We read the eight song lists for Dad that rank highest on Google, Billboard's included. Billboard's Father's Day list opens with Papa Don't Preach, a pregnant teenager pleading with her father. And of the 20 songs at least half of these lists recommend, 9 are sung by a dad to his kids, and only 5 are a son or daughter singing to a living dad.
So we checked every song before it went on our list: who it's from, what it's really about, the year it came out and how long it runs. Pick who it's from and the occasion, find the songs he grew up with, and copy a note to send him with any song.
The most popular songs about dads, counted
We counted how many of the eight top-ranking song lists for Dad recommend each song. Here are the 15 they recommend most, and whether each one is really a song for Dad.
On Father's Day itself, many people just play Dad's music. The top songs US Spotify users stream on the day start with Margaritaville and include My Way, neither of them about dads (Spotify, 2022). Find the songs he grew up with further down.
- 1 Dance with My Father Luther Vandross 5 of 8 lists In memory
- 2 Daughters John Mayer 5 of 8 lists Complicated
- 3 Just the Two of Us Will Smith 5 of 8 lists Dad's voice
- 4 Love Without End, Amen George Strait 5 of 8 lists To Dad
- 5 Butterfly Kisses Bob Carlisle 4 of 8 lists Dad's voice
- 6 Cat's in the Cradle Harry Chapin 4 of 8 lists Complicated
- 7 Daddy Beyoncé 4 of 8 lists To Dad
- 8 Daddy's Hands Holly Dunn 4 of 8 lists To Dad
- 9 Drive (For Daddy Gene) Alan Jackson 4 of 8 lists In memory
- 10 Father and Daughter Paul Simon 4 of 8 lists Dad's voice
- 11 Glory JAY-Z 4 of 8 lists Sad song
- 12 He Didn't Have to Be Brad Paisley 4 of 8 lists To Dad
- 13 Isn't She Lovely Stevie Wonder 4 of 8 lists Dad's voice
- 14 Just Fishin' Trace Adkins 4 of 8 lists Dad's voice
- 15 Like Father, Like Son The Game 4 of 8 lists Dad's voice
The best songs for Dad, by who they're from
The most-recommended songs a daughter or son can actually send Dad, and the best of the ones sung by a dad, all with clean lyrics and no heads-ups.
Songs for Dad from a daughter
- Daddy Beyoncé · 2003
- Daddy's Hands Holly Dunn · 1986
- Daddy Could Swear, I Declare Gladys Knight & The Pips · 1973
- I Learned from You Miley Cyrus & Billy Ray Cyrus · 2006
- The Girl You Think I Am Carrie Underwood · 2015
Songs for Dad from a son
- Love Without End, Amen George Strait · 1990
- Song for Dad Keith Urban · 2002
- Seein' My Father in Me Paul Overstreet · 1989
- Leader of the Band Dan Fogelberg · 1981
- The Man He Sees in Me Luke Combs · 2024
Songs a dad sings to his kids
- Just the Two of Us Will Smith · 1997
- Butterfly Kisses Bob Carlisle · 1996
- Father and Daughter Paul Simon · 2002
- Isn't She Lovely Stevie Wonder · 1976
- Just Fishin' Trace Adkins · 2011
Popular picks that aren't really about Dad
These turn up on Father's Day lists, Billboard's included, but they're love songs, breakup songs or about something else entirely. Each one has a swap with the same feel. A few songs we kept carry a heads-up, and they're here too. Every note links its source.
