I’m in charge of putting together a slide show for high school kids who went to camp this summer in Colorado. I need a song that is fun and most everyone will know. Here are the rules:
1. No sappy slow songs that talk about finding yourself or saying goodbye.
2. No Mother Superior songs about climbing every mountain.
3. Songs that high school kids will know.
4. Songs that high school kids will know and sing to.
5. Songs that high school kids will know and sing along that don’t have lyrics talking about thongs, girls kissing girls or any secret sexual innuendoes that my naïve brain can’t even comprehend. Let’s keep it clean people.
Here are songs that I came up with on my own:
The Middle—Jimmy Eat World
It’s upbeat and I’m thinking high school kids would like it.
Don’t Stop Believin’—Journey
Hello. It’s Journey.
Walking on Sunshine—Katrina and the Waves
Happy, happy song, but may be too old for these kids who were born in the ‘90s.
How Far We’ve Come—Matchbox 20
Kind of appropriate that they were walking all over mountains, right?
Unwritten/Pocketful of Sunshine—Natasha Bedingfield
Fun to sing and definitely now.
America—Neil Diamond
Because it’s my job to make these kids cooler by introducing them to Neil Diamond.
Hooked on a Feeling—Steve Miller Band
Cool beginning, but might be too slow?
I’m Gonna Be (5,000 miles)—The Proclaimers
Fun sing-a-long part in the middle. Plus they probably did walk 5,000 miles.
Yes? No? Suggestions? Help!
**PS: Keep all Hannah Banana suggestions to yourself. And while I’m at it, let’s go ahead and boycott anyone from the Disney Channel family. I’ll have none of that on my slide show. It’s best the Jonas Brothers and the entire High School Musical cast stay on my iPod where they belong.
What about Bleeding love by Leona Lewis, or Apologize by One Republic ? I second the Natasha Beddingfields too! Good luck!
Right Here, Right Now- Jesus Jones
Take It Easy– Jackson Browne or the Eagles
Daydream Believer- the Monkees ( but the best version is the late great writer’s, John Stewart)
Unwritten - or Walking on Sunshine. My son - a 10th grader - likes both. Believe it or not, he has the Beatles and Walking on Sunshine on his ipod. He also has “Don’t worry, be happy” on his ipod.
And She Was- Talking Heads
New Shoes- Paolo Nutini
Flood- Jars of Clay
Alive and Kicking- Simple Minds
Run Around- Blues Traveler
Rain King- Counting Crows
Those last two remind me of my mountain climbing experience at JH Ranch. What an incredible spiritual and emotional experience!
Run, by Ben Kewller
Come on Eileen - Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Jump - Van Halen
Jump Around - House of Pain
Beverly Hills - Weezer
Heart & Soul - T’Pau
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
Fantasy - Mariah Carey (Gulity Pleasure)
Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J
Instant Karma - John Lennon (If it was good enough for Nike…)
I Feel Good - James Brown
Welcome to the Jungle - Gun’s & Roses
Sooner or Later - The Grass Roots
Forever - Goo Goo Dolls
And of course: Freedom 90 by George Michael
American Pie - Original version (nothing against Madonna)
Livin on a Prayer - Bon Jovi (Jersey girl weighing in)
new Kid Rock song sampling Skynard
Oooh, I vote for Tainted Love or Don’t Stop Believing. Or the quintessential summer song -
Don Henley’s Boys of Summer. Oh yes… LOVE that one.
Slayer - War Ensemble
Testament - Demonic Refusal
Slipknot - Purity
Meshuggah - Spasm
Lamb of God - Laid to Rest (What? It’s in GH2)
Too hard? Fine.
Eric B & Rakim - Follow the Leader
Public Enemy - Kevorkian
Beastie Boys - Car Thief
DOC - Let the Bass Go
EPMD - You Gots to Chill
What? You Uzi doesn’t weigh a ton, yo? Fine.
Tibet - Waterdance
Massive Attack - Safe from Harm
Enigma - Gravity of Love
Balligomingo - Purify
Amethystium - Lust
Delerium - Metamorphosis
Now what? No Buddha music?
