25 Best Graduation Songs for the Class of 2025
Because their big walk deserves a bigger anthem!
Graduating from high school or college is no small feat! It's a moment filled with pride, joy, and maybe a few bittersweet tears. After all, it marks the end of one unforgettable chapter and the beginning of something entirely new. It's the final bell, the last walk through familiar halls, and the big leap into the future. Given that, it's no surprise that parents, like Ree Drummond, often get choked up watching their kids cross that stage. So how do you capture all those emotions—excitement, hope, nostalgia—in one celebration? With music, of course! That's where this playlist comes in, packed with powerful, upbeat graduation songs that capture the spirit of the day.
The songs on this list are perfect to play when you want to reminisce, or they're even fitting for a graduation party! You've got country hits like "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins and pop show-stoppers like "Firework" by Katy Perry, as well as '80s songs like "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper. Pair a sweet song with some inspiring graduation quotes, and get ready to grab the tissues!
As you figure out your own ways to celebrate this year, turn up the tunes and let your emotions flow free. Here are the best graduation songs to create a soundtrack for this tremendous right of passage.
Get inspired with some more graduation ideas:
"Ribs" by Lorde
Most memorable lyrics: "This dream isn't feeling sweet / We're reeling through the midnight streets / And I've never felt more alone / It feels so scary, getting old."
"Prom" by SZA
Most memorable lyrics: "Promise to get a little / Better as I get older / And you're so patient / And sick of waitin."
"The Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga
Most memorable lyrics: "I'm on the edge of glory / And I'm hangin' on a moment of truth / I'm on the edge of glory / And I'm hangin' on a moment with you."
"Feeling Good" by John Legend
Most memorable lyrics: "It's a new dawn / It's a new day / It's a new life / For me / And I'm feeling good/ I'm feeling good."
"About Damn Time" by Lizzo
Most memorable lyrics: "Turn up the music, let's celebrate / I got a feelin' I'm gon' be okay / Okay, alright / It's about damn time."
"my future" by Billie Eilish
Most memorable lyrics: "Cause I, I'm in love / With my future / Can't wait to meet her / And I, I'm in love / But not with anybody else / Just wanna get to know myself."
"Graduation (Friends Forever)" by Vitamin C
Most memorable lyrics: "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."
“Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield
Most memorable lyrics: "Staring at the blank page before you / Open up the dirty window / Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find / Reaching for something in the distance / So close you can almost taste it."
"Lovely Day" by Bill Withers
Most memorable lyrics: "When the day that lies ahead of me / Seemed impossible to face / When someone else instead of me / Always seems to know the way / Then I look at you and the world's alright with me."
"We Are Young" by fun. featuring Janelle Monáe
Most memorable lyrics: "Tonight / We are young / So let's set the world on fire / We can burn brighter than the sun."
“Happy” by Pharrell Williams
Most memorable lyrics: "Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth / Because I'm happy / Clap along if you know what happiness is to you."
"Congratulations" by Post Malone featuring Quavo
Most memorable lyrics: "Now they always say congratulations / Worked so hard, forgot how to vacation / They ain't never had the dedication."
"Dog Days Are Over" by Florence and the Machine
Most memorable lyrics: "The dog days are over / The dog days are done."
“Moment 4 Life” by Nicki Minaj
Most memorable lyrics: "I wish that I could have this moment for life, for life, for life / 'Cause in this moment, I just feel so alive, alive, alive."
"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen
Most memorable lyrics: "I'm a shootin' star / Leapin' through the sky like a tiger / Defyin' the laws of gravity."
"Memories" by Maroon 5
Most memorable lyrics: "Here's to the ones that we got / Cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not."
"Hey Look Ma, I Made It" by Panic! at the Disco
Most memorable lyrics: "Hey look, ma, I made it / Everything's comin' up aces, aces / If it's a dream, don't wake me, don't wake me."
"Green Light" by Lorde
Most memorable lyrics: "Cause honey I'll come get my things, but I can't let go / I'm waiting for it, that green light, I want it."
"Night Changes" by One Direction
Most memorable lyrics: "We're only getting older, baby / And I've been thinking about it lately / Does it ever drive you crazy / Just how fast the night changes?"
"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey
Most memorable lyrics: "Some'll win, some will lose / Some are born to sing the blues / Whoa, the movie never ends / It goes on and on and on and on."
Micaela Bahn is a freelance editorial assistant and recent graduate from Carleton College, where she majored in English literature. She loves running, photography, and cooking the best new recipes.
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