When the final bell rings, there are only four words that matter: School’s out for summer. Ushering in a wave of freedom and feeling of glee that never fades, Alice Cooper’s rebellious rock anthem takes a victory lap every June, marking the unofficial kickoff of summer. And now, 54 years after its release, the title track is climbing the charts again.
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♬ School’s Out (2002 Remaster) – Alice Cooper
Over on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Song Sales, the glam rock staple climbed from the eighth position to No. 5 for the week of June 6. Debuting at No. 13 and peaking at No. 2 in 2023, the song has proven a valiant favorite with staying power lasting 42 weeks. The three-tick jump this week is remarkable considering the track was released during the Nixon administration, yet it still somehow finds a way to show out on the chart around summertime.
Released in April 1972 as a single before arriving in June on School’s Out, the track sprouted from a simple question: What are the greatest three minutes of your life? According to Songfacts, Cooper chose Christmas morning and the last day of school as the only suitable answers. Citing The Who’s “My Generation” as musical inspo, he and his band got to work composing what would become their signature hit and a timeless teenage anthem.
“When we did ‘School’s Out,’ I knew we had just done the national anthem,” he toldEsquire in 2008. “I’ve become the Francis Scott Key of the last day of school.”
Written by Cooper with his guitarist Michael Bruce, “School’s Out” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending 13 weeks on the chart. In the U.K., however, it shot straight to the top, where it stayed for three weeks. The album, meanwhile, hit No. 1 in Canada and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It’s the artist’s best-performing song behind 1989’s “Poison,” which also peaked at No. 7, but spent 19 weeks charting.
Related: 1972 Hit Ranked Among ‘Greatest Songs of All Time’ Became a Summer Rock Anthem
Since its release, filmmakers have had a field day injecting the anthem into their movies. From Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) and Dazed and Confused (1993), to Scream (1996) and I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009), the track has been the go-to for coming-of-age flicks and bildungsroman tales. Cooper even credits cinema with the title and concept of the song, reportedly sharing that a line from the The Bowery Boys film series from the ’40s and ’50s — “Hey Sach, school’s out,” expressed as slang for, “Wise up” — was the foundation for the classic hit.
“School’s Out” is by far Cooper’s most popular song from the ’70s and a concert staple. A commercial and critical milestone, the track marked the glam rockers’ shift from cult shock to mainstream provocateurs. Now, more than five decades later, its rebellious spirit remains a smash, finding a new audience with every ding of the final bell. A’s across the board.
Related: 1968 Rock Classic That Flopped Initially Became a Cross-Generational Anthem