Love song
My Girl
The Temptations · on 3 of 8 top lists
Smokey Robinson wrote it about his wife, Claudette; it's a love song, not a father-daughter song. Source
Try instead: Isn't She Lovely Stevie Wonder
Love song
Unforgettable
Nat King Cole · on 3 of 8 top lists
A 1951 love song; it shows up on dad lists because of Natalie Cole's 1991 duet with her late father's recording. Source
Try instead: Dance with My Father Luther Vandross
About his child
Letter 2 My Unborn
2Pac · on 3 of 8 top lists
2Pac speaks to a child not yet born, warning them off the troubles of his own life; heavy and explicit. Source
Try instead: Like Father, Like Son The Game
Not a tribute
Papa Don't Preach
Madonna · on 2 of 8 top lists
A pregnant teenager begs her father not to judge her plan to keep the baby. Source
Try instead: Daddy Lessons Beyoncé
Love song
Sweet Child O' Mine
Guns N' Roses · on 2 of 8 top lists
Axl Rose based it on his girlfriend at the time, Erin Everly. Source
Try instead: Father to Son Queen
About his child
Tears in Heaven
Eric Clapton · on 2 of 8 top lists
Clapton wrote it about the death of his four-year-old son, Conor; it's a grieving parent's song. Source
Try instead: My Father's Eyes Eric Clapton
Not about a dad
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
James Brown · on 2 of 8 top lists
The papa here is an old man bold enough to hit the dance floor, not anyone's father. Source
Try instead: Papa Don't Take No Mess James Brown
Not a tribute
Daddy Come and Get Me
Dolly Parton · on 2 of 8 top lists
A wife whose cheating husband had her committed to an asylum begs her father to rescue her. Source
Try instead: Daddy's Working Boots Dolly Parton
Not about a dad
Never Grow Up
Taylor Swift · on 2 of 8 top lists
Swift reflects on her own childhood; critics read it as a message to young fans, not a song about a dad. Source
Try instead: It Won't Be Like This for Long Darius Rucker
Show 34 more flagged picks
Not about a dad
Like a Rock
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band · on 1 of 8 top lists
Seger said it came from the end of a long relationship and missing his late teens, not from a father. Source
Try instead: Song for Dad Keith Urban
Breakup song
Picture to Burn
Taylor Swift · on 1 of 8 top lists
A revenge song aimed at an ex-boyfriend, inspired by a narcissistic classmate. Source
Try instead: Daddy Lessons Beyoncé
Not about a dad
Stuntin' Like My Daddy
Birdman & Lil Wayne · on 1 of 8 top lists
A luxury-and-flexing track; the daddy is Birdman, Lil Wayne's mentor at Cash Money, not his father. Source
Try instead: Bridging the Gap Nas
About his child
Retrospect for Life
Common · on 1 of 8 top lists
Common weighs abortion against birth when a girlfriend gets pregnant; heavy, and not about his own dad. Source
Try instead: Daughters Nas
Not about a dad
Even My Dad Does Sometimes
Ed Sheeran · on 1 of 8 top lists
Written with Amy Wadge about a friend of hers with cancer; the dad in the title is just an aside. Source
Try instead: Leader of the Band Dan Fogelberg
Not a tribute
To Daddy
Emmylou Harris · on 1 of 8 top lists
A Dolly Parton story about a neglected wife who finally leaves her cold husband; it's about the mom. Source
Try instead: Coal Miner's Daughter Loretta Lynn
Not a tribute
She's Leaving Home
The Beatles · on 1 of 8 top lists
A teenager runs away from overprotective parents who are left confused and devastated. Source
Try instead: Ready, Set, Don't Go Billy Ray Cyrus & Miley Cyrus
Not a tribute
I Don't Call Him Daddy
Doug Supernaw · on 1 of 8 top lists
A divorced dad calls his son, who only uses Daddy for him, not his mom's new boyfriend. Source
Try instead: He Didn't Have to Be Brad Paisley
Not a tribute
Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast
Wayne Newton · on 1 of 8 top lists
A father is walking out on his family until his little daughter runs after him. Source
Try instead: Daddy's Little Girl The Shires
Love song
Brown Eyed Girl
Van Morrison · on 1 of 8 top lists
Morrison looks back on a former love; radio once edited out a line about making love. Source
Try instead: Isn't She Lovely Stevie Wonder
Love song
The Way You Look Tonight
