24 Top Graduation Songs for the Class of 2024 (2024)

• Vitamin C, “Graduation (Friends Forever)”

  

  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.

• Green Day, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”

  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.

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• Queen, “Don’t Stop Me Now”

  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.

• Lizzo, "About Damn Time"

  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.

• OneRepublic, “Good Life”

  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.

• Macklemore feat. Kesha, “Good Old Days”

  

  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.

• Katy Perry, “Firework”

  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.

• Kid Cudi, “Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)”

  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.

• fun. feat. Janelle Monae, “We Are Young”

  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.

• Billie Eilish, “my future”

  

  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.

• Bill Withers, "Lovely Day"

  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.

• Post Malone feat. Quavo, “Congratulations”

  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.

• Nicki Minaj feat. Drake, “Moment 4 Life”

  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.

• Taylor Swift, “Long Live”

  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.

• Kool & The Gang, “Celebration”

  

  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.

• Maroon 5, “Memories”

  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.

• Lorde, “Ribs”

  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.

• Benny Blanco and Juice WRLD, “Graduation”

  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.

• Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow, “INDUSTRY BABY”

  

  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.

• Alice Cooper, “School’s Out”

  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.

• Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling"

  Standout lyric: “I know that we’ll have a ball/ If we get down and go out and just lose it all.”

  It may be one of the biggest earworms of 2009 (it topped the Hot 100 for 14 weeks), but you can’t celebrate grad night without listening to Black Eyed Peas’ fist-pumping smash at least once. Listen here.

• Panic! At The Disco, “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”

  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.

• SZA, “Prom”

  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.

• Kanye West and T-Pain, “Good Life”

  

  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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