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32 Best Father's Day Songs to Play With Dad
#10 just might make him tear up.
If you're in search of a unique gift for dad, consider putting together a bespoke Father's Day playlist, complete with all the tunes that conjure images of him. (Think of it as a sentimental card that you don't have to write yourself.) These Father's Day songs are all sweet musical tributes that encapsulate the special relationship you share.
Tracks like Keith Urban's "Song for Dad" and Miley Cyrus's "I Learned From You" are moving records dedicated to the impact of fathers, while others like Chrisette Michelle's "Your Joy" and Stevie Wonder's "These Three Words" are perfect ways to show gratitude. Most of the songs here explicitly use words like "father" and "dad" in the lyrics, but others, such as Bruno Mars's "Count on Me," focus more broadly on the importance of being there for someone, as parents so often are.
Whether it's from a daughter to her dad, or music celebrating father-son relationships, like Bruce Springsteen's "My Father's House," we have enough options to soundtrack your day together. And, of course, the bond between a father and his children transcends languages and cultures, which is why the popular Mexican track "Para Ti Papá" by Ulices Chaidez y Sus Plebes is accounted for, as well.
And as a bonus, some of these classic songs for dad, like Luther Vandross's "Dance With My Father" and Beyoncé's "Daddy" double as perfect choices to play at weddings during the celebratory father-daughter dance.
"Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross
One of the most memorable and best dad songs out there, R&B legend Luther Vandross recorded the 2003 album and its title track as a dedication to his late father.
Best Lyric: "If I could steal one final glance, one final step, one final dance with him, I'd play a song that would never ever end. Cause I'd love to dance with my father again."
"Daddy" by Beyoncé
For her debut solo album in June 2003, the Homecoming star penned this beautiful ode from a daughter to her father (and former manager) Mathew Knowles.
Best Lyric: "You've given me such security, no matter what mistakes I know you're there for me. You cure my disappointments and you heal my pain. You understood my fears and you protected me. Treasure every irreplaceable memory and that's why I want my unborn son to be like my daddy."
"Song for Dad" by Keith Urban
Who ever said turning into your old man was such a bad thing? Certainly not country superstar Keith Urban, who wrote this song highlighting all the traits he inherited from his dad.
Best Lyric: "There were times I thought he was being just a little bit hard on me, but now I understand he was making me become the man he knew that I could be."
"Your Joy" by Chrisette Michele
Ah, the go-to song for father-daughter dances at weddings. Here, the neo-soul artist sweetly sings about how her dad is irreplaceable.
Best Lyric: "No one loves me just like you do. No one knows me just like you do. No one can compare to the way my eyes fit in yours. You'll always be my father, and I'll always be your joy."
"He Didn't Have to Be" by Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley delivers a heartfelt story of a young boy who appreciates the love and sacrifices his stepfather showed to him and his mother.
Best Lyric: "Lookin' back, all I can say about all the things he did for me is I hope I'm at least half the dad that he didn't have to be."
"My Father's Eyes" by Eric Clapton
Warning: This 1995 classic is a tearjerker. "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," wrote the rocker in his autobiography.
Best Lyric: "Then the jagged edge appears through the distant clouds of tears. I'm like a bridge that was washed away. My foundations were made of clay. As my soul slides down to die, how could I lose him? What did I try? Bit by bit, I've realized that he was here with me."
"Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna
Madonna's controversial 1986 hit song tells the story of a young girl reclaiming her power and strength as a new mother, while acknowledging her father's influence.
Best Lyric: "Cause I was always your little girl, but you should know by now, I'm not a baby. You always taught me right from wrong. I need your help, daddy, please be strong."
"Daddy Lessons" by Beyoncé and Dixie Chicks
The African-American folk and blues ditty from Beyoncé's deeply personal album, Lemonade, got the remix treatment in November 2016, when Queen Bey and the Dixie Chicks teamed up to perform it for the first time at the CMA Awards—making it the perfect addition to your Father's Day songs list.
Best Lyric: "Came into this world, daddy's little girl. And Daddy made a soldier out of me. Daddy made me dance and Daddy held my hand."
"Color Him Father" by The Winstons
The Grammy-nominated song was released in 1969 by the interracial R&B group. It discusses the assumed role of the father took in the household.
Best Lyric: "There's a man at my house, he's so big and strong. He goes to work each day, and he stays all day long. Never a frown always a smile when he says to me: 'How's my child?' I think I'll color this man father. I think I'll color him love."
"Wind Beneath My Wings" by Gerald Levert and Eddie Levert
Gerald Levert and his dad, Eddie Levert, covered Roger Whittaker's popular 1982 song for Gerald's 1995 album, Father and Son. And seeing the names behind the track, it's a fitting tune that delves into close-knit father-son relationships.