Frank Sinatra · on 1 of 8 top lists
Written for Swing Time, where Fred Astaire sings it to Ginger Rogers. Source
Try instead: Daddy's Little Girl The Shires
Love song
God Only Knows
The Beach Boys · on 1 of 8 top lists
A love song: the narrator can't imagine life without a lover. Source
Try instead: Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) John Lennon
Complicated
Daughters
John Mayer · on 5 of 8 top lists
Mayer said he wrote it about an ex-girlfriend whose absent father left her with trust issues. Source
Sad song
Glory
JAY-Z · on 4 of 8 top lists
It also mentions a miscarriage the couple went through before Blue Ivy was born. Source
Complicated
Cat's in the Cradle
Harry Chapin · on 4 of 8 top lists
A busy father misses his son's childhood, then finds his grown son has no time for him. Source
Complicated
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
The Temptations · on 4 of 8 top lists
Children ask their mother about the father who just died and learn he was never really there. Source
Complicated
The Greatest Man I Never Knew
Reba McEntire · on 4 of 8 top lists
A daughter mourns a distant father who rarely showed his love, and who has now died. Source
Complicated
My Father's Eyes
Eric Clapton · on 4 of 8 top lists
It's about a father he never met and also refers to his son Conor, who died at four. Source
Complicated
Father and Son
Cat Stevens · on 3 of 8 top lists
It's an argument: the father wants his son to settle down, and the son insists on leaving. Source
Ends in a loss
My Old Man
Zac Brown Band · on 3 of 8 top lists
The last verse reveals the father is hearing this tribute from heaven. Source
Ends in a loss
That's My Job
Conway Twitty · on 3 of 8 top lists
By the final verse the father has died, and the grown son looks back. Source
Complicated
Daddy Lessons
Beyoncé · on 3 of 8 top lists
Some critics hear it as a nod to her rocky relationship with her father, Mathew Knowles. Source
Grown-ups only
Papa Don't Take No Mess
James Brown · on 3 of 8 top lists
It praises an old-school dad, including lines about harsh punishment for kids who misbehave. Source
Complicated
My Father's House
Bruce Springsteen · on 3 of 8 top lists
The estranged son arrives too late; his father no longer lives there. Source
Complicated
Oh Father
Madonna · on 2 of 8 top lists
Their bond soured after her mother's death and his remarriage; she has called him a strict disciplinarian. Source
Sad song
Temporary
Eminem & Skylar Grey · on 1 of 8 top lists
He imagines his own death and tells Hailie how to carry on without him. Source
Complicated
Piece by Piece
Kelly Clarkson · on 1 of 8 top lists
It's addressed to a father who walked out when she was six; the praise goes to her child's dad. Source
Complicated
Father
Demi Lovato · on 1 of 8 top lists
Lovato has said her father was abusive and that she felt torn when he died. Source
Complicated
A Boy Named Sue
Johnny Cash · on 1 of 8 top lists
The son hunts down the father who left when he was three, out for revenge over his name. Source
Complicated
Father of Mine
Everclear · on 1 of 8 top lists
It's an angry song to a father who walked out. Source
Complicated
Papa'z Song
2Pac · on 1 of 8 top lists
It's about growing up without a father, with plenty of anger. Source
Sad song
Highway 20 Ride
Zac Brown Band
It's about a split family: a dad who sees his son only in between long drives. Source
Sad song
The Walk
Sawyer Brown
In the last verse the son walks his aging father to a nursing home. Source
Ends in a loss
Patches
Clarence Carter
The father dies before the boy turns 13 and leaves him in charge of the family. Source
Find the right song for Dad
Pick who it's from, the occasion and the feel. Every song shows the year it came out and how long it runs, with a note you can copy and text him.
Who it's from
Occasion
Feel
110 songs
Father-daughter songs
Songs a daughter can send her dad, and the ones dads sing to their girls. Planning the wedding dance? See our father-daughter dance songs.
Daddy's Hands
Holly Dunn · 1986
Dunn wrote it as a Father's Day gift for her dad, a minister; it reached No. 7 country and earned two Grammy nominations.
