Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day Being the de facto graduation song, this playlist would be incomplete without it. Originally written as a sarcastic breakup song, the song has grown far beyond its original meaning to act as an anthem for bittersweet endings.
Doing the Unstuck by The Cure With its first lyric being “it’s a perfect day for letting go,” “Doing the Unstuck” encourages the listener to try new things and to embrace change and the end of the old. What could be more fitting for graduation?
Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield Not only is this song universally (or very nearly universally) adored, but its message, that your future is undetermined and that you are in control of your own story is important to imbed in such an uncertain and nerveracking time as graduation.
Everlong by Foo Fighters Similar to “Good Riddance”, “Everlong” is another breakup song with broadly applicable bittersweet themes, but with more energy and intensity.
Don’t Change by INXS “Don’t Change” not only asks the listener to stay true to themselves, to not bend to the shape others prefer, but also, in the context of graduation, it acts as a plea for the world to stay in place and an expression of the desire for this moment at the conclusion of one’s high school journey to last forever.
Nightswimming by R.E.M. “Nightswimming” is a slower song than the others so far, but it still fits within the theme. In the song, the singer describes his memories of the delights of foolish activities on a teenage summer night in a eulogy for simpler times, proliferating feelings that are now blooming for many seniors.
Alone by The Cure The first track of The Cure’s most recent record, Songs of a Lost World, an album filled with songs about reminiscing over the past and the end of times, with the final track literally being called “Endsong”, “Alone” is not alone thematically, but it’s interpolation of the poem “Dregs” by Ernest Christopher Dowson and more gloomy tone earn it a spot on this playlist.
Atmosphere by Joy Division Some may say this song is too dark for this playlist, but graduation can be tough, and the song’s repeated petition of “don’t walk away” and hauntingly beautiful synths act to close out this playlist on a more fitting, somber note.