OK, then take any of the Guitar Hero songs, filter it by your 58 demands, and then add the only thing left . . . . your Willy Wonka theme song like you put at the end of that first mix disc you made me (true story) freak. Was funny as hail though. Once.
You know you want to follow me on flip.fm now. No. OK.
New Soul by Yael Naim and David Donatien (the Apple song)
Daaaaaaamn webMAN. You can throw down a list with the best of them. Not so much with the flip.fm, but I’ll be your Huckleberry on Pandora.
INXS - Never Tear Us Apart?
Scorpions - Winds of Change?
The Pharcyde - Ya Mama?
I don’t know what the kids are into now, but I do know those Jonas Brothers can NOT sing. Whoa nelly! It’s bad, y’all.
new Kid Rock song sampling Skynard….love that song! But it does say something about “smoking funny things”…not sure if that is appropriate for high school kids
My vote is for the matchbox 20 song…how far we’ve come.
Of course, isn’t there some country song by Alabama that starts out with some old grandpa saying “you see that mountain over there? one of these days I’m gonna climb that mountain (mountain, mountain, mountain)!!!! Is it called Mountain Music????
By the way…just kidding about the Mountain Music song! I bet high schoolers don’t even know who “Alabama” is!
WebMAN you are speaking a foreign language! How old are you???? LOL
Time of Your Life - Greenday
The Start of It - Meese (an up-and-coming CO band)
Our Time Now or Let Me Take You There - Plain White T’s
Life is Beautiful - Vega4 (may be too slow, but is a great song!)
Thanks For The Memories - Fall Out Boy
Viva La Vida - Coldplay
I’m always a fan of Journey, but then again, I’m a child of the ’80’s/early 90’s… Good luck!
What about “Soak Up The Sun” by Sheryl Crow?
The kids like Jack Johnson, right? Never Know or Upside Down? Maybe some Dave…how about Ants Marching? What Would You Say?
Old school stuff:
Rapper’s Delight - The Sugarhill Gang
Slow Ride - Foghat
You Dropped a Bomb on Me - The Gap Band
Barracuda - Heart
Jungle Boogie - Kool & The Gang
La Bamba - Los Lobos
Dance, Dance, Dance - Steve Miller Band
American Girl - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Y.M.C.A. - The Village People
Low Rider - War
Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
“These are the days” by Natalie Merchant.
I pick that Weezer song that’s all popular right now. Troublemaker. It’s a great song, fairly harmless (I think? I haven’t paid too much attention to the lyrics), currently popular, upbeat and catchy.
Or Paper Planes by MIA. Again, popular and catchy.
Also - as much as I personally love Journey, unfortunately they’re not big with the kiddies these days.
I’m sorry, are you really not going to put on Rocky Mountain High?? I’m almost offended at the thought!
weezer - island in the sun
It may not be upbeat enough, but you can’t deny the fact that high schoolers like Taylor Swift. So how about “Change” by Taylor Swift?
Natasha Bettingfield’s “Unwritten” is always a crowd pleaser.
“Summertime” by Kenny Chesney–the only mention of drinking in that song is drinking Yoo Hoo–kinda makes me want one, anyway I digress
Anything by Jimmy Buffet
The remake of “Boys of Summer” by the Ataris
I wouldn’t say *anything* by Jimmy Buffet. “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw” probably wouldn’t go over very well!
While some of these may not be my top picks for best songs ever, these are some I remember from youth group and similar summer trips way back in the day.
I’d say Sweet Caroline or Brother Love’s Travelin’ Salvation Show instead of America. But to put Neil Diamond on there is sheer brilliance!
With a little help from my friends–Joe Cocker
Holiday Road (the song they play in National Lampoon’s Vacation)
On Top of the World–the Carpenters
These are the days OR Bright Side of the Road–Van Morrison
Best of luck!
Curbside Prophet - Jason Mraz
Black Horse and a Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
Just a note - Welcome to the Jungle does have major sexual innuendoes.
