Principal Matters Playlist for September
September Songs
- September. Earth Wind and Fire. Obviously the go-to, get-September-started song.
- Baba O’Riley. The Who. It’s not titled “Teenage Wasteland.” If you’re a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, you already knew that though. If not, you should still enjoy this intro to Sanford Stadium.
- Can’t Hold Us. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Here’s another stadium song that is fast and upbeat and sounds like we’re about to go on offense after a fourth down stop.
- Thunder. Imagine Dragons. The boys from Nevada have been linked with College Football since ESPN adopted their songs to promote the College Football Playoff over the past decade. This song is an “underdog beats the odds and makes it big” song which all school people should like.
- The Boys of Fall. Kenny Chesney. This line: “In little towns like mine that’s all they got;
Newspaper clippings fill the coffee shops” … this is a straight up Ode to High School Football and if you don’t shed a tear you just need to listen a little harder. - All I Do Is Win. D.J. Kahlid, ft. Ludacris, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross Okay, there is little bit of PG-13 lyrics in this (the edited, clean version) just for full disclosure, but since Snoop Dogg was the official US representative for the 2024 Olympics, I figure it may be okay. AND this is a winner of a song too.
- The Horse. Cliff Nobles. If you ever had an eight-track tape player in your car, your high school band probably played this song and if you were on dance team or cheer squad then you probably still know the dance.
- Crazy Train. Ozzy Osbourne. Auburn fans and Chipper Jones all like this one, and if you take a deeper look at the lyrics, you’ll find some positive ideas in a song whose title seems perfect for school leaders.
- Sweet Caroline. Neil Diamond Yes it’s associated with baseball and the Boston Red Sox, but it’s also a popular crowd sing-along at Boston College and Penn State and other stadiums across the land.
- Mr. Brightside. The Killers. This one is a stadium song in colleges all over the fruited plain, but the school that has officially adopted it is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the U of M.
- Jump Around. House of Pain. You don’t need to know the words; just the choreography. At Camp Randall Wisconsin, the Badgers fans get in their cardio between the third and fourth quarters with ths one.
- I Won’t Back Down. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. In the Swamp, University of Florida fans sing along in a tribute to the most famous of all Gainesville exports this side of Gatorade.
- Seven Nation Army. The White Stripes. This generation’s The Horse. Infectious rhythm. Easy to sing lyrics (actually just one in the audience participation portion). Perfect for a high school band.
- Enter Sandman. Metallica. Virginia Tech enters the field to this song and it’s electric in Blacksburg, VA from the first strum to when the beat drops. It’s a great inclusion into your September songs.
WHY? If you’re reading this far, you may be asking why we’re including this on a site devoted for learning about school leadership: Well, for starters, it’s fun. In all of my trainings, music is a part of the learning environment. Secondly, YOU may want to use music in what you do. If we can offer some school-appropriate, upbeat positive tunes, that seems to fit our overall mission. Finally, it’s an idea that YOU may want to activate at your school or system. Not THIS playlist, but what about some custom curated playlists for your school? You can use music to support a thematic emphasis and that can connect learning you’re working on.
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