63 Best Graduation Songs to Celebrate the Class of 2024
Add these classic tunes and recent hits to your grad party playlist.
Class of 2024, you’ve gone through a lot. Many of you likely entered secondary or higher education during the beginning of the pandemic, and despite uncertainty, you learned how to navigate your new setting and ultimately reach the graduation stage. Now, it’s the end of an era, and you’re about to embark on a whole new journey. Whether what’s next for you is college, a postgraduate program or the workforce, there’s no doubt you’re feeling a range of emotions. As you experience all those feelings, why not listen to the best graduation songs of all time?
We’re leaving the classic “Pomp and Circumstance” that plays as you walk across the stage out of this graduation playlist. From upbeat jams by artists like Lady Gaga and Drake that you can put on full blast at your graduation party, to moving melodies filled with inspirational messages for graduation from Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Vitamin C, there's something for everyone (even mom and dad).
This graduation season, you’ll be receiving cards filled with sentimental messages from friends and family and sharing words of appreciation with classmates, professors and mentors. These songs can help you slow down and appreciate the moment, serving as a reminder to celebrate all you’ve achieved and embrace your future. And yes, the lyrics make for great graduation Instagram captions.
“Graduation (Friends Forever)” by Vitamin C
Vitamin C's soft melody encourages your graduating class to gather around and sing this sweet chorus together: "As we go on, we remember all the times we had together. And as our lives change, come whatever, we will still be friends forever."
"Green Light" by Lorde
If the lyrics of this song don't speak to you, the upbeat tempo will. Now that the graduates have crossed the finish line, there are some who never want to look back. "I'm waiting for it, that green light, I want it," Lorde sings. "Oh, I wish I could get my things and just let go, I'm waiting for it, that green light, I want it."
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“I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack
Don't be surprised if you catch mom teary on your special day. She's been with you since your first day of school and she'll continue wanting only the best for you.
“Good Old Days” by Macklemore feat. Kesha
There's a quote from the TV show The Office that best explains the warmhearted sentiments behind this song: "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them." Macklemore and Kesha describe that feeling of being older and looking back, realizing that memories you didn't think would matter end up being the ones you long for the most.
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"Started From the Bottom" by Drake
It wasn't always easy, but all that hard work finally paid off. As Drake puts it best in this hit, "Started from the bottom, now we're here."
“The Climb” by Miley Cyrus
The journey towards a goal is daunting, whether that's starting college or entering the adult world, but it's all worth it. Miley inspires you to keep going, even if you fail from time to time.
“How Far We’ve Come” by Matchbox Twenty
Doesn't it feel like you were just walking into the first day of kindergarten with a backpack that was bigger than you? And now look how far you've come!
“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day
Graduation day marks an important milestone and the closing of a life chapter. But it's almost certain that the years didn't go as planned, and we can only hope you had the time of your life.
"Long Live" by Taylor Swift
School isn't just about learning in the classrooms. It's also about all the excitement and the indescribable feelings you have making memories with your friends. "I said, 'Remember this feeling,' I pass the pictures around," Taylor Swift sings. "Of all the years that we stood there on the sidelines, wishing for right now."
"Good Life" by One Republic
After years of having a schedule set out for you, you're finally getting the chance to be on your own a bit. As this song suggests, it's a time to take chances, embrace new experiences and just see where life takes you.
"My Last Semester" by The Wonder Years
It's okay to admit that high school isn't always a great experience for everybody. "My Last Semester" understands that feeling of finally getting to put your high school experience in the rearview mirror.
"Photograph" by Nickelback
What would graduation season be without tons of photos? It's time to take as many snapshots as you can, if for nothing more than looking back on them years later.
"Going Away to College" by Blink-182
As much as you may be excited about the future, it can be scary to leave what's familiar behind. Luckily, you aren't the only one who feels that way (just listen to this song, and you'll see what we mean).
"When You Believe" by Whitney Houston featuring Mariah Carey
This inspirational ballad by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey will have you reminiscing on all of the hard work it took to finally get that diploma!
"Champion" by Kanye West
What's more fitting for graduation than Kanye West's Graduation album? Play this celebratory track and toast to your accomplishments because you are a "champion."
"It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" by Boyz II Men
Break out the tissues! Boyz II Men's soothing vocals are bound to make you tear up as you think back over the friendships you have made and the long road you traveled to graduation day.
"God's Plan" by Drake
If you didn't make it to graduation on your own, Drake's "God's Plan" is the perfect song to give thanks to those who supported you along the way.
"We Are The World" by U.S.A for Africa
Graduation is always about moving on to the next step in your life and being the best version of yourself as you embark on your next journey into the big wide world. This song featuring some of the greatest voices in music serves as a great reminder that you are indeed the future of this planet.
"Wide Open Spaces" by Dixie Chicks
As exciting as graduating is, it's also a little scary. This hit from the Dixie Chicks steers away from fear and looks at the excitement in young people going off to "find a dream and a life of their own."
"You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban
If Josh Groban's hit single does not have you in tears by the end of your graduation march, then his work will surely have your parents and loved ones reaching for the Kleenex.
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