Best Lyric: "Did you ever know that you're my hero? You're everything I would like to be. I could fly higher than an eagle, 'cause you are the wind beneath my wings. It might have appeared to go unnoticed, but daddy, daddy, daddy, I've got it all right here in my heart."
"Just the Two of Us" by Will Smith
Even more adorable than Will Smith's beautiful tribute to his firstborn son, Trey Smith, is the accompanying music video featuring different fathers and their children, along with his very pregnant wife at the time, Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith's hip-hop rendition samples the chorus of Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers' R&B; single of the same name.
Best Lyric: "I know I loved you more than life itself. Then to my knees, and I begged the Lord please let me be a good daddy. All he needs love, knowledge, discipline, too. I pledge my life to you."
"Daughters" by John Mayer
This standout song from John Mayer was so impressive, it earned the singer-songwriter a Grammy in 2004 for "Song of the Year." If any daughter wants to make a musical ode to her pops, this is it.
Best Lyric: "Fathers, be good to your daughters. Daughters will love like you do. Girls become lovers who turn into mothers. So mothers, be good to your daughters too.
"Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" by Gladys Knight & The Pips
If your dad is into oldies music and has a penchant for for using profanity, cue up this 1973 soulful record by the Atlanta songstress.
Best Lyric: "Ooh, how I remember daddy. He was strong and had a built in tan. And though he only stood about five-feet-seven, my daddy was a heck of a man. He loved us all and we knew it, though he showed it in a very funny way. For most of the time he was a-cussin' and fussin,' when he said what he had to say."
"These Three Words" by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder's powerful ballad serves as a reminder to cherish your loved ones (fathers, daughters, and sons) while they're still alive, and the best way to do it is by saying those three simple words.
Best Lyric: "When was the last time that they heard you say. mother or father, 'I love you?' And when was the last time that they heard you say, daughter or son, 'I love you?'"
"Babyfather" by Sade
The British Nigerian soul singer created this song in honor of her daughter's father and current partner, Ian Watts.
Best Lyric: "For you, he's the best he can be. Oh child, don't you know your daddy love come with a lifetime guarantee?"
"Papa Don't Take No Mess" by James Brown
The hardest working man in showbiz recorded this funky classic song for his 1974 album, Hell. James Brown outlines his dad's best and most flawed characteristics.
Best Lyric: "Papa is the man who can understand how a man has to do whatever he can."
"New Day" by Jay-Z and Kanye West
Hip-hop artists Kanye West and Jay-Z united for the joint album, Watch the Throne, in 2011. One of the more personal tracks on their first studio effort together, "New Day" recounts the mistakes the rappers made in the past, and the lessons the fathers hope to pass on to their children.
Best Lyric: "Teach ya good values so you cherish it. Took me 26 years just to find my path. My only job is cut the time in half."
"My Father's House" by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen has been open about his fraught relationship with his father throughout the course of his music career and in his 2016 memoir, Born to Run. This 1982 song, which briefly sheds light on Springsteen and his father's struggles with mental illness, is no different.
Best Lyric: "My father's house shines hard and bright. It stands like a beacon calling me in the night. Calling and calling so cold and alone, shining 'cross this dark highway, where our sins lie unatoned."
"Daddy's Hands" by Holly Dunn
"Daddy's Hands" is a quintessential country music song that describes all the bittersweet memories of a loving father-daughter relationship.
Best Lyric: "I remember daddy's hands, how they held my momma tight and patted my back for something done right. There are things that I've forgotten that I loved about the man, but I'll always remember the love in daddy's hands"
"The Best Day" by George Strait
If you're not one who wears your heart on your sleeve, allow country music legend George Straight to demonstrate—from a son to your old man—how you really feel. Fathers will especially appreciate the storytelling and advice Straight offers on the 2000 song.
Best Lyric: "Dad, this could be the best day of my life. I've been dreaming day and night about the fun we've had, just me and you doing what I've always wanted to. I'm the luckiest boy alive. This is the best day of my life."
Michelle is the Culture & News Writer for OprahMag.com, where she writes about celebrities (she considers herself an expert on Beyoncé and Reese Witherspoon), plus the latest in pop-culture news, binge-worthy TV shows, and movies. The transplanted Southerner turned ambitious New Yorker lives her best life by listening to hip-hop and Pod Save America, watching The Office on repeat, quoting Oprah-isms, eating dessert before dinner, and avoiding avocado. Seriously, she doesn’t get the hype.
It should say, “Michelle is the former Culture & News Writer for Oprahmag.com...”
Grant Rindner is a culture and music journalist in New York. He has written for Billboard, Complex, and i-D, among other outlets.
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