Graduation (Friends Forever)

"Graduation (Friends Forever)" (also titled "Friends Forever (Graduation)") is a song by American pop singer Vitamin C, released as the third single from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). Vitamin C wrote the song as a response to how many friends drift apart soon after graduation from high school. Josh Deutsch co-wrote the song with her and also produced the track alongside Garry Hughes. The song is partly orchestrated, featuring a string arrangement based on Pachelbel's Canon in D and a vocal appearance from the NYC All-City Chorus. One version of the song contains student interviews from the Class of 2000 of Lyndhurst High School in New Jersey. Following its release in March 2000, "Graduation" charted in several countries. It reached the top 10 in Canada and Ireland and peaked at number two in Australia, where the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awarded the song a platinum sales certification. In the United States, it reached number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Vitamin C's second top-50 hit on this chart. The music video, directed by Gregory Dark, features Vitamin C in a school building while a blond girl attempts to speak with her crush before the end of the day. A new version of the song, titled "Graduation 2020 (Worst Year Ever)", was recorded in 2020 as a reflection on the year with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. This version, created by Vizzy Hard Seltzer and Canadian advertising agency Rethink Communications, contains newly recorded lyrics from Vitamin C, who donated her appearance fee to several charitable organizations. Background Speaking to Billboard magazine, Vitamin C revealed the meaning behind "Graduation" in April 2000. One Sunday, while she was writing songs, she began to reminisce about the past and think about the future, comparing the mixed emotions of both scenarios. "It became a very emotional song to write and one that wasn't initially about graduation at all," she explained. "I think it represents a template for graduation from high school or college, from job to job, for whenever people move on in their lives." Vitamin C believes the song's message becomes clearer several years after graduating high school, when people become better aware of their emotions and begin to recognize the feeling of detachment.