3:29
Butterfly Kisses
Bob Carlisle · 1996
Carlisle co-wrote it for his daughter Brooke's 16th birthday; it topped the Adult Contemporary chart and won a Grammy for Best Country Song.
5:47
Father and Daughter
Paul Simon · 2002
Simon wrote it for The Wild Thornberrys Movie with his daughter Lulu in mind; his son Adrian sings harmony, and it got an Oscar nomination.
4:11
My Little Girl
Tim McGraw · 2006
The first single McGraw co-wrote himself, it reached the country top three and played in his 2006 film Flicka.
3:44
Isn't She Lovely
Stevie Wonder · 1976
Wonder's song for his newborn daughter Aisha opens with a real baby's first cry; it was never a single but still got heavy airplay.
6:33
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
Billy Joel · 1993
Joel wrote this bedtime song for his daughter Alexa Ray, and it later became a children's picture book.
3:34
It Won't Be Like This for Long
Darius Rucker · 2008
A new dad watches his daughter go from newborn to preschool drop-off and sees how fast it passes; Rucker co-wrote it for his first country album.
I Learned from You
Miley Cyrus & Billy Ray Cyrus · 2006
A real father-daughter duet: Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus close the first Hannah Montana soundtrack singing about what they taught each other.
3:24
There Goes My Life
Kenny Chesney · 2003
A teenager's unplanned baby girl becomes his whole world, then drives off to her own life; it held No. 1 country for seven weeks.
5:02
I Loved Her First
Heartland · 2006
The father of the bride talks to the groom; it became Heartland's only No. 1, helped by a viral video of a dad signing it.
3:33
Daughter
Loudon Wainwright III · 2007
Peter Blegvad wrote it when his daughter was about three; Wainwright recorded it for the film Knocked Up, and it became his most popular track.
3:30
Daddy's Little Girl
The Mills Brothers · 1950
Bobby Burke and Horace Gerlach wrote it in 1949; the Mills Brothers recorded it first, and Michael Bublé covered it on his 2002 album Dream.
Ready, Set, Don't Go
Billy Ray Cyrus & Miley Cyrus · 2007
Billy Ray wrote it when Miley moved to Los Angeles to audition for Hannah Montana; the single is a duet with her.
3:48
The Girl You Think I Am
Carrie Underwood · 2015
Underwood co-wrote it about her father, her biggest fan, and said it's the song on Storyteller most likely to make her cry.
3:38
Daddy Dance with Me
Krystal Keith · 2013
Toby Keith's daughter wrote it as a secret gift for their dance at her wedding; he said he nearly cried but stayed a professional.
4:18
Father-son songs
Sons to their dads and dads to their sons. A few are about the distance between them, and those say so.
Father and Son
Cat Stevens · 1970
Stevens sings the father's lines low and the son's lines high, a two-sided talk from his 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman.
It's an argument: the father wants his son to settle down, and the son insists on leaving.
3:41
Song for Dad
Keith Urban · 2002
Urban wrote it for his father, an amateur drummer who loved Glen Campbell and Dolly Parton records; it's on his 2002 album Golden Road.
3:56
The Best Day
George Strait · 2000
A father recalls the moments his son called the best day of his life; it became Strait's 36th No. 1 as a solo artist.
3:19
Watching You
Rodney Atkins · 2006
Atkins drew on his young son Elijah, who'd been singing Dad's hit at school; Billboard named it the top country song of 2007.
3:55
My Old Man
Zac Brown Band · 2017
Zac Brown co-wrote this ballad about his own father and the example he set, moving from childhood to the son's adult life.
The last verse reveals the father is hearing this tribute from heaven.
3:47
That's My Job
Conway Twitty · 1987
Gary Burr wrote it, and Twitty took it to No. 6 country; a son remembers his father calling his love and worry simply his job.
By the final verse the father has died, and the grown son looks back.
4:51
Father to Son
Queen · 1974
A rock ballad of a father handing his wisdom to his son, from Queen II; the band was already playing it live in 1972.
6:14
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
John Lennon · 1980
Lennon wrote it for his young son Sean on Double Fantasy, the last album out in his lifetime; Paul McCartney named it a favorite.
