Stick to the Status Quo Lyrics – High School
Stick to the Status Quo Lyrics
You can bet
There's nothin' but net
When I am in a zone and on a roll
But I've got a confession
My own secret obsession
And it's making me lose control
Jocks:
Everybody gather 'round
Zeke(spoken):
Well if Troy can tell his secret than I can tell mine...I bake
Jock(spoken):
What?
Zeke(spoken):
I love to bake! Strudels, scones, even apple pandowdy
Jocks:
Not another sound
Zeke(spoken):
Someday I hope to make the perfect creme brulee
Jocks:
No, no, no, nooooooooooo
No, no, no
Stick to the stuff you know
If you wanna be cool
Follow one simple rule
Don't mess with the flow, no no
Stick to the status quo
Martha Cox:
Look at me
And what do you see
Intelligence beyond compare
But inside I am stirring
Something strange is occuring
It's a secret I need to share
Brainiacs:
Open up, dig way down deep
Martha Cox(spoken):
Hip hop is my passion! I love to pop and lock and jam and break!
Braniac(spoken):
Is that even legal?
Brainiacs:
Not another peep
Martha(spoken):
It's just dancing. Sometimes I think it's cooler than homework.
Brainiacs:
No, no, no, noooooooooo
No, no, no
Stick to the stuff you know
It is better by far
To keep things as they are
Don't mess with the flow, no no
Stick to the status quo
Skaterdude:
Listen well
I'm ready to tell
About a need that I cannot deny
Dude, there's no explanation
For this awesome sensation
But I'm ready to let it fly
Dudes & Dudettes:
Speak your mind and you'll be heard
Skaterdude(spoken):
Alright, if Troy wants to be a singer... then i'm coming clean! I play the cello!
Dude 1(spoken):
Awesome!
Dude 2(spoken):
What is it?
Dude 1(spoken):
A saw!
Skaterdude(spoken):
No, dude, it's like a giant violin!
Dudes & Dudettes:
Not another word
Dude 2(spoken):
Do you have to wear a costume?
Skaterdude(spoken):
Coat and tie
Dudes & Dudettes:
No, no, no, nooooooooooo
No, no, no
Stick to the stuff you know
If you wanna be cool
Follow one simple rule
Don't mess with the flow, no no
Stick to the status quoooooooo
Jocks, Brainiacs, & Dudes:
No, no, no
stick to the stuff you know
It is better by far
To keep things as they are
Don't mess with the flow, no no
Stick to the status quo
Sharpay:
This is not what I want.
This is not what planned.
And I just gotta say, I do not understand.
Something is really...
Ryan:
Something's not right
Sharpay:
Really wrong
Sharpay & Ryan:
And we gotta get things
Back where they belong
We can do it
Skaterdude:
Gotta play
Dudes & Dudettes:
Stick with what you know
Sharpay & Ryan:
We can do it
Martha Cox:
Hip hop hooray
Brainiacs:
She has got to go
Sharpay & Ryan:
We can do it
Zeke:
Creme Brule
Jocks:
Keep your voice down low
Jocks, Brainiacs & Dudes/Dudettes:
Not another peep
No, not another word
No, not another sound
No
Sharpay:
Everybody quiet
Gabriella(spoken):
Why is everybody staring at you?
Monique(spoken):
Not me, you.
Gabriella(spoken):
Because of the callbacks? I can't have people staring at me! I really can't!
Jocks, Brainiacs...:
Noooooooooooooo, no, no, no
Sick to the stuff you know
If you want to be cool
Follow one simple rule
Don't mess with the flow, oh no
Stick to the status quooooooooooooo
No, no, no
Stick to the stuff you know
It is better by far
To keep things as they are
Don't mess with the flow, no no
Stick to the status
stick to the status
Stick to the status quo
Song Overview
Review and Highlights
Review
Here’s the franchise in one bright, stomping number. The cafeteria erupts like a pop-operetta: cliques sing their alibis, percussion taps along the lunch trays, and the camera moves like a hall monitor who secretly loves a good key change. I’ve always heard this song as the movie’s thesis set to a chant. The verses crack doors open - a jock baking, a brainiac dancing, a skater on cello - while the chorus slams them shut. It’s catchy on purpose, because conformity often is.
Highlights
- Call-and-response architecture: confessions bloom in the verses, then the chorus weaponizes group harmony.
- Staging-as-argument: cafeteria tiers and tabletop choreography map the school’s social grid in plain sight.
- Comic timing: quick cutaways (“Is that even legal?”) pop like rimshots, keeping the morality play airy.
- Character through timbre: each clique’s sound world sneaks in - chanty jock rhythms, perky brainiac diction, slack skater cadences.
Creation History
Composer David Lawrence and lyricist Faye Greenberg wrote the piece for the High School Musical soundtrack, recorded in 2005 and released in January 2006. Production credit is commonly associated with Greenberg on the track. On screen, Kenny Ortega’s staging turns the cafeteria into a miniature Broadway, proof that a TV movie could stage a full-blown ensemble showstopper without blinking.
Song Meaning and Annotations
Plot-wise, it lands right after Troy’s audition shakes the school’s pecking order. Suddenly everyone wants to say the quiet part out loud. The twist: every confession is met by the chorus’s clampdown. That friction is the hook and the lesson.
“You can bet there’s nothin’ but net / When I am in a zone and on a roll.”
Our first reveal comes from Zeke: his secret isn’t a new cross-over dribble, it’s baking. That bait-and-switch is the song’s engine - expectation vs. appetite.
“Someday, I hope to make the perfect crême brûlée.”
Crème brûlée isn’t just a punchline. It’s technical, fussy, torch-in-hand stuff - the kind of obsession that would never fit a jock stereotype. The lyric makes the dessert a stand-in for permission.
“Open up, dig way down deep.”
A nice Easter egg here: one of the braniacs, Thayne Jasperson, later lands in Hamilton as Samuel Seabury - a character who literally tells people to stick to the status quo. Life rhymes sometimes.
“Is that even legal?”
The brainiac hears “break” and imagines crime, not breakdance. Wordplay as social static.
“Something is really—”
Sharpay cuts off Ryan mid-line, a tiny sight gag that doubles as character note: she runs the room and the beat.
[Chorus: Ensemble] ... “Stick to the status quo”
This chorus isn’t just catchy; it’s persuasive. That’s the point. The movie exaggerates a truth most schools know: labels arrange the room unless you push back.
Style, groove, instrumentation
Uptempo 4-on-the-floor feel with handclap punctuation and brisk piano comping. The ensemble stacks tight thirds in the hook; verses leave more air for comedy beats. Strings and brass hits color entrances without stealing focus from the chant.
Emotional arc
Confession, backlash, escalation, freeze. The arc mirrors a hallway rumor - one brave admission, a crowd’s reaction, then the principal’s silence. By the final chorus, the chant sounds a little less convincing, which is the movie nudging us forward.
Cultural touchpoints
Cafeteria-showstoppers trace back to school musicals and teen films where the lunchroom doubles as town square. In the mid-2000s, this one helped re-center showtune craft in youth pop - bright hooks, ensemble banter, and a moral tucked into a dance break.
Key Facts
- Artist: High School Musical Cast
- Composer: David Lawrence
- Lyricist: Faye Greenberg
- Producer: Faye Greenberg
- Release Date: January 10, 2006
- Genre: Pop, musical theatre style
- Label: Walt Disney Records
- Mood: brash, funny, defiant
- Length: 4:28
- Language: English
- Album: High School Musical (track 5)
- Instruments: piano, rhythm section, ensemble vocals, sectional brass/strings
- Music style: chant-driven pop with Broadway pacing
Questions and Answers
- Why frame the song as a cafeteria riot?
- Because the lunchroom is the school’s parliament. One room, all cliques, instant stakes.
- What’s the musical trick that sells the message?
- Anthemic chorus vs. confessional verses. The crowd’s voice literally drowns out the individual.
- Is the humor just for kids?
- No. The word gags, tempo pivots, and staging winks land for adults who know their Rodgers & Hammerstein playbook.
- Does the song stand alone off-screen?
- Yes - the hook and structure work on record - but the choreography and reaction shots are half the punchline.
- Where has it been revived since the film?
- On the High School Musical: The Concert tour and on Disney+ via High School Musical: The Musical: The Series performance and rehearsal versions.
Awards and Chart Positions
| Region/Chart | Peak | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 43 | Debuted week of February 11, 2006 |
| US Billboard Pop 100 | 37 | Digital-era crossover helped multiple soundtrack cuts chart |
| UK Singles Chart | 74 | One week on chart |
| Italy (FIMI) | 50 | Selected international entry |
Soundtrack milestone: the parent album High School Musical was released January 10, 2006 and rose to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 soon after, kicking off a long run as the year’s top-selling album in the U.S.
How to Sing Stick to the Status Quo
- Groove and diction - keep a tight, marching bounce; consonants need to ping so the chant feels inevitable.
- Ensemble blend - lock thirds cleanly in the hook; minimize vibrato so the wall of voices sounds unified, not soloist-heavy.
- Comedy beats - leave micro-pauses for reaction shots in live staging; humor lands on air, not volume.
- Character voice - jocks punch rhythms, brainiacs stress clarity, skaters relax the line. The contrast sells the scene.
- Breath mapping - plan phrases through the stacked choruses so the last “status quo” doesn’t feel clipped.
Additional Info
- Concert & game: performed on High School Musical: The Concert and later included in franchise tie-ins and cast recordings.
- TV-era covers: performed in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series as both a rehearsal and performance version.
- International/local stagings: widely adapted in junior editions and school productions, where cafeteria blocking becomes a built-in set trick.