Dale’s Top 5 Graduation Songs
GRADUATION SEASON IS NEARLY UPON US
Almost 4 million high school seniors will graduate in the U.S. this year, along with millions of college students. These occasions, both ubiquitous and momentous, are swirls of nostalgia mixed with eager energy for what is yet to come. If we put aside philosophical musings about agency and free will (and the economy), it’s safe to say that graduation marks a moment when kids turn into adults (sort of), when they can make more choices–what to do with themselves, who to become, how they will fit into the collective future. It’s a yin-yang moment for sure, with the sense that things are just starting, but also that a major life period, childhood, is ending. To be fair, some kids just can’t wait to scram, but a fair number of this year’s graduates will have the sense that moving on to adulthood means that some bits of them will be left behind. Though there are those blessed with a clear path and oodles of confidence, many people graduating high school will be asking themselves if they’re up and ready for the task of creating their lives.
POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE. MUSIC AND MEMORY.
Music, of course, has always been a part of this time. Pomp and circumstance and all of that . . . but, also, the soundtracks of our own graduations take us back, reminding of us of very specific notches on our own timelines—what we were doing, who we were doing it with, our challenges, our feelings, and our dreams. Graduation songs herald this time of transition and are often sealed into our memories. Today’s hits are tomorrow’s oldies, as they say, and, with that in mind, I’ve put together a playlist of my top graduation songs—songs that empower and inspire and remind us that we can choose our own adventures (I loved those books as a kid).
DALE’S 5 Songs (TO GRADUATE t0) (Listen ON SPOTIFY)
BRAVE by Sarah Bareilles (2013)
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly, I want to see you be braveThis song reminds us to be true to ourselves–our innermost wonderful weirdos, our creative souls. The video for this song shows people coming alive through music and dance, and the song radiates a bold commitment to joy–anywhere and everywhere and for everyone. When my kids were younger I played this far too many times in the car. We sang to it on road trips and running errands, whenever I needed a dose of encouragement and a reminder to live with an open heart.
FIREWORK by Katy Perry (2010)
You’re original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a Hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe a reason all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads to the perfect roadIf there’s anyone who knows what it’s like to feel limited by others’ expectations and what it’s like to push back, it’s Katy Perry. Before she was The Katy Perry she was Katy Hudson, who aspired to become a Christian Pop singer. By stepping away from the limitations of that genre, her potential audience ballooned. Her early career had dips and disappointments, but she kept at it, in her own campy style. Her encouraging songs remind us that we’re not alone–that everyone, even Katy Perry, knows what self doubt feels like, and she inspires us to stop hiding our sparks from the world. Now, if that’s not a graduation song, I don’t know what is.
SWEETEST TEARS by Claybrook (2024)
Proud to see you go. If there’s one thing that I know,
the art or is it the curse of letting go. . .
Almost time to turn the page, you’ll fly away . . .
I’m sad. It’s ok.
These are the sweetest tasting tears I’ve ever known.I had to throw one in for the parents, here. Recently released by Raleigh artist Claybrook, this song perfectly captures the whole of it–the simultaneous explosions of joy and sorrow that seem to get louder and more frequent the closer we get to our kids’ graduations. As parents, we are constantly celebrating who our kids are becoming, while also working hard to hang onto memories of who they were. But, man, graduation is a kicker, and with his own daughter graduating this spring, Claybrook didn’t hold back. What a sweet song that expresses how we all feel about our kids as they begin the transition to adulthood.
BODYSNATCHERS by Radiohead (2008)
Well, if Bareilles, Perry, and Claybrook are positively encouraging, Radiohead reminds us that the ennui and anger that results from the pressure to conform to culture is also pretty darn real. This alt-rock, guitar-hard song doesn’t offer any happy advice, but by normalizing the feelings of being trapped, Radiohead reminds us that we’re in this together. A little headbanging can go a long way sometimes and, yes, I’ll say it, this song inspires us to be our own puppet masters. (Note that this one is a bit crude, but, again, in my estimation, just right.)
DESTINY REVEALS AN UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH by Physics of Meaning (2008)
Wake up,
and make your dreams come true.This one was written by former Chapel Hill, NC public bus driver, Daniel Hart, an indie rock violin player who went on to score several big budget Hollywood films. A fantastic hike of a song, this piece drags us through scratchy ambient monotony to an adamant reminder that we might as well take advantage of being alive, really alive, while we can. The drums lead this song and set the tone, if I do say so myself (this was one of the first records I played on after moving to NC in 2008).
THERE IT IS. SO IT WILL BE.
One thing this year’s graduates will soon realize is that life is a series of these moments. Or maybe I should say that these moments, full of potential for change, pretty much never stop coming. We can feel stuck, but we can unstick ourselves, be who we want to be, pursue our dreams, and give credence to our own experiences and interpretations of what it means to be human.
We need to hear these songs. Music–listening to it and making it–is a uniquely human way to be brave, to ignite our own fires, to open doors.
MAKE SOME MUSIC WITH ME
If you want to make some music–whether you’re new to it or coming back to your practice after time away, get in touch. There’s nothing I like more than helping folks–of all ages–tap into the creative energy of being connected and alive. Drum lessons are my jam, and I dig all kinds of music.
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