Richard Linklater’s School of Rock is a timeless gem featuring the quintessential Jack Black performance as a wannabe rockstar who cons his way into a job as a substitute teacher and recruits his students to form a band. On top of being wholesome fun for the entire family, School of Rock is a great introduction to rock ‘n’ roll for its younger viewers.
From licensed hits by legendary artists like AC/DC, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin to original Jack Black compositions like “The Legend of the Rent” and “Math is a Wonderful Thing,” the School of Rock soundtrack is filled with great songs.
“Substitute” By The Who
When Dewey pulls up to the school in his van and finds an unimpressed Summer waiting for him, disappointed with her position in the band, The Who’s “Substitute” plays on his radio.
This is a classic track by an iconic rock band whose title happens to evoke the subject of the film. “Substitute” isn’t about a substitute teacher like Dewey, but the repeated word “substitute” points to his new profession.
“Math Is A Wonderful Thing” By Jack Black
When Principal Mullins spots a guitar in Dewey’s classroom, he explains it away by breaking into a musical math lesson. The following spontaneous song has been dubbed “Math is a Wonderful Thing.”
He asks Marta to take 45 from 54 and she replies, “Nine.” He sings, “No, it’s eight,” and with the same cadence, she sings, “No, it’s nine.” Dewey thinks for a second and then saves it: “Yes, I was just testing you, it’s nine! And that’s a magic number.”
“Edge Of Seventeen” By Stevie Nicks
In the middle act of School of Rock, while he’s trying to put together an unauthorized field trip, Dewey hears that Principal Mullins is a huge Stevie Nicks fan. So, he takes her to a bar and plays “Edge of Seventeen” to butter her up.
As the opening guitar riff kicks in, Dewey returns to the table while doing a flapping-arms dance that vaguely resembles “the white-winged dove” described by Nicks in the lyrics.
“Moonage Daydream” By David Bowie
David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” plays on Dewey’s radio when he drives Principal Mullins to parent-teacher night. He tries to tell her that he’s not a real teacher, but she just thinks he’s a licensed educator who’s insecure and full of self-doubt.
While “Moonage Daydream” is used brilliantly in School of Rock, it was later used for an even greater soundtrack needle-drop when James Gunn included it on the “Awesome Mix” Walkman playlist in Guardians of the Galaxy.
“It’s A Long Way To The Top” By AC/DC
The last song that plays in the movie is AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top.” After losing the Battle of the Bands, the School of Rock is requested for an encore by a disappointed crowd. They return to the stage and start playing the AC/DC hit, which plays into the end credits as the movie resolves Dewey’s arc.
Following the events of the movie, the Horace Green kids all attend an after-school music program run by Dewey and his ex-bandmate/stolen identity, Ned Schneebly.
“The Legend Of The Rent” By Jack Black
After a few days of band practice, the kids start to question what song they’re going to play at Battle of the Bands. Dewey assures them that he’s written an awesome track for them and they demand that he sing it for them. He warns them that it’s not done and he wrote it in just a few minutes before breaking into a soulful rendition of “The Legend of the Rent.”
Sometimes dubbed “In the End of Time,” “The Legend of the Rent” is an overtly autobiographical song about a struggling artist who got kicked out of his own band and can’t pay his past-due rent because the audience doesn’t yet understand his genius.
“Sunshine Of Your Love” By Cream
When Dewey witnesses the kids’ musical talents in band class, he gets the bright idea to recruit them for his new band. As he races to his van to grab his instruments, “Sunshine of Your Love” – one of Cream’s most recognizable hits – blares onto the soundtrack.
“Sunshine of Your Love” has been used in a few memorable movie moments, often to reflect a similar lightbulb moment, like Robert De Niro realizing he could kill all his co-conspirators and keep the loot from the Lufthansa heist for himself in Goodfellas.
“Touch Me” By The Doors
To test the kids’ rock-playing abilities, Dewey asks them to play a few familiar hits. He gets Zack to play a bunch of memorable guitar riffs from rock ‘n’ roll classics like “Smoke on the Water” and “Highway to Hell.”
The song that he asks Lawrence to play on the keyboard is the Doors’ psychedelic hit “Touch Me.” Dewey sings along but changes the lyrics to compliment Lawrence’s talents: “Touch me, babe, can’t you see / That I am not afraid / Lawrence is good at piano / He shall be rocking in my show.”
“Immigrant Song” By Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” is notoriously difficult to license for use in film and TV. One of School of Rock’s DVD bonus features is a video of Jack Black begging Zeppelin to let the filmmakers use “Immigrant Song” on the soundtrack.
In the end, they got permission – and it resulted in one of the most memorable moments in the movie. After the kids fake a rare blood disease to land a spot on the Battle of the Bands line-up, Dewey celebrates by singing along to the Zeppelin classic in the van.
“Teacher’s Pet” By The School Of Rock
After practising “The Legend of the Rent” with the kids for a few weeks, Dewey ditches his own self-indulgent, half-finished lyrics when he realizes his lead guitarist Zack Mooneyham is sitting on some awesome material of his own.
The tune is engaging and the lyrics are catchy: “If you wanna be a teacher’s pet / Baby, you just better forget it / Rock got no reason / Rock got no rhyme / You better get me to school on time.”