With High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Season 4 arriving on Disney+ this Wednesday, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to rank the soundtrack for High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which is set to be the East High musical during the events of the final season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
#11 – ‘Walk Away’
Something had to be last and that was, unfortunately, “Walk Away”. Apart from the catchy “Walk Away” phrases that fill the chorus, there’s nothing too special about this Vanessa Hudgens/Gabriella solo. Many of Senior Year‘s songs have a vibe and energy which this doesn’t really have, so therefore do end up standing out a lot more than “Walk Away”.
#10 – ‘Right Here, Right Now’
“Right Here, Right Now” unfortunately finds its way nearer the bottom of the list. The ballad isn’t even that bad; however, there are 9 songs that are way better than it in comparison.
Rina have the opportunity to make amends for the treehouse performance in Senior Year and turn this into a great song finally!
#9 – ‘Can I Have This Dance’
Not much to say about this one other than it’s a fairly nice song, and I think the Rina performance of the song in Season 4 is also very nice. The scene itself in the drama room works really well but ultimately doesn’t do justice to the rooftop setting of the school as it deserved…
#8 – ‘Senior Year Spring Musical’
Do not be put off by this one’s ranking at all, “Senior Year Spring Musical” is the perfect opener for the Senior Year musical, featuring a medley of numerous songs already featured in the film’s soundtrack. It perfectly captures the show’s excitement and adds to the nostalgia of this great film. It’s a funny one to rank given the fact it’s comprised of songs featured in the list, but do know that I do enjoy it!
#7 – ‘The Boys Are Back’
“The Boys Are Back” is a nostalgia-inducing song for me. It brings back so many fond memories of listening to the song and the rest of the soundtrack on my iPod Shuffle. What makes the performance so much better is the chemistry between Zac Efron and Corbin Bleu in this scene as Troy and Chad – it is simply unforgettable, as they deliver one of the coolest songs of the franchise.
#6 – ‘High School Musical’
If you don’t get emotional when either watching or listening to this one, then I pity you! In Season 4, we have Dani (Kylie Cantrall) performing her own rendition of this in the season premiere, almost as if it’s the national anthem. I really hope we get to see The Wildcats singing this one to close the show.
#5 – ‘Now or Never’
A timeless opener for Senior Year, it’s such an electric performance that sets the stage for the Wildcats’ perfect ending. I must say the season’s performance of the song is pretty underwhelming, framed as the audition song for the Wildcats. Whether or not they get the chance to make amends for it in the final production of the show, we’ll have to wait until Wednesday to find out…
#4 – ‘Scream’
There’s no denying that “Scream” stands as Zac Efron’s best performance of a song within the entire High School Musical franchise, surpassing “Bet On It” by a landslide. Not only does Efron’s vocal range shine through to its fullest, but thanks to some remarkable choreography, Efron runs through the corridors of East High and even finds himself on the walls too… a very unique, high-energy performance for sure, an incredibly memorable song in an overall great soundtrack.
Joshua Bassett performing “Scream” – that’s it. I cannot wait!
#3 – ‘A Night to Remember’
It’s gonna be a night to remember… the huge ensemble performance from Senior Year goes down a treat on each and every rewatch. Thanks to its catchy hook, comedic humour, the insane dance break towards the end and the film’s budget really shining through make for a performance to “remember”.
#2 – ‘Just Wanna Be with You’
I have a huge soft spot for this song, both for the Troyella performance of it, but also how hilarious it is seeing Sharpay and Rocket Man performing it during the Senior Year Spring Musical segment of the film. It is easily one of the best ballads in the HSM franchise and never gets old… All we need now is the Rina version released to grave our ears.
#1 – ‘I Want It All’
I could talk for hours about how good this song is, not just because of the production value of the song in the film but of simply how iconic it is, what a timeless classic “I Want It All” is. It is incredibly camp as we see the East High become a futuristic, what-if setting for the Evans’ dreams and so much about this performance is wickedly fun.
I do not think the world is prepared for how insanely good Carlos (Frankie Rodriguez) and Kourtney’s (Dara Reneé) performance of the Evans twins’ song is going to be, I look forward to seeing one of my favourite HSM songs performed once again, given new essence of life by the show…
For related reading, explore Popped’s ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ Season 4 Review and TV coverage.
‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ is now streaming on Disney+ in the UK. Check out a trailer below:
