Is It True? Does High School REALLY Never End?

Hello everyone! Happy #SongLyricsSunday! Today’s prompt is to find a song with “School”, “College”, “Education”, “Class”, or “Degree” either in the title or the lyrics. I picked a tune that was popular when I was in high school that was kind of about high school. The song? It’s American pop-punk band Bowling for Soup’s 2006 song “High School Never Ends”. It asks the question “Does high school really end after we graduate?”

The Whole Wide World

“High School Never Ends” was released by Bowling For Soup in 2006 as a single off their album The Great Burrito Extortion Case. The lyrics were written by Jaret Reddick and Adam Schlesinger. Jaret Reddick is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the band. He is also the current voice of Chuck E. Cheese 😲. Meanwhile, Adam Schlesinger was a songwriter and founding member for bands like Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows. He wrote many songs for other bands (like The Monkees, America, and Jonas Brothers), theatre, and TV. Sadly, Schlesinger died in 2020 due to complications from COVID-19.

The theme of “High School Never Dies” stems from the frustration that was felt in the 2000s. Even though you graduated from high school, you could see modern popular culture was trying to emulate the unsavory superficial and materialistic culture found in high school. It also plays on the fact that many Americans during the 2000s were fascinated with the lifestyles of celebrities. Listeners can hear that in many pop culture references sprinkled throughout the song. What reference(s) did you notice?

It also touches on the factor that even though you have graduated from high school, life never changes. The superficial concerns and pack mentality found in high school life continues on for a while, maybe forever. Those who were privileged and popular in high school tend to continue to stay that way. Meanwhile, the modern world doesn’t value such traits as intelligence and kindness. This can lead up to frustration for or someone who is looking for something more in the modern world.

Pop Punk was very popular when I was in high school (2003-2007, I know, I am THAT old!), and Bowling For Soup was one of the most popular bands during that time. Even though you didn’t live through the reign of pop-punk, many will agree that “High School Never Ends” is a really fun song. It features catchy melodies in the chorus and lyrics that listeners may relate to. How about you: Do you feel like high school never ends? Does life never change after high school?

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The Lyrics For “High School Never Ends”

Oh oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh
Hey!
Oh oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh
Hey!

Four years, you think, for sure
That’s all you’ve got to endure
All the total dicks
All the stuck-up chicks
So superficial, so immature
Then when, you graduate
Ya take a look around and you say, “Hey, wait!
This is the same as where I just came from
I thought it was over! Aw, that’s just great”

The whole damned world is just as obsessed
With who‘s the best dressed and who’s having sex
Who’s got the money, who gets the honeys
Who‘s kinda cute and who‘s just a mess
And you still don’t have the right look
And you don’t have the right friends
Nothing changes but the faces, the names and the trends
High school never ends
Oh oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh
Hey!
Oh oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh
Hey!

Check out the popular kids
You’ll never guess what Jessica did!
And how did Mary Kate lose all that weight?
And Katie had a baby so I guess Tom’s straight!
And the only thing that matters
Is climbing up that social ladder
Still care about your hair and the car you drive
Doesn’t matter if you’re 16 or 35
Reese Witherspoon, she’s the prom queen
Bill Gates, captain of the chess team
Jack Black, the clown, Brad Pitt, the quarterback
Seen it all before
I want my money back!

The whole damned world is just as obsessed
With who’s the best dressed and who’s having sex
Who’s in the club and who’s on the drugs
Who’s throwing up before they digest
And you still don’t have the right look
And you don’t have the right friends
And you still listen to the same shit you did back then
High school never ends
Oh oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh
(High school never ends)

The whole damned world is just as obsessed
With who‘s the best dressed and who‘s having sex
Who‘s got the money, who gets the honeys
Who‘s kinda cute and who‘s just a mess
And I still don’t have the right look
And I still have the same three friends
And I’m pretty much the same as I was back then
High school never ends

(Oh oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh)
High school never ends
(Oh oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh)
High school never ends
(Oh oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh)
Here we go again…
(Oh oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh, oh oh oh-oh)

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The Rules for #SongLyricsSunday

(This challenge is currently hosted by the generous Jim Adams.)

Anyone can participate in #SongLyricsSunday, even if you aren’t a music blogger! If you want to participate, here are the rules:

• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Pingback to this post will eventually work, as long as you are being patient, but you can also place your link in the comments if you don’t like to wait.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

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