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Ranking high school musical songs
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By Maria Mikkelsen Updated on March 17, If you happened to be a preteen in , you probably caught High School Musical fever. You bought the merch. You learned the choreography. Disney doubled up on the success of the first movie to produce two sequels within two years, High School Music 2 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year , respectively. Each adaption was accompanied by an unquestioningly catchy album that landed on the Billboard summit each year.
The trilogy follows the lives of a high school class from junior to senior year. The iconic music undoubtedly provided the inspiration for many graduation mix tapes over the last sixteen years. The original movies follow basketball star Troy Balton Zac Efron , sweetheart Gabriella Montez Vanessa Hudgens , and their friends as they overcome high school stereotypes and teen melodrama through the power of, uh, song and dance.
With the TV series set to debut its third season in , we decided to take a walk down memory lane and see if the original musical numbers are as good as we remember. The original High School Musical soundtrack features an ensemble of fresh-faced singers that feel underdeveloped at some parts. Supporting actress Ashley Tisdale was the powerhouse whereas lead actor Zac Efron did very little singing initially, with Drew Seeley providing vocals for Troy Balton in the first film.
Fortunately, Efron and his castmates improve throughout the entire trilogy, offering a broad selection of bops and a few odd eggs. Does anyone even remember this number? Between a petrified Troy Bolton and the potentially culturally insensitive lyrics, this song is too weird to like, even in a movie about musical theater.
Between a larger budget and a cinematic release, High School Musical 3: Senior Year is visually the superior movie. Musically, however, its soundtrack has more misses than hits. It was the perfect end to High School Musical 2. We get it. Gabriella and Troy are in love. Disney Channel had kids hooked on their melodrama, but there were one too many love songs featuring the two. It underperforms compared to her solo in the second film and plays it too safe to leave much of an impression.
Though his character gets his dues by the end of High School Musical 3: Senior Year , he deserved more character development and at least a solo to call his own. The best thing about this song is its music video. This song is one of the better numbers from the third movie. It highlights the respective talents of the entire cast and sends off their characters with a big, sappy smile. The music video even comes full circle, cheekily revealing the entire trilogy to be, well, a school musical!
Both High School Musical 2 and 3 open with a big number. The lyrics come off as a little too cartoonish , even for a Disney Channel Original Movie.
High School Musical 2 brings its plot to a close with a tender duet. The only downside is how dated the lyrics feel. Is there such a thing as too much optimism in a s musical? Tisdale and Grabeel are unapologetically ridiculous throughout. What should be a trainwreck somehow turned out to be a rather good song in retrospect.
With Zac Efron actually singing himself, Hudgens sounds more mature and not quite as nasally. The song also reaffirms what makes this couple quite so lovable. Once more, Tisdale is a force of nature. It sets a more mature tone that, retroactively, may have been out-of-touch with its middle school-aged audience.
Plus, both singers seem to enjoy themselves and its choreography is one of the more imaginative sequences in the series. High School Musical 2 is arguably the best of the trilogy. From start to finish, its soundtrack delivers some of the finest vocal performance its entire cast has to offer, Vanessa Hudgens included. The song has a stronger lyrical foundation. They even throw in a rain machine, a rooftop waltz, and a romantic backdrop for good measure. Fans had three movies over three years to root for this couple.
The East High students decide to put on a play about their senior year in the third film—and what musical during high school would be complete without a song about prom? Arguably the best song of the third movie, the entire cast is at their best. The song can stand on its own with a slightly more mature vibe that contrasts well with the rest of the discography. Corbin Bleu is fairly underutilized in the trilogy despite having one of the strongest voices. Thankfully, he gets his shining moment alongside Lucas Grabeel in this baseball-themed escapade.
Aside from the exceptional choreography, the song is one of the few selections from this list we could see working outside of a Disney film. The entire cast supplies a delightfully electric bop we found ourselves humming to all day long. Another basketball song? Tisdale obviously has the chops. The song has the right amount of teen angst and hypnotic enthusiasm to make its dance break addictive as hell. Sadly, Efron did no such thing. Sure, the song is cheesy but it works.
Despite being well over a decade since its conclusion, the original High School Musical trilogy and its iconic music hold up surprisingly well. What do you think? Did we miss off your most beloved long from the series? Share your thoughts and favorite songs in the comments! TheCoolist is a mood board for your headspace. Always on trend with a flair for DIY, we bring you the best in design, style, crafts, and general intrigue.
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– Every song from 'High School Musical 2' ranked – Los Angeles Times
Right Here, Right Now (High School Musical 3: Senior Year). “Humuhumunukunukuapua'a” · “Senior Year Spring Musical” · “When There was Me and You” · “All For One” · “Right Here, Right Now”. “Humuhumunukunukuapua'a” · “Senior Year Spring Musical” · “We're All in This Together (Graduation Mix)” · “Just Wanna Be With You”.
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Vote them up and have yourself a HSM karaoke party! The production designer for High School Musical 2 was not paid enough for doing God's work. The only downside is that the contrast between the girls getting ready for prom they love it!