School widens horizons, shapes hearts and minds and teaches us to become accomplished individuals and law-abiding citizens. School is also a jungle full of rejection, fear and peer pressure. Most of us felt the pains of adolescence and some of us may have even played truant at least once to escape the social horrors of school life. Did you think this would be a motivational back-to-school article? To hell with that. This is an ode to all the dunces, the gate climbers, the shy introverts, the dreamers, the slackers and the clowns. This is your playlist for playing hooky. Welcome to the educational prison break.
Listen to the full playlist on Deezer: http://www.deezer.com/playlist/1361377265
1- Concrete School Ground – Jurassic 5
Scraped knees, bullies and toilets that could start a biological war. Uninspiring teachers, disgusting food, heavy books and boring subjects. Yep you’re in school and it sucks.
2- I Want To Break Free – Queen
Ten minutes into Math class and you’ve lost the drift. In fact you’ve given up on the subject altogether. From the back of the class you sigh and watch the birds fly away from the trees.
3- Smoking In The Boys Room – Motley Crüe
You join your best friends Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in the water closet to plot your escape while puffing cheap cigarettes through the window. It’s vile. The cigs make your fingers smell and you’ll regret it later when you vomit behind the bins. But “Hey” peer pressure makes you stupid at some point or another!
4- Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash
You stub your cigarette on the sole of your shoe and your mate pushes you towards the exit. He’s playing hooky and taking you along for the ride.
You can choose between four hours of Medieval History, OR read magazines, drink Coke and hang with your mates. Such a tough decision.
5- Kick It – Peaches
You’re way too young to die of boredom in History class. Besides you’ve finished vandalising your desk with your compass so might as well start a new extracurricular activity like swinging on swings in the park.
6- Paranoid – Black Sabbath
When it comes to ditching class you can run faster than Usain Bolt. Your books are banging up and down in your backpack and you’re bordering on a panic attack. What if Mr. Grimes sees you? What if you get Saturday morning detention or, even worse, expelled? That pesky school supervisor has eyes at the back of his head.
7- Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars
You made it! You discreetly wipe the sweat off your forehead and look at your mates as if to say “yeah I do this all the time, easy as pie.” An afternoon of pure junk food and hanging around the park with your friends awaits!
8- My Generation – The Who
Hormones, BO, down feather moustaches, zits, greasy hair. You probably aren’t much to look at but you’re a young rebel and that’s the most important thing. Your parents just don’t understand that you need to break down society’s barriers, school is for losers and you’re a free thinker.
9- Teenage Kicks – The Undertones
You fancy your crush but your crush fancies someone else. You and your mates plot ways to French kiss your crushes. And there you are: three awkward idiots on a wall French kissing your hands. Teenage kicks, maybe, but a lot more blab than action.
10- Kings Of The Wild Frontier – Adam & The Ants
You just grabbed a McDonald’s. You do what you please when you please. You really are the kings of the wild frontier.
11- Jump – Van Halen
For those of you who have/had mobile phones in school you’ll know you’re winning when don’t have missed calls from livid parents. It feels great to drop off the face of the earth and eat your monthly ration of sweets in one afternoon. Life is peachy!
12- Float On – Modest Mouse
With your adrenaline in decline and a burger churning in your stomach you decide to chill with your mates in the grass. Lying on your backs and looking at the sky you discuss what you’ll be when you “grow up.” You have big plans and you let your mind float on.
13- Sprawl II – Arcade Fire
“We rode our bikes to the nearest park
Sat under the swings and kissed in the dark
You shield my eyes from the police lights
We run away, but we don’t know why”
Today will probably be one of the best memories of your youth. Nothing quite like feeling 200% alive with the people you love.
14- Boy From School – Hot Chip
You’re fooling no one with your bravado act. School gets you down and you feel so out of place and gawky sometimes. Later on in life you’ll be relieved to learn that you definitely weren’t the only one who felt like that and life does get peachier.
15- Sunny Afternoon – The Kinks
It’s 4 pm and the sun is shining. What more could you want? Indulge in your naughty day off! You know you’ll pay a high price when you get caught.
16- I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself – The White Stripes
The cakes and sweets are gone, your mates have trudged home. You sit around and wait for your school crush to turn up like they promised. You admit to yourself that playing hooky can get boring.
17- Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve
A classic for those of you who went to high school in the late 90’s and the ‘naughties.’
18- Common People – Pulp
You’re a good student, really. You just want to take a few risks. It’s cool to hang with the common people but you quite like Mr Grime’s class on the Tudor Dynasty. www.trandict.xyz Plus Gary’s dad’s cigarettes made you sick and you have stomach pains from a sugar overdose.
19- School Spirit – Kanye West
Whether you’re a “school” person or not the art is, as Kanye West explains, to create your own ingredients for a perfect life.
20- Campus – Vampire Weekend
You’ll never play hooky again because you’ve been grounded until your late 20’s. Nope, no more playing truant… until.
