Songs about school date back to the beginning of rock and roll. Throughout the Fifties and Sixties they focused on just how keen and swell school is, and then Alice Cooper happened. “School’s Out” sort of created a new genre of school songs, and everyone from The Ramones to .38 Special piled on throughout the Seventies and Eighties.
So without copping to the obvious (Brownsville Station, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Ramones), here are ten songs to remind you just how badly high school sucked.
1. “I Don’t Like Mondays,” The Boomtown Rats. Okay, right out of the gate I threw in something that’s hardly a deep cut. Forgive me, but this is one of my all-time favorites. Enjoy.
2. “I Hate My School,” The Necros.  The Necros were a Midwestern punk band of the late Seventies/early Eighties. I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t think they cared for their school.
3. “Headmaster Ritual,” The Smiths. What I always loved about The Smiths was the juxtaposition between the happy melodies and the bitter lyrics. “Belligerent ghouls / Run Manchester schools.” Indeed.
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4. “Fuck School,” The Replacements. Oh, how I love the ‘Mats. I’m that annoying guy who insists that you have to own Let It Be! Are you kidding me? How can you not own Let It Be? Yeah, sorry.
5. “Jock-O-Rama,” The Dead Kennedys.  In retrospect I sort of wish I’d participated in some organized sport during high school, but the jocks were such…jocks. Anyway,  fun song. Enjoy.
6. “Olympia (Rock Star),” Hole. I know that Courtney Love has become a joke, and I know that the buzz is that Live Through This is more Kurt than Courtney. I don’t care, the album rocks.
7. “Popular Creeps,” Chris Mars. Double your ‘Mats references, double your fun.
8. “Be Chrool To Your Schuel,” Twisted Sister with Alice Cooper. Honestly the song sucks but the video is fun.
9. “Back to School (Mini Maggit),” Deftones. Sacramento is proud of the Deftones. We have the Deftones, Tesla, and, um, we have the Deftones and Tesla.
10. “School,” Nirvana. From the album Bleach.
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