4:06
Just the Two of Us
Will Smith · 1997
Smith turned Bill Withers's love song into a song to his son Trey; it reached No. 20 in the US and No. 2 in the UK.
5:16
Leader of the Band
Dan Fogelberg · 1981
Fogelberg wrote it for his father, Lawrence, a bandleader who was alive to give interviews about it; it reached No. 9 in 1982.
4:16
Bridging the Gap
Nas · 2004
Nas shares the track with his father, musician Olu Dara, who sings the hook about his own path and Nas's birth over a Muddy Waters sample.
3:57
Songs about being a dad
Sung by dads to their kids. Send one to say this is how he raised you.
Daughters
John Mayer · 2003
Mayer's plea to fathers to be good to their daughters won the 2005 Grammy for Song of the Year.
Mayer said he wrote it about an ex-girlfriend whose absent father left her with trust issues.
3:59
I'm Already There
Lonestar · 2001
Richie McDonald wrote it after a phone call with his four-year-old son while on tour; it spent six weeks at No. 1 country.
4:13
Anything Like Me
Brad Paisley · 2009
Paisley plays a father-to-be who learns he's having a son and starts worrying the boy will turn out just like him.
4:14
Boy
Lee Brice · 2017
Brice put it out as a single because fans at his shows held up photos of their sons whenever he sang it.
3:20
Tough Little Boys
Gary Allan · 2003
A man who always thought he was tough finds himself worrying over his own child; it was Allan's second No. 1 country hit.
3:57
Watching Scotty Grow
Bobby Goldsboro · 1970
Mac Davis wrote this easygoing look at a dad watching his little boy grow; Goldsboro's version reached No. 11 on the Hot 100.
2:37
Highway 20 Ride
Zac Brown Band · 2008
Co-writer Wyatt Durrette wrote it on I-20 drives to hand his son back to the boy's mother; it became the band's third No. 1.
It's about a split family: a dad who sees his son only in between long drives.
3:49
Country songs about dads
Work boots, old trucks, fishing poles and quiet faith: country writes about dads the way it writes about home.
Love Without End, Amen
George Strait · 1990
A boy learns his father's love has no conditions and later passes that on to his own son; it spent five weeks at No. 1.
3:05
Just Fishin'
Trace Adkins · 2011
A dad fishing with his little girl knows they're really making memories; it earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song.
3:30
Seein' My Father in Me
Paul Overstreet · 1989
Overstreet co-wrote this No. 2 country hit about a grown son spotting his father in himself; it won a 1991 Dove Award.
3:26
Daddy Lessons
Beyoncé · 2016
Beyoncé's brass-band country song from Lemonade about what her father taught her; a remix with the Chicks followed in 2016.
Some critics hear it as a nod to her rocky relationship with her father, Mathew Knowles.
4:48
Daddy's Little Girl
The Shires · 2016
Crissie Rhodes co-wrote it about her father, who died of cancer when she was eight; it's on the duo's second album, My Universe.
3:10
They Don't Make 'Em Like My Daddy
Loretta Lynn · 1974
Released in April 1974, Lynn's single reached No. 4 on Billboard's country chart and No. 1 in Canada.
2:20
Coal Miner's Daughter
Loretta Lynn · 1970
Lynn's signature No. 1 tells of her father mining coal in rural Kentucky during the Great Depression.
3:01
The Man He Sees in Me
Luke Combs · 2024
Combs released it ahead of Fathers & Sons, his 2024 album about being a son and becoming a dad.
2:45
The Impossible
Joe Nichols · 2002
A son remembers his tough father, who never showed sadness until his own dad died; it reached No. 3 and drew a Grammy nomination.
4:06
Daddy's Working Boots
Dolly Parton · 1973
Parton wrote it about her father, a farmer and construction worker who wore himself out supporting a wife and 12 children.
2:55
The Walk
Sawyer Brown · 1991
Three walks down one driveway: a dad comforts his son on the way to school, then into adulthood; it reached No. 2 country.
