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Graduates can officially mark the end of all their hard work and determination through study when the day to put on the cap and gown finally comes. There really is no better way to celebrate the occasion than by having the perfect playlist of tunes to soundtrack the memorable day.
This essential roundup of graduation songs for
their party (virtual or otherwise) will help make the day feel special. Tracks like Vitamin C's "Graduation" mark the end of one chapter, whereas Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" is ripe with inspirational quotes, making it the perfect tune to add to a slideshow.
That mix of excitement, apprehension, and bittersweet nostalgia for what came before has been explored in nearly every musical genre. Kanye West captured that poignancy on "Good Morning" (and even titled a full album Graduation), while country acts like LeAnn Rimes have celebrated the need for peers (and classmates) to help get you through on records like "Good Friends and a Glass of Wine." Benny Blanco and Juice WRLD even made a 2019 pop update on Vitamin C's classic, which is sure to be a favorite for Gen Z as they move through high school and beyond.
Even getting outside of explicitly graduation-themed music, artists like Paul McCartney and Britney Spears have recorded sentimental songs that tackle topics like the hope for brighter days ahead or the difficulty of life's transitional phases that would fit well into a graduation-themed playlist.
From sad and wistful to upbeat tunes, these songs will remind them that exciting adventures are still ahead. And if they don't, then surely whatever useful gift you pick out will.
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1
"Graduation (Friends Forever)," by Vitamin C
Release year: 2000
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "Keep thinking times will never change. Keep on thinking things will always be the same, but when we leave this year we won't be coming back. No more hanging out cause we're on a different track."
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2
"I Was Here," by Beyoncé
Release year: 2011
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time. Know there was something that meant something that I left behind. When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets. Leave something to remember, so they won't forget."
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3
"Time After Time," by Cyndi Lauper
Release year: 1984
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "Flashback, warm nights almost left behind. Suitcases of memories, time after..."
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4
"Goodbye," by Spice Girls
Release year: 1998
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "Just a little girl, big imagination. Never letting no one take it away. Went into the world, what a revelation."
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5
"A Moment Like This," by Kelly Clarkson
Release year: 2002
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me. Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this."
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6
"End of the Road," by Boyz II Men
Release year: 1992
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "Although we've come to the end of the road, still I can't let go."
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7
"I Will Remember You," by Sarah McLachlan
Release year: 1995
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "I will remember you. Will you remember me? Don't let your life pass you by, weep not for the memories."
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8
"See You Again," by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth
Release year: 2015
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "Everything I went through you were standing there by my side. And now you goin' be with me for the last ride."
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9
"Unwritten," by Natasha Bedingfield
Release year: 2004
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "I am unwritten, can't read my mind. I'm undefined. I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand. Ending unplanned."
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10
"Firework," by Katy Perry
Release year: 2010
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "You don't have to feel like a waste of space. You're original, cannot be replaced. If you only knew what the future holds, after a hurricane comes a rainbow. Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed. So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road."
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11
"Run the World (Girls)," by Beyoncé
Release year: 2011
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "I'm repping for the girls who taking over the world. Help me raise a glass for the college grads."
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12
"Live Like We're Dying," by Kris Allen
Release year: 2009
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "Yeah, we gotta start looking at the hands of the time we've been given. If this is all we got, then we gotta start thinking. If every second counts on a clock that's ticking, gotta live like we're dying."
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13
"Moment 4 Life," by Nicki Minaj
Release year: 2010
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "This is my moment, I waited all my life. I can just tell it's time. Drifting away, I’m one with the sunsets. I have become alive."
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14
"We Are Young," by Fun. ft. Janelle Monáe
Release year: 2011
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "We are young, so let's set the world on fire. We can burn brighter than the sun."
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15
"Whenever You Remember," by Carrie Underwood
Release year: 2005
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "Whenever you remember time's gone by, remember how we held our heads so high. When all this world was there for us, and we believed that we could touch the sky. Whenever you remember, I'll be there. Remember how we reached that dream together."
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16
"The Climb," by Miley Cyrus
Release year: 2009
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "There's always gonna be another mountain. I'm always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb."
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17
"Schoolin' Life," by Beyoncé
Release year: 2011
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "You know it costs to be the boss. One day you'll run the town. For now make your life what you decide."
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18
"No Such Thing," by John Mayer
Release year: 2001
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "Well, I never lived the dreams of the prom kings and the drama queens. I'd like to think the best of me is still hiding up my sleeve. They love to tell you stay inside the lines, but something's better on the other side."
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19
"Started from the Bottom," by Drake
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20
"Wide Open Spaces," by Dixie Chicks
Release year: 1998
Inspiring graduation lyrics: "Who doesn't know what I'm talking about? Who's never left home? Who's never struck out to find a dream and a life of their own? A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone."
