Best Songs About Dads For Father's Day
(This Blog Originally Appeared A Couple Of Years Ago, Updated It Today)
Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there that have stayed and stay on the job. One of the toughest, most thankless jobs out there.
Here are some jams and some tear-jerkers to marinate on today.
Harry Chapin - Cat's In The Cradle
Lets get right into it shall we?
This one hits like a sledgehammer to the gut. Then steps on your balls while you're on the ground in the fetal position.
A chilling reminder from Harry Chapin that life goes by fast. Too fast. And that we can never get back the moments we missed out on for work or being busy.
The song closes with the singer's son kindly blowing him off as he had done throughout his son's life, and it occurring to him that things had come full circle.
“And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,
He’d grown up just like me,
my boy was just like me.”
If that doesn't get you in the plums than I don't know what will.
(Fun fact- even though Chapin died at the age of 38, his song has lived on and helped generations of men. According to his late wife Sandy, she still get's letters from people thanking her for her husband's song helping them realize the importance of being involved in their children's lives.)
(Other fun fact. This song was such a sucker punch in GTA V. You'd be out hijacking cars, robbing fools when all of a sudden you throw somebody out of their Tempesta, hop in, and "Cat's In The Cradle" is on the radio. Made you instantly rethink all your life's decisions.)
The live version -
Also, the cover by the quintessential 90's "I'm mad at my father " band Ugly Kid Joe -
Also, The Man In Black covered it.
Everclear - Father Of Mine
My jam.
This song still goes.
Clown me all you want. Call me a pussy til the cows come home. But Everclear was fucking awesome. What happened to these guys?
If you're telling me "Santa Monica" doesn't get you going you're lying to yourself.
Keith Urban - Song for Dad
Another tear-jerker. This song finds Urban realizing all the little mannerisms and ticks he has from his dad in everything he does. Jingling car keys, strumming his fingers on the table are just a few.
“The older I get, the more I can see,
how much he loved my mother and brother and me,
And he did the best that he could,
And I only hope when I have my own family
That every day I see
A little more of my father in me.”
Gladys Knight & The Pips - Daddy Could Swear, I Declare
“Daddy wasn’t no scholar, no
No, he didn’t have a PhD,
But in my eyes and down in my heart
My daddy means the world to me.”
Bruce Springsteen - My Fathers House (acoustic)
Another rough one. Bruce sings about the strange urge he had for years and years to drive by his father's house.
"I awoke and I imagined the hard things that pulled us apart,
Will never again, sir, tear us from each other's hearts."
John Mayer - Daughters
"fathers, be good to your daughters,"
John Lennon - Beautiful Boy
This ended up being one of Lennon's last songs before he died. A heartfelt ode to his son Sean. Lennon's lyrics depict him wanting more than anything to comfort his son after a nightmare.
Reba McEntire - The Greatest Man I Never Knew
This is another tough one…
"The greatest man I never knew lived just down the hall
And everyday we said hello but never touched at all,"
"He never said he loved me
Guess he thought I knew."
The Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone
Banger.
Loretta Lynn - They Don't Make 'em Like My Daddy Any More
"In a great big land of freedom
At a time we really need 'em,
they don't make 'em like my daddy anymore."
Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father
Does it get any better than Luther Vandross?
Cold answer, no. No it does not.
Gil Scott-Heron - Your Daddy Loves You
"Me and your mama had some troubles,
There's been a whole lotta things on our minds,
but lately when we look at you,
we know that we've been wastin' time."
Darius Rucker - It Won't Be Like This For Long
Cat Stevens - Father and Son
A chilling song by Cat Steven's lending advice to his son.
"You will still be here tomorrow,
but your dreams may not,"
Will Smith - Just The Two Of Us
I was going to save this for tonight's Sunday Night Sample blog but knew it'd be a crime to leave out of this list.
Will Smith sampled Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr.’s 1981 love song of the same name and put a father/son twist on it.
The song features his son Trey from his first marriage. It's a heart melter, even as dated as it is.
“Always tell the truth, say your prayers
Hold doors, pull out chairs, easy on the swears,
You’re living proof that dreams come true
I love you and I’m here for you.”
Eric Clapton – My Father’s Eyes
Talk about a song that just rips your heart out. Clapton sings to his father he never met, attempting to understand the loss of his own infant son. Brutal.
(Sidebar - Eric Clapton – Tears In Heaven is one of the most painful and sad songs to listen to ever. Raw, honest, and as vulnerable as you'll ever hear. Clapton wrote this after the tragic death of his baby son, about reuniting with him in heaven.)
Bill Withers – I’m Her Daddy
Finding an old lover, Withers confronts her about their child who doesn't even know he exists.
Brad Paisley – He Didn’t Have to Be
This one's a touching ode dedicated to the stepdads out there.
Billy Joel – Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel)
Billy Joel wrote this one for his daughter Alexa Ray, all about his experiences as a father and his entire perspective on life changing after she was born.
Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely
One of the greatest songs of all time. The official Girl Dad anthem. Wonder wrote this for his newborn baby daughter and it quickly became one of the biggest and most timeless of his career.
My Old Man – Zac Brown Band
A great tribute from Zac Brown to his father.
Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings
I used to hear this song in my mom's car all the time. I had no idea she was singing about her father until a few years ago. Wow. What a song.
Tim McGraw - My Little Girl
"Chase your dreams but always know the road that will lead you home again.
Go on, take on this old world but to me… you'll always be my little girl."
Ben Folds - Still Fighting It
“Good morning, son. In 20 years from now maybe we'll both sit down and have a few beers.
And I can tell you 'bout today and how I picked you up and everything changed.”
Let me know if I forgot any in the comments. Happy Father's Day everybody!