The Ultimate Back-to-School Playlist

While there are still a few more weeks left to hit the beach or get away for the weekend, it’s time for students to start thinking about trading in their bathing suits for new jeans and hoodies, and the TV controller for pens and notebooks. As daunting as the beginning of the school year may seem, it’s also an exciting time for you to reconnect with friends after a long break and get a jump start on plans for next summer.

Whether you need motivation to hit the books, or just need to calm your nerves before you see your crush after being away all summer, here is the perfect music playlist to mentally prepare you for the start of the new semester.

Album: 534

Producer: Just Blaze

Jay Z has the talent to make even the most mundane song sound extravagant. His music has the potential to make that first biology class of the year feel like a yacht party. “Dear Summer,” a cut off of Memphis Bleek’s album 534, is Hov’s farewell to the warm months. The track was released during the superstar MC’s “retirement” phase following the release of The Black Album in 2004.

Instead of worrying about retirement, though, those of you going back to school this year can use the smooth Just Blaze production to reflect on how special the past few months have been. The long walk down the hallway on the first day of the school year is tough, but like Jay said, “All good things must come to an end.”

Album: Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

Producer: Organized Noize

Months of sleeping well past noon and living responsibility-free suddenly turning into 6:30 a.m. wakeup calls seems like a form of cruel and unusual punishment. For the late-risers, sometimes that cup of coffee in the morning just isn’t enough to get you ready to hit the books. For a little extra motivation to jumpstart the day, this Goodie Mob-aided OutKast cut, “Git Up, Git Out,” is the remedy.

The timeless song, off of OutKast’s 1994 debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, sends a reminder that laying around all day in bed is no way to get ahead of the competition. For those of you thinking of playing hookie or cutting class early in the year, let CeeLo Green try and dissuade you: “You need to git up/git out/cut that bullshit out/Ain’t you sick and tired of having to do without?”

Album: White Women

Producer: Chromeo, Oliver

The anxiety that comes with the first day of school can only be amplified if you get to campus and see your summer flame chatting it up with some new blood. As tough as it may be to watch, the last thing you want to do is to lose your cool and cause a scene that will be talked about for the remainder of the school year. The Canadian electro-funk/disco duo Chromeo have been in that situation before and have devoted this infectious track from White Women to everyone facing the burden of being spurned by an ex.

So, if you pull up to class and see your warm-weather fling choppin’ it up with someone else, just remember: That attractive foreign exchange student from homeroom will likely be eating lunch alone all week. The ball is in your court.

Album: Love It to Death

Producer: Bob Ezrin

Legendary rocker Alice Cooper set the bar for teenage anthems with his 1971 song titled “I’m Eighteen.” Right on the fringe of adulthood (but still very much a kid), being 18 is not only one of the most fun but also one of the most confusing ages you will experience. One day you’re claiming independence, while the next you’re hitting up dad for $20. While Cooper’s lyrics were written decades ago, the song and message have survived the times.

Album: The Wonderful World of Sam Cooke

Producer: Sam Cooke

Ninety percent of Sam Cooke songs are about love in one form or another, which means the legendary singer had to constantly come up with creative ways to get the message across. For “Wonderful World,” which was famously featured in the classic flick Animal House, Cooke cleverly tied academia into his profession of love for a woman. While Cooke openly admitted that he wasn’t a great student, he did suggest that hitting the books harder would’ve made it much easier for him to get the lady he wanted. The lesson here is quite simple, fellas: Study up!

Album: Enema of the State

Producer: Jerry Finn

During the late ’90s, pop and punk ruled the charts. Around this time, Blink-182 had a wildly successful run that hit its climax with the band's 1999 album, Enema of the State. Skilled in writing lighthearted tracks with coming-of-age lyrics, low-brow humor, and catchy hooks, Blink-182 was the quintessential pop-punk band of the TRL era.

On “Going Away to College,” vocalist Mark Hoppus details how tough it is for young love to survive the hurdle of a long-distance relationship when couples go off to separate colleges. As far as Blink-182 songs go, this is one of the trio’s more sentimental efforts.

Album: 1984

Producer: Ted Templeman

All hope is restored when you show up for the first day of class and have a good-looking teacher, teacher’s assistant, or professor standing there giving the day’s lecture. In a matter of seconds, 8 a.m. math class becomes your favorite part of the week and you start to catch yourself staying late for tutoring sessions three days out of the week.

Van Halen captured this rare occurrence perfectly with the goofy appropriately titled “Hot for Teacher,” off of the the band's album 1984. With a pulsating drums, a classic guitar riff from Eddie Van Halen, and David Lee Roth providing his usual antics, “Hot for Teacher” is basically everything you would ever want from a Van Halen song.

Album: Young Money: Rise of an Empire

Producer: Hit-Boy, 40, Hagler

One of the few downers of the summer is the lack of big-time sports to follow—unless, of course, you’re into sitting through a six-hour, extra-inning baseball game on a 95-degree July day. Fortunately, along with the start of school, the arrival of fall also means football season is upon us. There’s no question that dominant pigskin programs around the country will be blasting “Trophies” either over the loudspeaker or with a live rendition performed by the school's marching band.

Drake killed it this summer with multiple songs that had the Internet abuzz. He even hosted what was arguably the event of the season with OVO Fest. Even though football is played on a much lighter scale in Drake’s native Canada, there’s no doubt that teams will be playing this jam in-game and during victory celebrations.

Album: I Promise I Will Never Stop Going In

Producer: League of Starz

Going back-to-school shopping for a fresh fall look can certainly help alleviate the pain of having to go back to class. Rich Homie Quan’s hit “Walk Thru,” is loaded with braggadocio and is the perfect entrance music when you’re walking through the hall and stunting on the rest of the student body with your new gear.

Album: God's Son

Producer: Salaam Remi

Maybe last school year didn’t go as well as you had hoped and your report card came back with less than stellar grades. Luckily, the arrival of a new semester means a chance for you to make up for past mistakes and build toward a better future. Not only does Nas provide a brief history lesson in the last verse, but he also gives listeners words of encouragement in the chorus and reminds them that without hard work, dreams will never come true. Needless to say, this is the perfect song for those late-night study sessions.