“King Without a Crown” by Matisyahu
It’s got a great beat and good message. All the cool kids will love it!
suddenly I see - KT Tunstall
Pocket Full of Sunshine - NB
1234 - Feist
Beat It (remake) - Fall Out Boy
Mercy - Duffy
Shiny Happy People - REM
is there a song that constantly came up during the trip that the kids sang, or you heard in the car, because that’s always a good bet to go with.
“All These Things That I’ve Done” - The Killers (Did you see the Nike Olympics commercial? “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier….”)
“Handlebars” - Flobots (but watch out for the last verse, where things get a little angry)
And that’s all I got….
I’m a high school teacher and somewhat in touch with what my kids think is cool…but your criteria eliminate most of their favorites!
Beautiful Day by U2
how about “3 Little Birds” by Bob Marley? Only one of the happiest songs out there!!!!!!
you have a lot to choose from. . don’t forget “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton (if you can get past the mental image of 2 VERY ugly “white chicks”)!!
“The Story” by Brandi Carlile….check it out
You have to tell us which one you finally choose
Don’t do Unwritten!! High school kids watch The Hills (as do I) and that song has been WAY overdone because of the show. I vote Pocket Full of Sunshine, 3 Little Birds, Boys of Summer (Ataris remake to make it a little more now, although that’s like 5 years old), or Handlebars. It gets a little angry at the end, but I think the overall message is great. There’s also Viva la Vida by Coldplay.
At my church’s youth camp they play Space Jam a bazillion times, so now that’s what I always think of when I think of camp…
I second the “Suddenly I See” and Beautiful Day!
“Dreams” by the Cranberries. I love the beginning part of this song - its what they play at the beginning of “You’ve got Mail” and you just know its going to be a good movie as soon as you hear it!
summertime by fresh prince/will smith
Maybe I’m on my own here, but Summertime by NKOTB?? I mean, they are “back” so I think it would be appropriate to introduce our children of the 90’s to the boy bands that us children of the 80’s loved so (you know you did!)!?
Read the lyrics to “How Far We’ve Come” first. Something weird is going on it…or maybe I just feel that way because an ex used it to get to me on his MySpace page.
#14 Good call on Time of Your Life by Green Day
I was also thinking Run, Run Away by Slade (They may be a little young to know it, but it’s sucha happy, upbeat song)
And really…Can you go wrong with Journey??
Steal My Sunshine by LEN. Great summer song!!
I FORBID any more REM recommendations (sorry Myles). I cannot stand them or that other fool Dave Matthews.
Dive - Stephen Curtis Chapman
Lincee,
My two favorite YL songs of all time…Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty and This Time of Year by Better Than Ezra…let me know what you pick!
Has anyone mentioned Time of my Life by David Cook?
I’m with agreement with AZGirl…Viva La Vida by Coldplay or anything from them. anything U2! Madonna’s Ray of Light or her new single thats out.
Our YL kids loved singing The Proclaimers 500 miles at club. Great pic. Just fyi. I also think Beautiful Day is a fabulous option. Let us know what you pick!!!!
Why don’t you download the Olympic CD, its supposed to be all about being your best, achieving what you thought you couldn’t and its current, unlike a LOT of the suggestions above. These kids have no idea who half the people listed in above are. Seriously, The Carpenters? I’m just saying…
‘FREE FALLING’ … Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers — LOVE IT!!!!
“Express Yourself” by Charles Wainwright and the 103rd
I would go with something new and that came out (or at least was re-done) recently. High schoolers are quick to label something as old or outdated, even if we think it is not-so-old :). I am a school counselor in a high school and geez - those kiddos can really make me feel like a geezer - and I am 27!
So I would stay away from Neil Diamond and friends. I think your Natasha Bedingfield idea is more on track.
Some good new stuff**:
Kid Rock - “All Summer Long”
Coldplay - “Viva la Vida”
Daughtry - “What About Now”
Matt Nathanson - “Come on Get Higher”
Chris Brown - “Forever”
John Mayer (Live) - “Free Fallin’”
Nickelback - Photograph (though this is ‘05 and ancient in teens mind)
You really can’t go wrong with Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Pat McGee, Jack Johnson, or one of that genre. They seem to have a timeless cool factor with high school kids.
Have fun!