In the last verse the son walks his aging father to a nursing home.
3:44
R&B and hip-hop songs about dads
Thank-yous to dads who showed up, from Luther Vandross to Beyoncé. Explicit songs are marked.
Daddy
Beyoncé · 2003
Beyoncé hid it on Dangerously in Love as a surprise for her father and manager, Mathew Knowles, who was left speechless.
4:58
Glory
JAY-Z · 2012
JAY-Z released it two days after Blue Ivy's birth; her cries on it made her the youngest person credited on a Billboard chart.
It also mentions a miscarriage the couple went through before Blue Ivy was born.
3:48
New Day
Kanye West & JAY-Z · 2011
On Watch the Throne, Kanye West and JAY-Z rap to sons they didn't have yet, weighing what fame might do to them.
4:33
Like Father, Like Son
The Game · 2005
The Game raps through the hour before his son Harlem's birth in 2003, with Busta Rhymes on the hook and a Kanye West beat.
5:28
Papa Don't Take No Mess
James Brown · 1974
Brown's 17th and final No. 1 R&B hit sketches a strict, hardworking papa; the full album version runs almost 14 minutes.
It praises an old-school dad, including lines about harsh punishment for kids who misbehave.
13:53
Daughters
Nas · 2012
Nas wrote it about raising his daughter Destiny and is frank about his own mistakes as a dad; it drew two Grammy nominations.
3:20
Temporary
Eminem & Skylar Grey · 2024
Eminem wrote it for his daughter Hailie to play after he dies, and it includes old recordings of her as a baby.
He imagines his own death and tells Hailie how to carry on without him.
4:58
His Dream
Asher Roth · 2009
Roth wrote it to thank his dad for putting family first, with Miguel on the hook; his father found it embarrassing.
4:36
Pop and rock songs about dads
From the late '80s on, by the artists his kids grew up with.
Winter
Tori Amos · 1992
Amos traced it to a walk with her father, who told her to believe she was good enough; it was her first UK top-40 single.
5:43
Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Owl City · 2017
Adam Young wrote it about his dad as his everyday hero and released it for Father's Day 2017.
3:47
First Man
Camila Cabello · 2019
Cabello sings to her father about the man she now loves; the video, released for Father's Day, uses home footage of the two of them.
3:49
Life of a Salesman
Yellowcard · 2003
Singer Ryan Key wrote it about his father and says many fans who lost a parent have thanked the band for it.
3:19
Piece by Piece
Kelly Clarkson · 2015
Clarkson contrasts the father who left her family with her then-husband's devotion to their daughter; an Idol performance sent it to No. 8.
It's addressed to a father who walked out when she was six; the praise goes to her child's dad.
4:18
Father
Demi Lovato · 2015
Lovato's song for her father, Patrick, who died in 2013, was the last track she recorded for her album Confident.
Lovato has said her father was abusive and that she felt torn when he died.
3:55
Put It There
Paul McCartney · 1989
McCartney built it around a saying his father used for comfort and friendship; it reached No. 32 in the UK.
2:12
Home Is Such a Lonely Place
blink-182 · 2016
Mark Hoppus wrote it about his son, from talks about parenting and kids growing up and leaving home.
3:21
Classic songs about fathers
Songs from before the mid-'80s that Grandpa knows too.
Daddy Could Swear, I Declare
Gladys Knight & The Pips · 1973
Gladys Knight co-wrote it with her brother Merald and Johnny Bristol; it reached No. 19 pop and No. 2 R&B in 1973.
3:43
Oh! My Pa-Pa
Eddie Fisher · 1953
An English version of a Swiss song in which a young woman remembers her clown father; Fisher's recording hit No. 1 in 1954.
3:05
My Dad
Paul Petersen · 1962
Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil wrote it, and Petersen's 1962 single reached No. 6 on the pop chart.
Patches
Clarence Carter · 1970
A boy keeps his promise to hold the family farm together; Carter's hit won its writers the 1971 Grammy for Best R&B Song.
