School's Out!

Whether you just finished your first year of junior high or barely survived the most insane senior prank ever, there's nothing — absolutely nothing — like the last day of school. Since the Essentials crew is completely psyched about summer break, we've compiled the perfect soundtrack to celebrate that final bell . . . and, of course, the packed beaches and broken curfews to follow. That includes the elastic bass lines and electro-shocked hooks of "Boom Boom Pow," the grinding guitars and arena-ready choruses of "I Do Not Hook Up," and the Pixie Stick-pounding pop of "Shut Up and Let Me Go," an anthem for the closing minutes of class if there ever was one. Now, if you want something to play as your best friend's car peels out of the parking lot, our Next Steps keeps the good times coming with everything from Britney Spears to Sean Paul.

All together now, to the tune of Alice Cooper: "School's out for summer/school's out forever." Indeed, it is, which means it's time to stop worrying about final exams and start focusing on nothing but the sun-baked months ahead. That'll be easy once you hit play on the following crowd-pleasers. Unfolding like a well-spun radio dial, we're talkin' about a veritable hit parade of rock (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand), pop-rap (Soulja Boy Tell 'Em; Akon, Colby O'Donis & Kardinal Offishall), and pop (Hannah Montana; Jordin Sparks), with dashes of Dancehall (Sean Paul), and R&B (Estelle) thrown in for good measure. Our Deep Cuts stars are straight outta the A-list, too, so don't blame us — actually, do blame us — if you're singing along straight through September.

With song titles like "Pocketful of Sunshine," "Island in the Sun," and "Walkin' On the Sun" spread across our School's Out Deep Cuts, can you tell what's on our mind these days? Just like you, oh freshly freed prisoners of homework and study hall, we can't stop thinking about summer, summer, and more summer. So you know what? Turn off that air conditioner and yank your windows wide open. We've got a slew of certified jams to kick out — from Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" to Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right" via Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," with not even a second of filler in between.

Few two-word combos are sweeter than class dismissed, especially when the phrase is slung to signify the start of summer. For some of you, that means school's really out forever, and if it isn't, well, let's just pretend that pop quizzes and pulling all-nighters are a thing of the past, shall we? Which won't be too hard when you're cranking cuts like "So What," "Hey Baby," "Kids," and a country-fried Mötley Crüe cover (Carrie Underwood's take on "Home Sweet Home"). From Kings of Leon to Ciara, from Katy Perry to Cobra Starship, these are the School's Out standards that'll make a whole pool party sing. Now if only we could make summer vacation last until next spring. Hey, maybe next year.