Seniors, Lets Pick a New Song for Graduation

If you’ve met me, you know I am extraordinarily (and perhaps excessively) passionate about a certain NHS tradition; the NHS Chorus and Orchestra performance of Kirby Shaw’s upbeat arrangement “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Students have performed this song at the NHS graduation ceremony every year for as long as many of us can remember. However, Mr. Sicotte declared our 2022 performance to be the last time that “Bridge Over Troubled Water” would be performed at NHS, ending a tradition that has meant the world to performing arts students since the moment we stepped foot into the music wing. 

According to Mr. Sicotte in an email he sent me last year, “the nature of the song and its words do not fit the celebratory nature the graduation is intended to be.” He has not elaborated on any more specific complaints he has received, so I can also assume that he believes the song is simply too sad for a graduation ceremony. He also stated that he hopes the seniors in the chorus will be able to steer the decision regarding what song we perform at graduation, so long as that song is not “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” 

The class of 2025 is the last grade left at NHS to have performed this song at an NHS graduation ceremony before it was discontinued, so next year’s chorus will not have the same emotional connection to the song. Thus, I’ve decided this would be the perfect time to select a permanent replacement for “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” one with lyrics far more uplifting than “your time has come to shine! All of your dreams are on their way!” After much deliberation, I have narrowed my list down to the following songs, all of which are joyful, celebratory, and thus perfect for the NHS graduation ceremony.

“Oh Well, Okay” by Elliott Smith

According to GeniusLyrics, this happy tune is sung from the perspective of a man as he looks at photographs of his ex-lover and reflects on the feeling he still has for her. Such lyrics as “here’s the silhouette, the face, always turned away/The bleeding color gone to black, dying like a day” might seem sad on the surface, but what better song is there to reflect the nostalgia with which we hope NHS graduates will look back on their high school yearbooks? The repeated “Oh well, okay” throughout the song is sarcastic, a testament to Smith’s inability to move on from the immense heartbreak he’s faced. In our version, though, “oh well, okay” might represent the SEL skills we’ve learned during our time at NHS that have helped us accept and move forward from setbacks and challenges! 

“TV” by Billie Eilish 

Though the entire song is filled with vivid depictions of Eilish’s depression, self-loathing, and insecurity as caused by a failing relationship, it’s the lyric “they’re overturning Roe V. Wade” that makes this song a sure crowd-pleaser for Needham parents. What parent of a girl who’s about to head off to Indiana University or The University of Texas at Austin wouldn’t want to be reminded of the lack of bodily autonomy that their daughter will face when she arrives? I think the repetition of “Baby, I’m the problem” that closes out the song is sure to instill confidence in a class of students who are already anxious about leaving home for uncertain futures, and hearing “I don’t want to talk right now, I just want to watch TV” will instill in them immense motivation to complete their coursework next year instead of sitting in bed on Netflix. 

“The Night We Met” by Lord Huron

This song’s inclusion on the Netflix show “13 Reasons Why” is reason enough that this song is happy enough to be performed at the next graduation ceremony. As parents watch their children move on from their high school careers and step into the world on their own, nothing will bring them more comfort than hearing the lyrics “I had all and then most of you/Some and now none of you/Take me back to the night we met.” A song as upbeat as this one is sure to get the crowd excited in a way that “Bridge” never could have. 

“Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles

Among religious Christians, “a sign of the times” refers to an indication that an apocalypse or a similar terrifying event is soon to come, and I’m sure this sense of doom is just what parents need to consider as they send their children off to live their lives on a planet slowly being destroyed by global warming. Titular significance aside, though, the lyrics alone are enough to bring some much-needed energy into what can be a sad ceremony. The not-at-all haunting lyric “welcome to the final show/I hope you’re wearing your best clothes” honestly seems like a perfect fit for this event; this is the seniors’ “final” high school event, and they’ll all be dressed in their best clothes! As parents send their children off to colleges or gap years across the country or in other parts of the world, hearing “We can meet again somewhere/Somewhere far away from here” is sure to reassure them that they will be okay having an empty nest. 

“I Know the End” by Phoebe Bridgers 

Ah, yet another song depicting a possible end-of-the-world scenario! I know singing the lyrics “close my eyes, fantasize/Three clicks and I’m home” and “there’s no place like my room” won’t make me at all anxious about departing from my family in a few short months. “You had to go, I know, I know, I know, like a wave that crashed and melted on the shore” has such vivid imagery sure to excite and energize teary-eyed parents. To put the cherry on top of this joyous ice cream sundae of a song, lyrics like “I’m not afraid to disappear” and “the end is near, the end is near” (which is repeated while haunting screams enter the background vocals) are sure to put a smile on everyone’s faces. 

After researching potential songs for graduation, I can totally understand why Mr. Sicotte thought “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was too sad. The sight of NHS students clapping and dancing to the beat of this beloved song might appear celebratory at first, but imagine how much joy our blank-faced performance of these upbeat songs could bring to the community!