What Is The “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” Of Today?

mariasci | March 18, 2009 1:00 pm

Here are a few facts about me as a youngster. 1) I was a camp counselor. 2) I could use computers. 3) I knew something about music. 4) I had a tendency to take on too much responsibility. Add all that up, and you get involved in a lot of photo montages from graduations or end-of-session assemblies. Back in the 90s, there were a few obvious choices for soundtrack, no-brainers that worked every time. For a while, it was Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You,” but in 1997 came Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life).” Why was it so perfect? It wasn’t just the nail-on-the-head lyrics, but the wistful, bittersweet tone of the music that someone made you want to put your arms around the smelly, t-shirted frames of people you had spent far too much time around in the past weeks and sway back and forth. But what, I wondered, are kids using today for their montages? I took to YouTube to find out.

Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway!”

Uh, “Riding Dirty,” for some reason!

A cover version of “Good Riddance!” (And the original, too.)

Fall Out Boy’s “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs!”

Queen’s “We Are The Champions!”

Coldplay!

The Fresh Prince’s “Summertime!”

Raven-Symoné’s “This Is My Time!”

And, uh, Modest Mouse? Huh.