing in how much you're going to miss the people you're leaving behind as you take those Next Big Steps.
"How Far We've Come" —Matchbox Twenty
When you survive something as daunting and trying as high school or college, you need to take a second, take a breath, and appreciate what an accomplishment that really is. "How Far We've Come" is the song that will remind you to do just that.
"Whenever You Remember" —Carrie Underwood
The best graduation songs elevate the chapter that's closing to the stuff of legend even as you're barely done with it. In "Whenever You Remember," Carrie Underwood lays out an exact roadmap for how to remember the "good old days."
"Long Live" —Taylor Swift
When you're living through the trying times, they're hard and painful. When you look back on them with the forgiving lens of nostalgia, you'll wax poetic about how you had the "time of your life fighting dragons" with the people who lived your struggles with you. Lesson: Rising to challenges is tough, but worth it and no one who wasn't there for said challenge will ever truly get it, so appreciate the people who fought the dragons by your side, a la Taylor Swift.
"You're Gonna Miss This" —Trace Adkins
Speaking of those challenging times—when you're in them, it's easy to wish you were past them. But once you're past them, somehow, you'll manage to wish you were back there. "You're Gonna Miss This" is a reminder that, well, you're gonna miss this period of life.
"Wide Open Spaces" —The Chicks
Sure, you'll miss what you're leaving behind, but graduation is also a time to look forward and to move on and figure out who you're going to be. That, as The Chicks so wisely taught us, requires "wide open spaces," "new faces," and room to make big mistakes.
"Here's to the Night" —Eve 6
Sometimes, the best way to honor a milestone like graduation is to look back on the iconic moments that will forever define that era of your life. "Here's to the Night" will take you back to the most epic nights of your life, with the people you'll never forget.
"100 Years" —Five for Fighting
What is it about graduations that make us get all introspective and zoom-out-big-picture at the same damn time? Whatever it is, this song leans into that vibe, hard.
"No Such Thing" —John Mayer
John Mayer evoked explicit school images in this track, which included lyrics about running through the halls of his high school and screaming at the top of his lungs. Why all the running and screaming? Because he "just found out there's no such thing as the real world"—something that a lot of recent grads can relate to, TBH.
"I Was Here" —Beyoncé
Graduating means moving on and it's only natural to want to know that you've left your mark on whatever it is you're leaving behind. Beyoncé's "I Was Here" is your anthem if you're focused on the legacy you're leaving in your wake.
"A Moment Like This" —Kelly Clarkson
It doesn't matter who you are, you're going to have That Moment that you look back on forever. Graduation is a time to reflect on that moment and Kelly Clarkson is here to help you give it a shout out.
"Seasons of Love" —Rent cast
Yeah, "Seasons of Love" is about looking back on one year and most graduations are about looking back on four years. Yeah, "Seasons of Love" is from a Broadway musical and not from an introspective pop or country artist. But damn it if "Seasons of Love" doesn't just feel like a graduation song, right? Because doesn't it feel like you can measure the time you're graduating from "in daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee, in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife"? No, you're crying.
"Closing Time" —Semisonic
"Never Grow Up" —Taylor Swift
It doesn't matter if you're graduating from middle school or getting your fifth PhD, graduations will always make you feel like time is flying by and at least part of you will wish you could travel backwards to simpler times. Listen to "Never Grow Up" to let Taylor Swift sing to you and reinforce that instinct.
"Rivers and Roads" —The Head and the Heart
Life is going to take you and all the people you know along different paths to different destinations, but that's okay. Have a good cry and remind yourself that it's okay because you'll reach them again when you need to.
"Back Home" —Andy Grammer
And when you reach those people again, you'll raise your glass and beat to the same drum (la-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah). Srsly though, graduation isn't a forever goodbye and your future reunions will recapture the feelings you're leaving behind, believe it or not.
"For Good" —Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth
Yes, graduating means leaving behind some important people, but just because you go different directions doesn't mean that relationship you had stops mattering. In fact, remember that the people who came into your life during this chapter that's closing have shaped who you are and changed you permanently. Just like Elphaba and Glinda, it's impossible to know if they changed you for the better, but they did definitely change you for good.
"Goodbye" —The Spice Girls
Graduation inevitably means saying goodbye to a lot of people, some that you really want to leave behind and some that you can't imagine not having by your side. Remember the wisdom of The Spice Girls though, because "it's not the end."
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment writer who's obsessed with Kate Middleton, Chrissy Teigen, and takes Riverdale way too seriously. When she's not writing, she's spending all of her money at Disney World.
