Whether you see your school days as the best times of your life or the worst times, the beginning of September always brings with it that same nostalgia of new stationary, new haircuts and the hope that you'll finally achieve the level of cool you feel the need to strive for. Here are some iconic tunes that take us right back to those September days.

The Facts of Life - Black Box Recorder

The effects of teenage angst has not changed in the 20 years it's been since London indie band Black Box Recorder released their iconic coming-of-age hit. It's a rather soothing spoken word song about sexual fascination and exploration with the onset of puberty. We wouldn't go through it again if you paid us.

Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus

This one-hit-wonder was literally the soundtrack to our youth. It should be considered a cheesy 00s throwback now, but it's verging on classic pop status. It's a parody of nerdy teen love that challenges one's idea of "cool" and that was so of its time that it almost makes us miss being teenagers. Almost.

Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day

This song has resurfaced annually since it was released in 2005, largely because September is the worst month of the year. Summer is over, it's back to school, it rains a lot and we still have to wait two months until Hallowe'en. So yeah, hibernating is everyone's number one choice.

Parents - Yungblud

The Doncaster rapper and singer is a particularly vocal advocate for the youth of today and frequently talks about growing up in a whirlwind of anxiety and uncertainty. Parents, from his 2019 EP The Underrated Youth is one such anthem about how grown-ups aren't always in the right (except when they're telling you to go to school). 

High School Never Ends - Bowling For Soup

When Bowling for Soup compared high school superficiality to celebrity culture in 2006, we couldn't stop singing about it. It's fast becoming outdated in its lyrical references, but one thing's for sure; the high school dynamic that follows us into adulthood will never change.

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

An interesting story about this Nirvana hit is that its title is not quite as profound as it first appears; Kurt Cobain just took it from something Kathleen Hanna wrote on his wall without knowing that Teen Spirit was actually a deodorant for teenage girls in the 90s. Anyway, this lyrically baffling tune has since remained an iconic anthem for teenage apathy.

School's Out - Alice Cooper

Quite an inappropriate tune for a back to school playlist but maybe if you listen to it often enough it will reassure you that summer will come round again soon enough. Released in 1972, School's Out was Alice Cooper's first hit, release on his album of the same name.