'High School Musical' Song Ranking
It’s now been over 10 years since the first High School Musical movie graced our TV screens, launching us into the world of East High and Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez. Nowadays, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens are huge stars and we’re gearing up for High School Musical 4, but there’s no doubt that the original trilogy will remain some of the most iconic films in the Disney Channel Original Movie canon. After all, even with eight years between us and the premiere of the last movie in theaters, we still haven’t managed to get the songs out of our heads.
While basically every song belted by the East High crew was an instant classic, we can’t deny that some are (way) better than others. (Yes, we have serious opinions about which HSM tunes really deserve their place in the DCOM hall of fame.) So excluding reprises, here’s our highly scientific, not-at-all biased ranking of every song in the three High School Musical movies.
1/301. "We're All In This Together"
Arguably the MOST iconic High School Musical song. Let’s be real: you learned the choreography, didn’t you?
2/302. "Bet On It"
The staging of this one certainly helps — who doesn’t love angry Zac Efron on a golf course?! But the thing that really makes it is that it almost sounds like it could be a real song. If Zac had actually been in a boy band, instead of starring alongside former Dream Street member Jesse McCartney in Summerland, this could’ve been their first hit.
3/303. "Breaking Free"
While we get little snippets of it throughout the movie, Troy and Gabriella's callback audition is the first truly great duet from the two of them. And given all they've gone through to get there (um...basketball games and scholastic decathlons) it's also a super satisfying payoff.
4/304. "Everyday"
Everyone loves a good reconciliation song and you can't help but catch all the feels when not only Gabriella and Troy get back together, but also their whole squad joins them on stage.
5/305. "Stick to the Status Quo"
The politics of the East High social scene are pretty ridiculous. People can only have one interest? What's that about? Luckily, it results in one of the best songs — but also leaves us questioning the quality of education they're getting. Some people never learned what a cello is?
6/306. "Gotta Go My Own Way"
Who breaks up with Zac Efron?! Real talk: Gabriella breaks up (or thinks about it) with Troy multiple times throughout the series. We'd be mad if we weren't so impressed. Plus, this is the ultimate delicate-yet-firm "I'm gonna go do me" song.
7/307. "Getcha Head in the Game"
Even though it includes some of the cheesiest lyrics of the franchise (“My head’s in the game, but my heart’s in the song”), which is saying a lot, the inclusion of basketball-dribble and shoe-squeak percussion really takes this one over the top.
8/308. "What Time Is It"
Everyone has felt like this at the end of the school year. Everyone.
9/309. "Just Wanna Be With You"
The most charming part of this song is that it truly does sound like a song that would be written by a high school student and performed in an actual high school musical. Points for verisimilitude.
10/3010. "You Are the Music in Me"
"When I hear my favorite song, I know that we belong." Enough said.
11/3011. "Now or Never"
Every song that involves Zac Efron singing on a basketball court is a great song. Facts only.
12/3012. "We're All In This Together (Senior Version)"
With everyone graduating, it only made sense to throw it back to where it all began. BRB, getting teary missing our high school friends.
13/3013. "All For One"
It's not the best HSM 2 song, but it is the most ubiquitous, which has to count for something.
14/3014. "Senior Year Spring Musical"
Over all, the songs from the third installment pale in comparison to their counterparts from the other movies. But somehow, putting them all together in a medley as the senior year musical makes them way better.
15/3015. "High School Musical"
Is it self-aware? Is it meta? Is it ironic? Okay, definitely not on the last one, but singing about your life being like a high school musical while *in* High School Musical is ... something.
16/3016. "What I've Been Looking For"
Kelsi may decide Troy and Gabriella are the better duo to front her musical with their slower, piano ballad version, but Sharpay and Ryan’s pop-y show tune version is, to be quite honest, way better and way more fun.
17/3017. "I Don't Dance"
Look, it's always, always at least somewhat funny when someone in a musical swears that they do. not. dance. 'Cause, Chad, we've seen your moves. You can't fool us.
18/3018. "Work This Out"
Working with your friends for the summer should be more fun than this song is. At least they're getting real about the struggle.
19/3019. "Right Here Right Now"
We'll give it to this song for the '80s vibes. Troy's dad was probably listening to some Journey, maybe "Open Arms," and inadvertently inspired this serenade.
20/3020. "A Night to Remember"
If you're not going to step up to the very high bar set by She's All That in terms of prom music and dancing, just go home.
21/3021. "I Want It All"
Despite being top three in terms of characters, Sharpay's songs are pretty routinely terrible. The catchy chorus (and selfie-ing Troy with a disposable camera) save this one from the very bottom of the heap.
22/3022. "Walk Away"
Points to Gabriella for walking away from that face AGAIN. Being realistic about high school relationships = major key. Another key? Serving up some '90s girl group realness in this jam.
23/3023. "The Boys Are Back"
This song is, frankly, not good, but if you told me it was the reunion song for 98 Degrees in the year 2050…I wouldn’t not believe you.
24/3024. "Bop to the Top"
The beginning of Ryan and Sharpay's cultural appropriation tour. Why are there random Spanish words at the start? Ah, the mysteries of musical theatre.
25/3025. "Can I Have This Dance"
There's nothing wrong with this song. There's also nothing right with this song.
26/3026. "Scream"
Sorry, "Scream." The Angry Troy crown was taken by "Bet On It" and stalking the dark halls of the highway just makes us worry about him ... and not in a good way.
27/3027. "Start of Something New"
Given that Troy and Gabriella are supposed to be singing this song in karaoke, it must be a popular song in the High School Musical universe. So why is it so bad?
28/3028. "When There Was Me and You"
Gabriella’s low-rent “Hopelessly Devoted to You” ode to Troy is only elevated by the fact that at one point she sings it while leaning against a GIANT PICTURE OF HIS FACE in the hallway.
29/3029. "Fabulous"
Sharpay deserves so much better than this song. Like, literally everything she mentions in this song.
30/3030. Humuhumunukunukuapua'a
The Sharpay and Ryan cultural appropriation tour starts with “Bop to the Top” but really hits bottom with this one.
