Graduation Songs : Fact or Fiction

by Amanda Flinner

Graduation Day, 2002. I remember the airless high school auditorium. I remember the sea of caps and gowns. I remember moving the tassel from right to left (or is that left to right?). I remember the pomp. I remember the circumstance. I don't remember the class song. That one bit of freedom to stray from tradition is completely wiped from my memory. Maybe we went old school with "School's Out" or got sentimental over "I'll Be There For You." Maybe we secretly hated each other and opted for "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" or loved each other and picked it anyway.

In a bid to jog my memory, let's look at some popular graduation songs. Can you separate the fact from the fiction? (And don't forget to tell us your graduation song!)

More Fact or Fiction

Comments: 4

Tom Tom from Germanyi Got 7/10
Hoogin87 from Mount Desert Island, MaineI’m pretty sure ours was “Now or Never” by Bon Jovi but I could be completely wrong lol there’s more from HS I don’t remember then stuff I do
Ian Donaldson from BristolGraduation in thre UK mainly refers to the ceremony of awarding Degree Certificates following university Finals. The concept of "High School Gradusation" is almost unknown in the UK.
The song I associate with universities is Gaudiamus Igatur - brought to popular notice in the Hollywood film The Student Prince. Singing this song is a German tradition, not a British one.
Jim from North Billerica, MaNot sure how some of these songs relate to Graduation, but that is OK, it was fun, although I did have to guess on a few of them. Only one wrong though.

And Beaver Falls, PA is the birthplace of none Other than "Broadway" Joe Namath

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More Songfacts:

I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)Meat Loaf

In Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" what he won't do is a list of six items in the lyrics, including "Forget the way you feel right now" and "Be screwing around."

Boom ClapCharli XCX

Before recording "Boom Clap" herself, Charli XCX offered the song to Hilary Duff. However, the singer's people turned down the tune declaring it wasn't "cool enough for Hilary."

Going HomeKenny G

A 1989 track by Kenny G, "Going Home," is the unofficial national closing song in China. The tune is played at the end of train rides, the end of school days, and when malls are about to close.

Start Me UpThe Rolling Stones

One of the first hit songs used in a major marketing campaign was "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones. Microsoft paid $3 million to use it in commercials for Windows '95.

Killing An ArabThe Cure

"Killing An Arab" by The Cure was inspired by Albert Camus' book The Stranger.

ScreamMichael Jackson

The video for Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream" in 1995 was the most expensive ever made at the time, costing $7 million.