** simple disclaimer: I am not saying these are MY favorite songs - just ones that I know I wouldn’t be made fun of for listening to in my office in the high school
My new favorite song is “It’s Amazing” by Jem. It’s on the “Sex & the City” soundtrack, but I’ve been hearing it on my local MIX station, too.
there is a surprise for you on my blog!
xo,
Hellooooo Gorgeous
WebMan - My Dad still sings REM’s “Stand” at times. It whipped me when I was in high school (almost as much as the original version) and it still whips me today.
Can we also dispense with the Coldplay nonsense. Too overproduced. The could be good if they dropped the excessive instrumentation and the falsetto.
Did anyone else thing that Jimmy Page way out-shined Leona Lewis in the closing ceremonies of the Olympics? It was a good idea on paper….
But seriously. Kids are funny. My wife and I get a real kick out of talking to our babysitter. She’s a hoot.
What about Jackson Browne’s medley of Load In/Stay (some places list it as Load Out). Perfectly bittersweet and vrey clean
I vote the Matchbox 20 song. That’s a good one!
“Semi-Charmed Life” Third Eye Blind
“Beautiful Day” U2
“Boys of Summer” Ataris
“Island in the Sun” Weezer
“Summertime” Sublime
Oh, and “Times Like These” Foo Fighters
I have a freshman in college and Dancing Queen from Mamma Mia, Popular or Defying Gravity from Wicked are still acceptable and she hates the Jonas Brothers so you are right to steer clear there. I would say being in Texas - go with some country as I heard alot of that when we were moving into the dorm.
My little sister, who is a college freshman, said that she heard “Pocketful of Sunshine” is about pot. I don’t know if it’s true, I’m just saying….
My vote is for “Beautiful Day” U2
Lean on Me - by Club Nouveau
Natasha Beddingfield’s “Happy” - they use it on the GMA Promos… think it has the right message.
and…
David Cook’s “This is the Time”
and…
Colbie Caillat’s “Bubby”
and
Jack Johnson’s “Hope”
“Pocketful of Sunshine” isn’t about pot…..although I could see where that would be fitting. Natasha Bedingfield was on Chelsea Lately talking about the song, Pocketful of Sunshine is about finding that thing that makes you happy and making the best of life.
All upbeat and recognizable….
Ready to Go - Republica
Song 2 - Blur
Live Out Loud - Steven Curtis Chapman
Anything by Aretha Franklin-hello!
Have you heard “Best Days” by Graham Colton? It’s really good (maybe a little cheesy), and popular with a lot of people my age. Our senior t-shirt had a quote from this song. (Graduated this year so it’s current)
Personally, I believe you can never go wrong with Jack Johnson or Dave Matthews (no matter what web guy [46] thinks!) And whoever said high-schoolers might not remember Journey— No. Big no! Journey will always be awesome!
Please no Natasha Bedingfield. Please.
Try some Ben Folds maybe. My favorite is Annie Waits, but that may be a little too depressing. Maybe “Learn to Live With What You Are”? It’s between slow and upbeat though so I don’t know if that’s really what you want. You can hear the whole song on youtube, but the video is pretty weird, so pay no attention to that
Don’t know if I’ve helped in any way, but I tried! Good luck
“Send Me on My Way”-Rusted Root. Title makes it sound sad, but it is a great song-upbeat, gets into your head. Just give it a listen.
We played “unwritten” for my niece’s Bat Mitzvah and all the girls sang along.
Beautiful Day - U2
These are Days - 10,000 Maniacs
It’s not my time - 3 Doors Down (for something more current)
Just Fine - Mary J. Blige
For those country lovers - -
Mountains - Lonestar
[...] of all…thanks to everyone who has contributed to my song dilemma. I appreciate your insight and have narrowed it down to about four or five choices. Once I [...]
I’m sure I’m totally late for this discussion but You’re My Best Friend by Queen is awesome. If the kids don’t know it then they need to learn it. My best friend used iit n her rehearsal dinner slideshow and it was great with all the pictures of the bride and groom’s friends throughout their childhood and young adult years. It was about 18 years ago but the song is timeless!
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