Father's Day songs: The 20 greatest and emotional tracks about dads

13 June 2024, 12:31

Over the years, there have been a host of songs written about relationships between fathers and their kids.

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For Father's Day, we've picked out the very best songs about dads - either written by or for fathers, in no particular order.

1. Paul Simon - 'Father and Daughter'

   

   Paul Simon - Father And Daughter (Official Video)

   This track expresses the singer's hopes and wishes for his daughter. Paul Simon wrote it as a tribute to his daughter, Lulu, who was seven at the time. His son, Adrian, sings harmony on the song's choruses when he was just 10

   He heard his son singing along to it while driving, and encouraged him to appear.

   It was written for the animated film The Wild Thornberrys Movie in 2002.

2. Nizlopi - 'JCB'

   

   JCB Song - Nizlopi (Full Version HQ)

   This was a surprise number one back in 2005, and almost won the coveted Christmas best-seller if it weren't for that pesky X Factor.

   The cute ditty was about a young boy named Luke having a "top laugh" with his dad on his JCB, and all the japes they ended up having. It was a strangely emotional song about father-son bonding that caught the public's animation at the time.

3. Bruce Springsteen - 'My Father's House'

   

   My Father's House

   'My Father's House' by Bruce Springsteen is a poignant song from his 1982 album Nebraska. The track is a reflective look at Bruce's feelings of longing, reconciliation, and the complexities of familial relationships.

   His haunting lyrics describe a journey back to his childhood home, symbolizing his quest for understanding and connection.

4. Phil Collins - 'Father to Son'

   

   Phil Collins - Father To Son

   From his huge album ...But Seriously, this song sees Phil Collins explore his connection with his own son, Simon.

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   The inspirational tune shows Phil hoping to guide his son through some of the trials of life and love, reassuring him that, "if you look behind you, I will be there".

5. Keith Urban - 'Song for Dad'

   

   Song For Dad

   'Song for Dad' by Keith Urban is a touching tribute from his 2002 album Golden Road. This heartfelt track reflects Urban's appreciation and love for his father, highlighting the lessons learned and the values instilled throughout his upbringing.

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   With sincere lyrics and a gentle melody, Urban expresses gratitude and admiration, acknowledging the profound impact his father has had on his life.

6. John Lennon - 'Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)'

   

   BEAUTIFUL BOY (DARLING BOY). (Ultimate Mix, 2020) - John Lennon (official music video HD)

   This John Lennon song from 1980 was a dedication to his second son Sean Ono Lennon. What's particuarly heartbreaking about that it was released just a few months before John's tragic death.

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   In this song, Lennon sings of his pure love for his young son. He also calls back to another song which Lennon wrote for son Julian: 'Good Night' by The Beatles.

   That song was sung by Ringo Starr as the final song on the White Album, with Ringo whispering a final goodnight, which Lennon repeats in this song.

7. Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole - 'Unforgettable'

   

   Natalie Cole & Nat King Cole "Unforgettable" 1991 (audio remastered)

   Not necessarily a song about dads, but a beautiful moment between a real-life father and daughter.

   40 years after first recording it, Nat King Cole's daughter Natalie recorded an album of songs made famous by her late father, having previously declined to do so.

   On the album included this ‘duet’, in which her vocals were placed on top of her father’s famous recording. She later did the same ‘When I Fall in Love’ on her album Stardust.

8. John Mayer - 'Daughters'

   

   John Mayer - Daughters (Official HD Video)

   This song is a message to fathers (and to a lesser extent mothers) to nurture their daughters in their childhood, as their connection will affect their future relationships with men as adults. He uses his own troubled lover as an example.

   John Mayer has given various stories about the inspiration for the song, ranging from MTVs Real World to an unnamed ex-girlfriend.

9. Eric Clapton - 'My Father's Eyes'

   

   Eric Clapton - My Father's Eyes (Official Music Video)

   Taken from his 1998 album Pilgrim, this song is inspired by how Eric Clapton never met his father, who died in 1985.

   Describing how he wishes he knew his dad, it also refers to his son Conor. "In it I tried to describe the parallel between looking in the eyes of my son, and the eyes of the father that I never met, through the chain of our blood", he later said in his autobiography.

10. Billy Joel - 'Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)'

    

    Billy Joel - Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (Official Video)

    This song was inspired by Alexa Ray Joel, Billy Joel's daughter with Christie Brinkley.

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    In 2004, Billy wrote a children's book entitled Goodnight, My Angel (A Lullaby), a picture book based on the song. "Reassuring children that they are not alone or could be abandoned is very important for their well-being," he said.

11. Tori Amos - 'Winter'

    

    Tori Amos - Winter (Official Music Video)

    This is about Tori's relationship with her father and failed dreams. She said: “Roads that you thought you would go down and haven’t experienced, and all these potential experiences are gone now. Those doors are closed”.