The father dies before the boy turns 13 and leaves him in charge of the family.
3:20
Pops, We Love You
Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & Stevie Wonder · 1978
Four Motown stars recorded it for Berry Gordy Sr.'s 90th birthday; it reached No. 59 on the Hot 100.
3:31
My Father
Judy Collins · 1968
Collins wrote it in April 1968 with her father, a blind radio singer, in mind; Nina Simone later recorded it too.
5:03
Christian songs for Father's Day
For church on Father's Day, and for dads whose faith runs the house.
Good Good Father
Chris Tomlin · 2015
A worship song about God as a loving father; Tomlin's cover of the Housefires original held No. 1 on Hot Christian Songs for seven weeks.
4:52
The Father's House
Cory Asbury · 2020
Asbury co-wrote this song about coming home to God the Father with Hillsong United's Benjamin Hastings; it reached No. 3 on Hot Christian Songs.
4:14
No Longer Slaves
Bethel Music, Jonathan David Helser & Melissa Helser · 2015
Sung by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser, this song about belonging to God's family won the 2016 Dove Award for Worship Song of the Year.
6:14
Run to the Father
Cody Carnes · 2019
Cody Carnes's title track is about coming home to God the Father, a fit for a Father's Day service.
5:08
The Blessing
Elevation Worship, Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes · 2020
Its words come mostly from the priestly blessing in the Book of Numbers; it reached No. 2 on Hot Christian Songs.
5:50
Lead Me
Sanctus Real · 2010
A dad's prayer to lead his family well, written after Matt Hammitt's wife told him she needed him to be a stronger spiritual leader.
3:49
Cinderella
Steven Curtis Chapman · 2007
Chapman wrote it one night after bathing his two youngest daughters and putting them to bed, as they stalled in their Cinderella dresses.
4:25
Daddy Sang Bass
Johnny Cash · 1968
Carl Perkins built it on the chorus of Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and Cash's version spent six weeks at No. 1 country.
2:18
Spanish songs for Dad
Canciones para papá, for Día del Padre and for every family that celebrates in Spanish.
Mi Viejo
Piero · 1969
José Tcherkaski wrote it and Piero made it famous on his 1969 debut; a 1982 reissue went platinum in Argentina.
3:24
Mi Querido, Mi Viejo, Mi Amigo
Roberto Carlos · 1979
Roberto Carlos wrote it for his father, Robertino Braga, who died the month after the 1979 Portuguese original came out.
3:30
Hoy Tengo Que Decirte Papá
Timbiriche · 1982
Pedro Damián wrote it for the kids' group Timbiriche's first album: a child thanks his father and hopes to grow up like him.
3:25
El Hombre Que Más Te Amó
Vicente Fernández · 2010
Abelardo Flores wrote the title track of Fernández's 2010 album, which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart.
3:17
De Niña a Mujer
Julio Iglesias · 1981
Iglesias dedicated the 1981 album to his daughter Chábeli, who appears beside him on its cover.
3:18
Si Tuviera Que Elegir
Ricardo Montaner · 2002
Montaner wrote it for his daughter Evaluna when she was about three, then surprised her with it at her 2020 wedding dance.
4:24
Tu Sangre en Mi Cuerpo
Ángela Aguilar & Pepe Aguilar · 2018
A real father-daughter duet: Ángela Aguilar sings it with her father, Pepe, who produced her 2018 debut album, Primero Soy Mexicana.
3:58
El Reloj Cucú
Maná · 1995
Fher Olvera wrote it about his father, who died when Fher was seven; at first he couldn't sing it live without breaking down.
5:01
Funny songs about dads
For the dad with the corny jokes. Every one of these is affectionate.
Mr. Mom
Lonestar · 2004
A stay-at-home dad tries to keep up with the kids while his wife works; it was Lonestar's last No. 1 country hit.
3:29
A Boy Named Sue
Johnny Cash · 1969
Shel Silverstein wrote it, and Cash recorded it live at San Quentin; it spent three weeks at No. 2, his biggest pop hit.
