I need some help choosing songs, please...

[GibsonGirl]

I'm in charge of organizing the slideshow for my graduating class. It's just a thirty minute presentation with pictures of the various students in my year, and it requires music. Sadly, I am very bad at selecting appropriate tunes (mainly because the music I listen to isn't representative of high school graduation). So I'm hoping that any of you music gurus out there will be able to help.

I'm looking for about 10-15 songs that deal with the following themes; friendship, growing up, moving on, etc. Keep in mind that this is a formal school presentation, so there can't be any foul language/derogatory lyrics. So far the only song I've been able to come up with is "Friends Will Be Friends" by Queen. And even that isn't really the right sort of song... Urgh, I should have never decided to do this. Anyway.








Oh, and if anyone suggests that graduation song by Vitamin C, I will personally hunt you down and beat the shit out of you.

 

[HelloAngel]

Hey there,

I don't know if you'll think this is a good idea, but perhaps your classmates would appreciate songs from the years in which you were classmates. Like 2001-2005 or something, and what the ballads, etc were containing the themes you mentioned in that year span.

 

[maro_chik]

I like HelloAngel's idea.

But here's some songs that have been used for my ol' high school's videos (that I can remember):

-'The Sunscreen Song' (I forget who "sings" it)
-'Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds

And some general ideas:

-'You're my best friend' - Queen
-'Time Of Your Life' - Green Day

And you can't go wrong with a U2 song...

(Oh yeah, and Vitamin C - Graduation song is a good one too )

 

[shrmn8rpoptart]

i think it's obligatory that you play green day-good riddance at some point, i know they have at every graduation i have attended.

also, my class song (thanks to thefly7!) was walk on. it actually worked really really well, and he talked them into playing both the album and the single version back to back!

finally, give switchfoot's "gone" a listen to. i wish they'd release it as a single, but it's not gonna happen. i think it fits, and it is a great song, so you'd be sure not to go wrong.

 

[indra]

Put the bitchy girls photos to "The Unguarded Moment" by The Church.

"Tell those girls with rifles for minds
That their jokes don't make me laugh
They only make me feel like dying
In an unguarded moment"

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i sang "that's what friends are for" when i graduated preschool or kindergarten, i can't remember.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

I agree that a U2 song would be apropos. What about Beautiful Day? Nice and upbeat. Kite would be perfect, too.

And maybe some of these? You'd have to listen and judge for yourself, but maybe one or two would work.

Moby - We Are All Made of Stars
Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way?
Tom Petty - Time to Move On
Oasis - Live Forever
Simon and Garfunkel - Old Friends
Tori Amos - Gold Dust (maybe not mainstream enough)
Kool and the Gang - Celebration
Placebo - The Bitter End (just kidding!)


I actually did the music for my class's senior slide show, too. But we only had 12 kids, so I let everyone pick their own individual song. Then my friend's dad and I mixed the songs together in 30-second snippets to go with the slides. For the group pictures, we picked that song by Buffalo Springfield, "For What It's Worth." The kids picked everything from Jimi Hendrix to Simon and Garfunkel, Live, BoyzIIMen, The Doors, Garth Brooks. (My song was "It's Good to Be King" by Tom Petty.) I think the parents were impressed with all the 60s music. Anyway, maybe you could get feedback from your classmates and see what they want to hear. Good luck!

 

[u2valleygirl]

Glory Days~ Bruce Springstein
There's tons of Beattle songs.~With a Little Help From My Friends, The End(Abby Road) , In My Life, Here Comes the Sun, Blackbird, All You Need Is Love
Fleetwood Mac~ Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow
I have seen Beautiful Day in a slideshow. Kite or One would be amazing.

I will try to think of more later.

 

[D'oh!]

if you want a moving ballad then Stop Cryin Your Heart Out by Oasis is awesome........

 

[typhoon]

Oasis has lots of good ones: "Stay Young," "The Masterplan," "Thank You For the Good Times," "Champagne Supernova" (okay, the last one's probably not a good idea)

 

[D'oh!]

one more good one by Oasis, a song called Aquiesce, which is all about friendship/brotherhood

 

[ZeroDude]

Champagne Supernova, "Where were you when we was getting high" great song for this type of shindig

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

Oasis has lots of good ones: "Stay Young,"

inxs has a song called "stay young" as well and it would work well in the slideshow too.

 

[elevatedmole]

-'The Sunscreen Song' (I forget who "sings" it)

It's Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen

I don't have any suggestions, unfortunately.. I am not good at that sort of thing.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

how about that graduation song by vitamin c?

 

[pax]

"In a Big Country" (Rono and Ewen would approve), Big Country

pull up your head off the floor,
come up screaming
cry out for everything you ever might have wanted
I thought that pain and truth were things that really matter
but you can't stay here with every single hope you had shattered...

"The Great Beyond," R.E.M. (I put this on a mix CD for my pals from college...it was the opener, in fact)

I'm breakin' through, I'm bendin' spoons,
I'm keepin' flowers in full bloom,
I'm lookin' for answers from the great beyond

"Vienna," Billy Joel (another one I used for the mix)

slow down, you crazy child
you're so ambitious for a juvenile
but then, if you're so smart,
tell me why are you still so afraid?

And my personal favorite, "My Friends Over You" by New Found Glory:

you were everything I wanted
but I just can't finish what I started
there's no room left here on my back
it was damaged long ago
though you swear that you are true
I'd still pick my friends over you

I could send you the playlist from my graduation mix, if you like--and if you don't have the songs and want them, I'll burn you the CD, even.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

"Vienna," Billy Joel (another one I used for the mix)

slow down, you crazy child
you're so ambitious for a juvenile
but then, if you're so smart,
tell me why are you still so afraid?

tis my favorite billy joel song.

i know just about everyone of them by heart... it's a requirement when you grow up on long island. they make you study it in kindergarten.

 

[LeafsNation]

Green Day "Time of your life"
Alphaville "Forever Young"

 

[GibsonGirl]

Thank you for all the great suggestions!