“Glory” by Jay-Z
In 2012 American Gangster Jay-Z officially became American Dad. Jay-Z released this heartfelt track two days after the birth of his and Beyonce’s first daughter, Blue Ivy. Lyrically, it is as open, vulnerable and loving a tribute to a new baby as you could hope to hear, with Carter reflecting on the pain of “false alarms and false starts,” and then finding salvation of sorts: “The most amazing feeling I feel / Words can't describe what I'm feeling for real / Maybe I paint the sky blue / My greatest creation was you. You. Glory." From street hustler to urban hero to hit-maker—to daddy. Glory, indeed.
"My Father’s House" by Bruce Springsteen
“Daughter” by Peter Blegvad
Graham Nash wrote this tune, which features a pedal-steel guitar contribution from Jerry Garcia, about the troubled relationship he had with his own father--putting an interesting spin on its lyrics. According to Nash, the song started out as a folk song when he was in the Hollies, but Stephen Stills put a more country feel into it, and it wound up on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Deja Vu album from 1970.
Will Smith remade this classic R&B tune into a tribute to his relationship with his son, which had made softies out of fathers everywhere. It was released as the fourth single from his debut solo studio album, Big Willie Style, in 1997.
Frances England is a children’s musician from San Francisco, CA. Her style of music is generally described as Indie and/or Folk. In 2006, England wrote her first album of songs entitled Fascinating Creatures as a fundraiser for her son’s preschool and recorded it with the help of artist Billy Riggs. The album went on to the be the sole recipiet of the 2007 Oppenheim Platinum Award for Music and contained this song, “Daddy-O,” which is a sweet, melodious song sung from the perspective of a small child who describes the very special bond between father and child.
What songs remind you of your dad?
There are so many other songs that could have made our list of the Top Father’s Day Songs. What song reminds you of your relationship with your dad? Let us know in the comments below!
This article was adapted from/inspired by posts on takeslesson.com, billboard.com, and rollingstone.com.
"My Father’s House" by Bruce Springsteen
A distant relationship with his father inspired Bruce Springsteen to write this song, which is on the Nebraska album from 1982. His father was not excited about his son’s musical inclinations and spoke to Springsteen about “that damn guitar” when he was growing up, a phrase that he later immortalized as an onstage story in the middle of “Growin’ Up.”
“Daughter” by Peter Blegvad
“Daughter” first appeared on Peter Blegvad’s 1996 album, Just Woke Up, however it was made a popular father-daughter dance song when Loudon Wainwright III’s cover of the song was featured at the end of the 2007 movie, Knocked Up. Blegvad’s story of how he came to compose the song is a refreshingly honest and philosophical commentary on what it means to be a parent:
As everyone knows, a parent's love for their child is partly narcissism. My daughter, Kaye, was 3 when I wrote the song - long enough for me to have recognized this fact in myself and seen it manifested in the behavior of other parents. It's natural, maybe even a crucial element, but the narcissism has to be watched, obviously. (Think of Dr. Evil and Mini-Me in Austin Powers). The comedy of all that amused me, and I didn't think anyone had treated that in a song before. I was vaguely thinking of Stevie Wonder singing "Isn't She Lovely" and Frank Sinatra singing "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)" and I wanted to write something that would express that kind of love honestly but also hint at the complexities which come with that role and responsibility.
As everyone knows, a parent's love for their child is partly narcissism. My daughter, Kaye, was 3 when I wrote the song - long enough for me to have recognized this fact in myself and seen it manifested in the behavior of other parents. It's natural, maybe even a crucial element, but the narcissism has to be watched, obviously. (Think of Dr. Evil and Mini-Me in Austin Powers). The comedy of all that amused me, and I didn't think anyone had treated that in a song before. I was vaguely thinking of Stevie Wonder singing "Isn't She Lovely" and Frank Sinatra singing "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)" and I wanted to write something that would express that kind of love honestly but also hint at the complexities which come with that role and responsibility.
The chord sequence is uplifting, but "Daughter" is maybe more sardonic than some people realize. It's about unconditional commitment to the task of raising a child, but it's also about the vanity and narcissism of the parent.
"Teach Your Children” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Graham Nash wrote this tune, which features a pedal-steel guitar contribution from Jerry Garcia, about the troubled relationship he had with his own father--putting an interesting spin on its lyrics. According to Nash, the song started out as a folk song when he was in the Hollies, but Stephen Stills put a more country feel into it, and it wound up on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Deja Vu album from 1970.
"Color Him Father" by the Winstons
This million-selling song tells the story of a stepfather who became a real father to his wife's children. It was the only chart hit (number 2 for 5 weeks on the R&B singles chart in 1969) for the Winstons, a Washington, D.C., based band that featured Richard Lewis Spencer's unique vocals. Spencer also won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Rhythm and Blues Song for writing this song.
“Just the Two of Us” by Will Smith
Will Smith remade this classic R&B tune into a tribute to his relationship with his son, which had made softies out of fathers everywhere. It was released as the fourth single from his debut solo studio album, Big Willie Style, in 1997.
“Daddy-O” by Frances England
Frances England is a children’s musician from San Francisco, CA. Her style of music is generally described as Indie and/or Folk. In 2006, England wrote her first album of songs entitled Fascinating Creatures as a fundraiser for her son’s preschool and recorded it with the help of artist Billy Riggs. The album went on to the be the sole recipiet of the 2007 Oppenheim Platinum Award for Music and contained this song, “Daddy-O,” which is a sweet, melodious song sung from the perspective of a small child who describes the very special bond between father and child.
What songs remind you of your dad?
There are so many other songs that could have made our list of the Top Father’s Day Songs. What song reminds you of your relationship with your dad? Let us know in the comments below!
This article was adapted from/inspired by posts on takeslesson.com, billboard.com, and rollingstone.com.
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