20 Best Skateboarding Songs Ever Written! (Obscure and Popular)
Skateboarding has been one of the biggest influences on why and how I am who I am today. I’ve made tons of videos on this subject over the years, and I even put out a full skate part a couple weeks ago. (For those who don't know, I started skating over two decades ago and I’ve never gone more than a couple of months since then without rolling around.)
Another huge life influence is music. Almost every single really good song I’ve ever heard, time-travels me back to a specific moment in my life.
After being given the idea to make a video all about music written about skateboarding by my friend Nate from the Geezer Skate Co YouTube channel over a year ago, I thought now seems like a really good time to explore the fascinating musical history of skate-related lyrics across all genres. So, I picked 20 of my favorites. I hope you find a new band to skate to or just jam out to! Let’s dive in…
Jan and Dean – "Sidewalk Surfin'"
First up may be the first big song ever written about skateboarding. It premiered on American Bandstand on August 22, 1964, when the idea of skateboarding was brand new. '60s music always reminds me of hanging out with my dad in the early '90s while he played '60s music on his record player. This is definitely one of my favorites on this list and will forever be a part of skate culture.
Suicidal Tendencies – "Possessed to Skate"
This '80s song has been a staple in old-school skating/thrasher culture and is also the title of one of my favorite skate parts of all time by David Gonzalez. This song makes me want to throw myself down some stairs and drink with the homies while skating an abandoned pool. This song may have been playing when my friends and I did this exact thing.
Avril Lavigne – "Sk8er Boi"
You didn’t think I’d leave out the early 2000s hit that made Avril seem to all of us like a punk rock singer, as opposed to the country artist she actually was right before someone told her to dress punk rock, did you? Regardless, this song was and is pretty sick and honestly influenced some preppy people to consider dating skaters in the early 2000s. This song is still so catchy today and defined Avril's career.
The Faction – "Skate and Destroy"
This is another '80s punk classic that brings to mind distorted footage of spiked hair and wall rides in ditches. This is the perfect song to get you pumped to skate fast and get broke off. It's probably on the playlist of every guy you see at the park slamming the hardest and pumping around bowls with his mouth open, half-drunk.
Skegss – "Got On My Skateboard"
This song is a bit less thrasher and a bit more relatable, coming to us from an Australian surf and garage rock band originally from New South Wales, who formed in 2014. The song and music video make me feel like I’m out skating with my friends here in my late 30s and has such a good vibe. I highly recommend Skegss to skate a curb to and just chill out.
The Planet Smashers – "Sk8 or Die"
Heading into the subgenre of ska-ish skate music, we’ve got The Planet Smashers with their song "Sk8 or Die." This song reminds me of my short-lived ska phase in the early 2000s and gives me a good feeling anytime I hear it. Something about ska music makes me want to go to a gaming party, stay up all night, then chug a Mountain Dew and skate at 7 AM.
Ian Sweet – "All Skaters Go To Heaven"
Stepping into one of the slowest songs on this playlist, we’ve got "All Skaters Go To Heaven" by Ian Sweet. This song won’t be for everyone, but what music is? It reminds me of skating down a hill at night when it’s slightly chilly outside and gives me good vibes every time I hear it.
Gang Green – "Skate to Hell"
Going by song titles and sound, this would be the antithesis of the last song, which is Gang Green’s "Skate to Hell." If this song doesn’t make you want to handplant in a drained pool, then I don’t know what will. This song is aggressive as hell (pun intended) and makes me wonder what the skate setup in hell looks like versus the one in heaven.
Teen Suicide – "Skate Witches"
Next up is a song you’d think would go super hard from the band name, but it’s more likely to accompany you on a morning road trip when you’re hungover and need some sound but not too much sound. "Skate Witches" is a cool song to vibe and cruise to if you’re skating down a busy street or a suburban neighborhood.
The Aquabats – "My Skateboard!"
Dropping back into ska music, we’ve got "My Skateboard!" by The Aquabats. This song seems good for a late-night parking garage skate sesh and is just goofy enough to make you land that slappy you’ve been trying all night. This song dropped in '97 when I was 10 and may have been the catalyst for my ska phase that hit in the early 2000s.
Hopsin – "Nollie Tre Flip"
Next up, we’re fakie tre flipping into the genre of hip-hop with Hopsin’s "Nollie Tre Flip." I would have nollie tre flipped if it wouldn’t take me 1000 tries to do so. The lyrics in this song are so on the nose that you can tell Hopsin skates, which he obviously does. This song always makes me want to go skate.
Lupe Fiasco – "Kick Push"
Despite the hate this song later got from some pro skaters who made diss songs, this is one of my favorites on the list. I have so many good memories skating to this song, and Lupe is just an amazing artist all around. This song is cemented in skate culture, and whether you like it or not, it’s one of my favorites.
Common Enemy – "Skate That Shit"
Next up should be the anthem of skateboarding and kind of is, which is "Skate That Shit" by Common Enemy. This song reminds me of a time when I found poop on the sidewalk in downtown Dallas and literally skated that shit by kickflipping over it. This song will go down as one of my favorites.
Brave Baby – "Plastic Skateboard"
Let’s slow the music down and get chill again with "Plastic Skateboard" by Brave Baby. This song is atmospheric to its core and yet again makes me want to cruise the streets late at night with my friends. This song is smooth, melodic, and all about skateboarding.
Super Deluxe – "All I Wanted Was A Skateboard"
Maybe it’s Christmas time when you watch this video, and your answer to that last question was a skateboard and a song from the movie Home Alone 3. If that’s you, you’re in luck because next on our list is "All I Wanted Was A Skateboard" by Super Deluxe. This song is actually really fun and will be a Christmas staple in my household going forward.
OPM – "Heaven is a Halfpipe"
Returning to the idea of skateboarding after death, which seems to be a theme with skate music up to this point, we’ve got the OPM classic "Heaven is a Halfpipe." This song is perfect to listen to when you roll your ankle on something stupid and you’ve got a lot of built-up angst about it. It always makes me want to grab my board and go shred.
Pedro the Lion – "Circle K"
I took a huge dump in a Circle K once right before half-cabbing a gap in the back. That being said, next on our list is "Circle K" by Pedro the Lion. This song is on the chill side of this playlist and is all about wanting to buy a Santa Cruz deck but the singer spent his money at a Circle K. It makes me want to skate and maybe also poop in a Circle K again.
Lil Wayne – "Skate It Off"
As someone who has kept skateboarding through all of the hate, Lil Wayne, of course, has a song all about skateboarding, and it’s pretty dope, just like all of his music. This song title really hits home for me because it reminds me that no matter how stressful life gets, you can always grab your board and skate it off. Skateboarding has always been my mental health therapy and probably will be for the foreseeable future.
Diners – "15 on a Skateboard"
Next song is also a slower song and also features a Circle K in the music video. This song gives me good vibes but makes me more reminiscent of good skate sessions rather than making me want to skate. I would put this song in my post-skate session playlist to chill out to after I’ve beaten myself up at the local park.
Circle Jerks – "Wild in the Streets"
This song sounds like the intro song to an old skate show on Fuel TV and would definitely fit. This is another upbeat punk song featuring skating all over LA in the music video and really makes me want to skate some ditches or just cruise down the street.
