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:

(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The BayOtis Redding

"(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay," released a month after Otis Redding died, was the first song to hit #1 in America after the artist died.

AlejandroLady Gaga

The songs on Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster album represent a "fear" of some "monster." "Alejandro" is her "fear of sex" monster.

Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel)Will Glahe

In 1939, a polka craze swept America thanks to "Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel)."

Gimme Three StepsLynyrd Skynyrd

Ronnie Van Zant wrote the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic "Gimme Three Steps" after making the mistake of dancing with a girl whose boyfriend was in the bar and probably had a gun. He asked for a 3-step head start.

I Feel For YouChaka Khan

Chaka Khan's hit "I Feel For You" was written and originally recorded by Prince four years before she covered it.

What A Fool BelievesThe Doobie Brothers

Kenny Loggins co-wrote the Doobie Brothers hit "What a Fool Believes," which is about a guy who just can't accept that an affair from long ago was meaningless to her.