Colleen Fitzpatrick, the former lead vocalist for the group Eve's Plum, recorded under the name Vitamin C as a solo artist. This song was one of the standout cuts on the album Vitamin C, released in 1999. It was an instant graduation classic pulling in the power of memories in years to come and the value of friends forever. It works well sung live with a chorus as well.

Songs that originated in Broadway musicals often work very well for ceremonial events like graduation. This ode to the measuring of time through love from Rent follows in the tradition of other past great graduation songs from A Chorus Line and Wicked.

This is probably the perfect graduation song for those who never felt they completely fit in during high school. However, Kelly Clarkson's inspiring expression of the desire to spread one's wings wide to escape the mundane has universal appeal

This is the only song which appears in both the graduation list and the prom songs list on this site. It is a great Green Day song for transitional events that appeals equally well to mainstream pop and rock fans.

There is no other song that is better at reminding us of the importance of being totally engaged, keeping our sense of awe at the world, and recognizing the importance of fun in life.

This lush, wistful ballad will leave many graduates misty-eyed thinking of the memorable moments of the years shared with their friends.

If you have a choir at your graduation ceremony, this is the perfect song to give them to sing. It is pure inspiration for the future.

This spoken word novelty is one of the most unusual hit songs of the past decade. The nuggets of wisdom dispensed here still carry resonance.

This song simply gets more and more brilliant with passing time. Go back to the original Diana Ross recording and you'll be unlikely to find a better celebration of taking those important first steps into the wide world beyond school.