College graduation is a big-freaking-deal.

You pray and pray for this day to finally come and once it does, you’re thrown into a blender of joy, fear, excitement, anticipation, gas, and hopeful expectancy — mixing your insides into an unrecognizable blend of emotions.

Don’t worry, All Groan Up is here to help sort things out. All this week All Groan Up will be devoted to this most blessed life-changing, graduation event.

And to kick things off, if you’re going to do college graduation right you’re going to need the right songs. All Groan Up has scoured the web and the world for the fourteen best songs to ring in graduation like the pro you are.

Top 14 college graduation songs over the last 40 years

To get on this exclusive list the song needs to 1). Pull on the old heart strings. 2). Make you feel smothered in nostalgia. And 3). Been played at a minimum of 7,328 graduation party’s.

(I’ve been gathering this data since I graduated –  7 years ago. Wow has it been that long?)

14. Here’s to the Night — Eve 6

Here’s to the Night is your classic 90′s, sitting in a corner of a big grad party drinking from your red plastic cup as nostalgia overtakes you like an unbridled avalanche, graduation song. Drink it in at number fourteen on the countdown.

13. Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two) — Pink Floyd

“We don’t need no education”

A classic 70’s education protest song that would make your Aunt Martha blush.

12. Graduation — Vitamin C

I want to take the corner of my graduation cap and jab my ear out when I hear this one. Vitamin C sings a deliberate, non-nuanced graduation song that makes you wish graduation would just end already. But alas, it’s still here on the list at #12.

11. Unwritten — Natasha Bedingfield:

“Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten.”

And in six months is when your loan repayments begin.  So write in that book as much as possible before Sallie Mae tries to repossess it. Luckily Unwritten is so upbeat it makes you forget about silly reality. So go grab the real world by the ears and snarl at it.

10. Today — Smashing Pumpkins

“Today is the greatest day I’ve ever known“

You wouldn’t know it was the greatest day by the way Billy Corgan sings it, but the greatest day it is. Or maybe not. Or is.

9. Dog Days are Over — Florence + The Machine

Has nothing to do with graduation per say, but she sings the dog days are over… over and over again. What’s more fitting than that?

8. Time of My Life — Bill Medley

The 80’s are now represented on the countdown with this feel good dance tune. Time of My Life is best remembered as the Dirty Dancing song. But play it at your graduation party and the whole guest list might join in a choreographed dance that would make Patrick Swayze proud.

7. Time of Your Life (Good Riddance) –  Green Day

Another Time of Your Life tune with a slightly different feel. Green Day makes you want to curl up with your acoustic guitar and just have a good graduation cry.

6. School’s Out — Alice Cooper

“School’s out forever”

Need I say more?

5. Vienna — Billy Joel

“If you’re so smart tell me why you’re still so afraid. Dream on but don’t imagine that they’ll all come true.”

Billy Joel comes in at number five with a not-so-feel-good graduation tune. This song is kind of like your uncle after a few drinks shooting you straight about life in the real world.

4. Graduate — Third Eye Blind

“Can I graduate?”

Well yes, you just did. Raise that diploma high and rock out to Third Eye Blind doing their graduation thing.

3. In This Diary – The Ataris

This song came in at number one on the top ten songs about growing up. And for graduation, it comes in at number three.

2. Glory Days – Bruce Springstein

Really? Number two? Yes. He’s the boss. You want to argue with him?

1. Friends are Friends Forever – Michael W. Smith 

When that synthesizer plays its first note, a lone tear trickles down my cheek every time.

If you didn’t grow up in a Christian school, you might not have even heard this 80’s ode to graduation, friends, and teardrops. But Friends are Friends Forever is definitely the cheesiest, classiest of all graduation songs. This song will make you want to hold hands in a circle and never let go.

Have any memories playing one of these songs at your graduation party? 

What songs did we miss?

Want to listen to this college graduation playlist? Check out All Groan Up on Grooveshark to listen to these songs in order.

Photo Credit: D.R. Davis – Creative Commons