"Graduation" is a single by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 pop singer Vitamin C

Vitamin C (artist)

Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick is an American pop music singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress better known by her stage name, Vitamin C. Her singles include "Graduation ", "As Long As You're Loving Me", "The Itch", and her most successful hit the Top 20 Gold certified "Smile"...

 released in 2000 through Elektra Entertainment. It was the third single from her debut album Vitamin C

Vitamin C (album)

Vitamin C is the self-titled debut album by pop singer Vitamin C, released in 1999. The album was a runaway success, initially failing to chart. It would later climb the Billboard 200 to #29 and was certified as Gold and later certified Platinum by the RIAA. The Japanese edition featured the song...

. The song is considered, to date, the biggest hit of Vitamin C. The song is well known for being played at high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 graduations and at some middle school

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

 promotions. The opening lyrics of "Graduation (Friends Forever)" allude to "All the Young Dudes

All the Young Dudes (song)

"All the Young Dudes" is a song written by David Bowie, originally recorded and released as a single by Mott the Hoople in 1972. NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray have described the track as "one of that rare breed: rock songs which hymn the solidarity of the disaffected without...

" by Mott the Hoople

Mott the Hoople

Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...

. The song is heavily based on Pachelbel's Canon in D, transposed

Transposition (music)

In music transposition refers to the process, or operation, of moving a collection of notes up or down in pitch by a constant interval.For example, one might transpose an entire piece of music into another key...

 to the key of C major

C major

C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....

. It also featured New York City's "All City Concert Choir" as the background voices, though the video used a different choir. The Original Choir can be seen on actual footage from the z100 Zootopia performance as well as on shows like "The View" and "Good morning America".

Reception

The single reached #12 on the Top 40 Mainstream, #23 on the Rhythmic Top 40 and #38 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 on May 30, 2000, after reaching the Top 40 on May 9, becoming her second single to reach the Top 40. "Graduation (Friends Forever)" reached #2 on the Australian ARIA Charts

ARIA Charts

The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

, peaked at #21 in New Zealand on the RIANZ Charts, reached #13 in the Swedish Singles Chart and #4 on the Irish Singles Chart. The single was certified Platinum in Australia.

Music video

The music video for "Graduation (Friends Forever)" was directed by Gregory Dark

Gregory Dark

Gregory Dark is an American film director, film producer, music video director, and screenwriter. Dark is one of the few adult film-makers to successfully transition into mainstream Hollywood film-making...

 and was filmed at Van Nuys High School

Van Nuys High School

Van Nuys High School established in 1914, is a high school in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles, California, belonging to the Los Angeles Unified School District: District 2...

. The video is featured in the DirecTV

DirecTV

DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...

 original show Rock and a Hard Place.

Track listing

1. "Graduation (Friends Forever)" (album version) - 5:40
2. "Graduation (Friends Forever)" (radio edit) - 4:26

Europe Maxi-CD

1. Friends Forever (Graduation) (Edit) 4:20
2. Friends Forever (Graduation) (LP Version) 5:40
3. Not That Kind Of Girl (LP Version) 3:20

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Australian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...  Singles Chart	2
Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Singles Chart	7
Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...	4
New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...  Singles Chart	21
Swedish Singles Chart	13
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	38
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	12