You know the one I’m talking about.
It’s usually played on any given National Lampoons movie that involves kids graduating college at the end of the movie. It’s an instrumental.
Hope that’s desciptive enough.
“Pomp and Circumstance”. It was, in fact, played at my high school graduation.
In Britain the same tune is used for a patriotic anthem called “Land of Hope and Glory”. So when British movies stick in a patriotic theme, American audiences start looking for the caps and gowns…
England, please. 
Not many Scots or Welsh will sing along to “Land of Hope and Glory”.
Incidentally, the tune is by Elgar.
When they play non-graduation music over images of a college, it’s Gaudeamus Igitur. You’ve heard it:
Da dahhhh … Da da-da-duhhhhhh
Duh da dahhh da … da-DA-duh
Gaudeamus Igitur?
Info and mp3 here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudeamus_igitur
Is that the one? It’s often used in movies to represent college life, usually an instrumental played by a string quartet.
To be specific, it’s the Pomp and Circumstance March #1, by Edward Elgar. Elgar wrote three P&C marches altogether.
Pomp and Circumstance March #1 is written with several repeatable sections, making it very flexable, time wise. I’m convinced that this is one of the reasons it is used so much at graduations.
My junior year in high school, we played it for the senior graduation. We stretched it out long enough to let 500 seniors march across the stage and shake hands with the principal. I’ve hated that song ever since.
Five of 'em, actually, as long as we’re nitpicking.
Though it was originally an instrumental, I forever associate this tune with a bit they did on Sesame Street with food items marching along to Pomp and Circumstance
There I go, confusing my prime numbers again! :smack:
That’s the one. The instrumental version you usually hear is from Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture”.