    In 2012, she collaborated with John Philip Shenale and the Metropole Orchestra to re-record several of her past tracks in an orchestral setting for her Gold Dust album.

12. Reba McEntire - 'The Greatest Man I Never Knew'

    

    Reba McEntire - The Greatest Man I Never Knew (Reba Live: 1995)

    This heartfelt ballad by Reba McEntire is from her 1992 album For My Broken Heart. The song tells the story of a daughter reflecting on her distant relationship with her father, who, despite being physically present, remained emotionally unreachable.

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    McEntire's emotive vocals convey deep longing and regret, capturing the pain of missed connections and unspoken words. The song's simple, poignant melody underscores its themes of love, loss, and the unbridgeable gap between two people who never fully understood each other.

13. Robbie Williams - 'Go Gentle'

    

    Robbie Williams | Go Gentle (Official Music Video)

    Robbie Williams has said that this song is a promise to his daughter Teddy. He said: "It was written when she first arrived on the planet and I'd been a selfish popstar for most of my life and then all of a sudden I've been asked to take care of this whole person.

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    "I still am scared that I'm not up to the task! I'm doing a good job of being dad but it's scary, you have to look after this person for the whole of their life, I'm not very good at even looking after me!"

14. Lonestar - 'I'm Already There'

    

    Lonestar - I'm Already There (Message From Home)

    This country song from Lonestar is from the perspective of a man who is on the road, explaining how his family is responding to his absence. He also says how much he loves his family, and how much they mean to him.

    He then says that he will always be there for them in spirit, even though he may be separated from them. The song became associated with the September 11 attacks, along with family members leaving with the army.

15. Stevie Wonder - 'Isn't She Lovely'

    

    Isn't She Lovely

    This 1976 song was written to celebrate the birth of Stevie Wonder's daughter Aisha. The longer album version even opens with the sound of a baby crying, and the outro features Aisha as a baby.

    In 2012, Stevie performed a new version with lyrics dedicated to The Queen, for the Diamond Jubilee Concert.

16. James Blunt - 'Monsters'

    

    James Blunt - Monsters (Official Music Video)

    Following the release of James Blunt's album Once Upon a Mind, the singer shared the heartbreaking news that his father, Charles Blount, was battling stage four chronic kidney disease.

    James then released the video for his song 'Monsters', in which he comes to terms with his father's health.

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    "I'm not your son, you're not my father / We're just two grown men saying goodbye / No need to forgive, no need to forget / I know your mistakes and you know mine," he sings in the video, while he breaks down in tears.

    "And while you're sleeping, I'll try to make you proud / So daddy, won't you just close your eyes? / Don't be afraid, it's my turn / To chase the monsters away".

    Blunt's father also joins James at the end of the music video, while he holds his son's arm. Thankfully, earlier this year James revealed that his father had been scheduled for a transplant.

17. Harry Chapin - 'Cats in the Cradle'

    

    Harry Chapin - Cats in the Cradle

    This song tells of a father and son who can’t schedule time to be with each other, and it serves as a warning against putting one’s career before family. Its lyrics began as a poem written by Harry’s wife, Sandra Gaston.

    It was inspired by the awkward relationship between her first husband, James Cashmore, and his father, a politician. Harry also said the song was about his own relationship with his son, Josh, admitting, “Frankly, this song scares me to death.”

18. Cat Stevens - 'Father and Son'

    

    Yusuf / Cat Stevens - Father & Son

    • The Story of... 'Father And Son' by Cat Stevens

    This song follows a conversation between a father not understanding his son’s desire to break away, and the son who knows that it is time for him to seek his own path.

    Cat Stevens wrote it as part of a proposed musical project starring Nigel Hawthorne, set during the Russian Revolution, but it fell through.

    Boyzone later scored a hit with it in 1995.

19. Mike and the Mechanics - 'The Living Years'

    

    Mike + The Mechanics - The Living Years (Official Video)

    • The Story of... 'The Living Years'

    This emotional song is written from the perspective of a son who has a conflicted relationship with his dad. After his father dies, he discovers that he and his dad had a much stronger connection than he realized, and he regrets not saying more while he was still alive.

    The song was written by Mike Rutherford and BA Robertson after both of their fathers recently died, but the lyrics were written by Robertson, and centred on the unresolved issues between him and his father.

20. Luther Vandross - 'Dance With My Father'

    

    Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father

    • The Story of... 'Dance With My Father'

    A proper tearjerker. Luther wrote 'Dance with My Father' with Richard Marx, based on his own personal experience.

    It is a tribute to his father, Luther Vandross, Sr, who died due to complications of diabetes, when Luther was seven.

    Luther's most poignant memory of his dad was him dancing in the house with his kids, which is where the concept of the song came from.