Your final year of school is nothing if not an emotional rollercoaster. Excitement, nervousness and at least a hint of sadness are just a few of many emotions that senior students feel as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives.
Even those who are not part of the class of 2023 can remember all the “lasts”: your last first day, last homecoming game, last spring break, last exam, and finally, the highly-anticipated last day of school. It’s a lot to take in — on top of prom and college decisions for high schoolers and job-hunting for higher ed students. And before even getting a chance to catch your breath, it’s time to bust out the caps and gowns for pomp and circumstance, snatch that diploma you’ve worked so hard to get, say your farewells and, of course, celebrate.
To get the party started, Billboard has rounded up 22 tracks that make great additions to any graduation playlist. From songs written for the purpose of this very moment like Vitamin C’s 2000s era earworm “Graduation (Friends Forever),” to classics like Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration,” to melancholy yet optimistic numbers like Billie Eilish’s quarantine-era “my future,” to rocking tunes written for those who are wholeheartedly anti-school like Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” there’s something on this list that everyone is sure to enjoy. If you don’t have a graduate to celebrate but you wanna take a musical trip down memory lane, these tracks are sure to have you all up in your nostalgic feelings.
Check out these odes to growing up and making new memories below.
Standout lyric: “’Cause we’re moving on and we can’t slow down/ These memories are playing like a film without sound”
Vitamin C’s 2000s era hit is a graduation playlist essential — but be prepared to have the chorus (featuring a sample from Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”) stuck in your head for the next few days. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “So take the photographs and still frames in your mind/ Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time”
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong reminds us that everything happens for a reason in his guitar-driven track he originally wrote as a break-up song. But hey — it works great as a toast to great memories, growing up and moving on, too. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “I’m a shooting star leaping through the sky like a tiger/ Defying the laws of gravity”
Nothing is going to stop Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the band’s high-energy hit. Layered with the group’s trademark harmonies and a steady percussive beat, it’s a track that’ll surely make you “wanna have a good time,” too. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “Turn up the music, turn down the lights/ I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be alright”
Whether you know the TikTok dance or not, Lizzo’s 2023 Grammy winner for record of the year (and Billboard Hot 100 topper) will have you on your feet and partying all graduation night long. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “Hopelessly, I’m taking a mental picture of you now/ ‘Cause hopelessly, the hope is we have/ So much to feel good about”
OneRepublic share a simple but important piece of advice for all recent grads: you do you! Haters come and go, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still live your best life. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “’Cause someday soon, your whole life’s gonna change/ You’ll miss the magic of the good old days”
Graduation is definitely one of life’s biggest events — and Macklemore and Kesha reflect on life’s most precious moments in their mellow yet inspiring pop song. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed/ So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road”
If you’re not feeling the love despite such a huge accomplishment, Katy Perry’s light-hearterd anthem has got your back. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “People told me slow my roll, I’m screaming out “F—k that”/ I’ma do just what I want, looking ahead, no turning back”
This pop-influenced hip-hop track off Kid Cudi’s debut album cautiously strives to set you up for continued success — but that doesn’t mean you won’t encounter hurdles along the way. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “So let’s set the world on fire/ We can burn brighter/ Than the sun”
It sounds like “fun.” is exactly what the pop-rock band is having in their anthemic hit about memories and growing up with a feature from Janelle Monae. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “Know I’m supposed to be unhappy/ Without someone (someone)/ But aren’t I someone?”
A track that starts as a somber, introspective ode to Billie Eilish’s past turns into a funky, optimistic look at her future. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “When the day that lies ahead of me/ Seems impossible to face”
We’ve all had those days where we just can’t keep it 100. But Bill Withers’ groovy anthem is sure to get you out of whatever rut you may be in. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “I was patient/ Now I can scream that we made it (We made it)”
Manifesting success is the theme of Post Malone and Quavo’s celebratory track. Which exactly the energy all new grads deserve. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “No, I’m not lucky, I’m blessed, yes/ Clap for the heavyweight champ, me/ But I couldn’t do it all alone, we”
Despite being the biggest names in rap, Nicki Minaj and Drake aren’t letting fame get to their heads. The duo shouts out everyone that helped them get to where they are in their celebratory collaboration. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “You held your head like a hero/ On a history book page/ It was the end of a decade/ But the start of an age”
Taylor Swift reflects on the best of memories in her Speak Now closer. Though she’s likely singing about the success of Fearless (award wins and world tour), the lyrics will hit close to home for graduates, too. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “So bring your good times and your laughter too/ We gonna celebrate your party with you”
Because what good is any party playlist without this classic? Listen here.
Standout lyric: “There’s a time that I remember, when I did not know no pain/ When I believed in forever, and everything would stay the same”
Maroon 5’s nostalgic number won’t just be on your graduation party playlist — it’ll be on your 10-year reunion mix, too. The question remains: What memories will you keep talking for years to come? Listen here.
Standout lyric: “This dream isn’t feeling sweet/ We’re reeling through the midnight streets/ And I’ve never felt more alone/ It feels so scary, getting old”
Though the lyrics aren’t necessary celebratory or even nostalgic, Lorde perfectly captures the fear that comes with growing up in this fan-favorite Pure Heroine track. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “What I didn’t know was this grown-up world (This grown-up world)/ Was just school in a blown-up world (This blown-up world)”
Benny Blanco and Juice WRLD create an upbeat, yet slightly bitter take on Vitamin D’s early 2000’s track by the same name (which also appears on this list). Listen here.
Standout lyric: “Turned my haters to consumers, I make vets feel like they juniors”
This one is for the champions (graduates)! Complete with a marching band, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow take you back to high school in their enigmatic collaboration. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “Well, we got no class/ And we got no principles/ And we got no innocence”
Alice Cooper’s smash opener to their School’s Out album is a dedication to those who maybe didn’t have the best experience in school, and are just grateful to get outta there. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “In the garden of evil/ I’m gonna be the greatest/ In a golden cathedral/ I’ll be praying for the faithless”
Panic! At The Disco frontman Brandon Urie sings about the ups and downs of the fame train in his upbeat banger. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “Promise to get a little/ Better as I get older/ And you’re so patient/ And sick of waitin’”
SZA’s thoughtful yet far from mellow ode to growing up serves as a piece of advice for everyone entering adulthood: it’s okay if you don’t have it all together. Listen here.
Standout lyric: “The good life, let’s go on a living spree/ S—t, they say the best things in life are free”
Throw your hands up in the sky! Kanye West subtly samples Michael Jackson in his vibey collaboration with T-Pain off his aptly titled Graduation album. Listen here.
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