I pride myself in being the target demographic when High School Musical was first released, and I bought a full High School Musical outfit, learnt all the dance routines, memorised the lyrics and went to see the show on tour. So to celebrate the soundtrack turning 15, here is your conclusive rundown of the songs off the soundtrack, from worst to best…
10: Bop to the Top
I don’t know whether it’s the combination of random spoken words or just the rhythm of this song, but it’s not for me. Ryan and Sharpay deserve better.
9: I Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You
A song that didn’t even make it into the movie, but for some reason, even without re-listening to it, I can still hear it. It haunts me.
8: What I’ve Been Looking For
Ryan and Sharpay were given the worst songs in the first movie and nobody can convince me otherwise. They made this song fun and upbeat yes, but should it really have been sung by a brother and sister? I’m not sure.
7: Start of Something New
The song that started everything and raised an entire generation’s hopes of meeting the love of your life at karaoke on New Year’s Eve. *sigh*
6: What I’ve Been Looking For (reprise)
Look here Sharpay and Ryan, nobody wants or needs your bedazzled everything. Sometimes stripping a song down to its core is the way to go. It’s a ridiculously short song, but it does the job and sums up perfectly Troy and Gabriella’s relationship.
5: When There Was Me and You
Nine-year-old me had her heart broken for the first time when Gabriella sang “dreams are meant for sleeping and wishes on a star just don’t come true”. Troy, why would you break her heart like this? Gabriella’s solo songs have always been heart-breaking, but this one takes the biscuit.
4: We’re All in This Together
If you didn’t try and learn this dance routine when you were ten years old, you’re lying. If you want to end a successful musical film on a high note, what better way to do it? The dance routine, all the characters coming together in sync, the scene taking place in a basketball court – what more could you want?
3: Get’cha Head in the Game
Other than being very repetitive, it’s the beat and the incorporation of the basketballs of this song that puts it so high up on this list. Using basketballs as instruments – acapella could never.
2: Breaking Free
Arguably the most iconic and well-known track from the entire series, but let down by one key element – who was meant to sing first? Troy, or Gabriella? Will we ever know? Who knew you could turn seemingly normal words like ‘soaring’ and ‘flying’ into an anthem?
1: Stick to the status quo
Name something more iconic than “I play the cello!” and having all your friends suddenly abandon you for being a traitor. This song was honestly, and still is, one of my favourite High School Musical songs from the entire franchise. How anyone can listen to it and not instinctively want to jump onto a table and scream “no, stick to the status quo!” is beyond me.
By Faith Pring
Feature Image Credit: Disney