You bought the merch.
You learned the choreography.
And youdefinitelyknew all the words to Were All In This Together.
viaBandwagon Asia
Singing it through the house, much to the mortification of your cooler, My Chemical Romance-obsessed siblings.
Each adaption was accompanied by anunquestioningly catchy albumthat landed on theBillboardsummit each year.
The trilogy follows the lives of a high school class from junior to senior year.
The iconic music undoubtedly provided the inspiration for many graduation mix tapes over the last sixteen years.
The young cast saw the movies success kickstart many careers.
The performance of Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale, and Vanessa Hudgens drew particular acclaim.
Humuhumunukunukuapuaa
Does anyone even remember this number?
(Remember, Sharpay was the films antagonist while Ryan was her pseudo-henchman twin brother.)
Musically, however, its soundtrack has more misses than hits.
This is the only song in the movie that shouldnt have had an official cut.
Vocally, Hudgens just wasnt up to the task.
All For One
Its not an HSM movie without a big musical number at the end.
It was the perfect end toHigh School Musical 2.
Turns out its pretty grating to our adult ears.
Right Here, Right Now
We get it.
Gabriella and Troy are in love.
Objectively speaking, its not a bad song.
Even so, we cant help but feel that this number shouldve been Grabeels.
The stars chemistry is genuine as it comes, never mind Zefrons lip-syncing.
That said, its one thing to watch them sing and another to listen to it.
Despite that descriptor, his singles are more enjoyable than his co-stars.
The best thing about this song is its music video.
Very obviously inspired by NSyncs Bye, Bye, Bye, the director had fun with HSM3s increased budget.
This song is one of the better numbers from the third movie.
What Ive Been Looking For
Rhinestone-crested and aggressively sparkly, Tisdale as Sharpay is arguably the trilogys best vocalist.
Simply put: Shes good.
Maybe even better than either Troy or Gabriella (blasphemy, we know.)
Now or Never
BothHigh School Musical 2and3open with a big number.
Now or Never brought us full throttle into the final film in the best way it knows howthrough basketball.
Now or Never sets up high stakes and it pays off for the most part.
However, the song wouldve ranked higher if it didnt shoehorn an impromptu duet between Troy and Gabriella.
The lyrics come off asa little too cartoonish, even for a Disney Channel Original Movie.
Everyday
High School Musical 2brings its plot to a close with a tender duet.
Compared to some of their other moments, Everyday lends well to both Troy and Gabriellas vocal talents.
The only downside is how dated the lyrics feel.
Is there such a thing as too much optimism in a 2000s musical?
Bop to the Top
Bop to the Top has no right to be as enjoyable as it is.
Tisdale and Grabeel are unapologetically ridiculous throughout.
What should be a trainwreck somehow turned out to be a rather good song in retrospect.
Narratively, its a direct callback to the two students hesitant rendition of What Ive Been Looking For.
Musically, its better.
With Zac Efron actually singing himself, Hudgens sounds more mature and not quite as nasally.
The song also reaffirms what makes this couple quite so lovable.
Once more, Tisdale is a force of nature.
This version isnt what weve come to expect from their group performances.
It sets a more mature tone that, retroactively, may have been out-of-touch with its middle school-aged audience.
Sans a basketball court, Bleu and Efrons characters take to dancing around a junkyard to solidify their friendship.
In other words, The Boys are Back is a song about dudes being bros. Whats not to love?
Gotta Go My Own Way
High School Musical 2is arguably the best of the trilogy.
Supported by Efron, Hudgens Gabriella in Gotta Go My Own Way is nothing short of mesmerizing.
Thesong has a stronger lyricalfoundation.
They even throw in a rain machine, a rooftop waltz, and a romantic backdrop for good measure.
Fans had three movies over three years to root for this couple.
If Can I Have This Dance wasanythingshort of dreamy, then there wouldve been a lot of angry twelve-year-olds.
Arguably the best song of the third movie, the entire cast is at their best.
While we decided to primarily focus on the music alone, well make an exception for Work This Out.
Its clever choreography and utensil-led dance break havent lost their charm.
Start of Something New
The originalHigh School Musicalopens with a meet-cute on New Years Eve.
Troy and Gabriella are roped into karaoke and perform the aptly named Start of Something New.
Both the song and its actors deliver a wholesome performance that is sometimes overlooked in the franchises legacy.
I Dont Dance
Corbin Bleu is fairly underutilized in the trilogy despite having one of the strongest voices.
Thankfully, he gets his shining moment alongside Lucas Grabeel in thisbaseball-themed escapade.
If you told us this number came straight out of Broadway, wed believe you.
The entire cast supplies a delightfully electric bop we found ourselves humming to all day long.
Breaking Free
Okay, who doesnt remember this number?
Breaking Free is still one of the best songs on the originalHigh School Musicalsoundtrack.
Perhaps this is nostalgia talking, but Breaking Free is everything a live-action Disney ballad should be.
Getcha Head In the Game
We know what youre thinking.
Well, yes but Getcha Head In The Game is the basketball song.
Our only critique is that the producers shouldve stopped at just one basketball-themed performance.
Theres no way they couldve outdone this gem.
Fabulous
To the surprise of no one, Ashley Tisdales solo inHigh School Musical 2is,ahem, fabulous.
Its lyrics perfectly capture the characters aggressive likability.
Shes musically outrageous in the best way possible without once overdoing it.
Its unfortunate that she didnt do another solo in the third film.
Tisdale obviously has the chops.
Bet On It
Tisdales talents aside, the undisputed title of best solo goes to Zac Efron.
He fully steps out of Seeleys shadow in the first film to deliver a stellar performance in the second.
This song is so good, it doesnt belong in musical theater.
Heck, this couldve been Efrons debut single and wed still be head-bopping along.
Sadly, Efron did no such thing.
Sure, the song is cheesy but it works.
Its delightfully optimistic with a catchy bridge and irresistibly wholesome lyrics, further complemented by its choreography.
Were All In this Together is the best song fromHigh School Musical, hands down.