The son hunts down the father who left when he was three, out for revenge over his name.
Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)
Rodney Atkins · 2006
A dad greets his daughter's date while cleaning his gun, all for show; it was Atkins's fourth straight No. 1 country hit.
3:47
Daddy What If
Bobby Bare · 1973
Bare recorded Shel Silverstein's question-and-answer song with his five-year-old son, Bobby Bare Jr., and it became a Grammy-nominated hit.
3:04
Songs for stepdads, grandpas and the men who stepped up
For the men who didn't have to be Dad, and the grandfathers who were a second one.
He Didn't Have to Be
Brad Paisley · 1999
Paisley based it on his co-writer Kelley Lovelace and Lovelace's stepson; it became Paisley's first No. 1 in December 1999.
4:43
Color Him Father
The Winstons · 1969
A boy's love song to the stepfather who raised him; the Winstons' debut single reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 in 1969.
2:58
Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)
The Judds · 1985
Jamie O'Hara wrote this talk with a grandfather about simpler times; it became the Judds' sixth No. 1 country hit in 1986.
4:15
He Walked on Water
Randy Travis · 1989
Songwriter Allen Shamblin based it on his great-grandfather, a former cowboy; Travis said it reminded him of his own grandfather.
3:25
In Color
Jamey Johnson · 2008
A grandfather walks his grandson through old black-and-white photos of his life; it won Song of the Year at the 2009 ACM and CMA Awards.
4:51
I Wish Grandpas Never Died
Riley Green · 2019
Green's tribute to his grandfathers, Buford Green and Lendon Bonds, who share writing credit; Brad Paisley talked him into recording it.
4:10
Five More Minutes
Scotty McCreery · 2017
McCreery wrote it after his grandfather died in 2015; it became his first No. 1 on Country Airplay.
4:01
Songs about not knowing your father, and other complicated dads
Not every dad was there. These are for people who grew up with an absent, distant or difficult father, and each card says what the song is about.
Cat's in the Cradle
Harry Chapin · 1974
Chapin's only No. 1 began as a poem by his wife, Sandy, about her first husband's awkward relationship with his father.
A busy father misses his son's childhood, then finds his grown son has no time for him.
3:43
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
The Temptations · 1972
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote it; the Temptations' version topped the Hot 100 and won three Grammys in 1973.
Children ask their mother about the father who just died and learn he was never really there.
6:57
The Greatest Man I Never Knew
Reba McEntire · 1991
Songwriter Richard Leigh based it on his own father; Reba's version reached No. 3 country in 1992.
A daughter mourns a distant father who rarely showed his love, and who has now died.
3:14
My Father's Eyes
Eric Clapton · 1998
Clapton never met his father; he wrote about seeing him in his own son's eyes, and it won a 1999 Grammy.
It's about a father he never met and also refers to his son Conor, who died at four.
5:23
Father of Mine
Everclear · 1997
Art Alexakis wrote it about his own father, who left the family when Art was a young boy; it reached No. 4 on Modern Rock.
It's an angry song to a father who walked out.
3:51
My Father's House
Bruce Springsteen · 1982
On his home-recorded Nebraska album, Springsteen tells of a man who dreams of his father and drives to make peace with him.
The estranged son arrives too late; his father no longer lives there.
5:06
Oh Father
Madonna · 1989
Madonna wrote it with Patrick Leonard about the authority figures in her life, above all her father, Tony Ciccone.
Their bond soured after her mother's death and his remarriage; she has called him a strict disciplinarian.
4:59
Papa'z Song
2Pac · 1993
2Pac's bitter letter to an absent father turns in its final verse to see things from the father's side.
It's about growing up without a father, with plenty of anger.
Songs for a dad who has passed
For a funeral, a memorial slideshow, or a quiet day when you miss him.
Dance with My Father
Luther Vandross · 2003
Vandross wrote it with Richard Marx about his father, who died when Luther was eight; it won the 2004 Grammy for Song of the Year.
4:26
Drive (For Daddy Gene)
Alan Jackson · 2002
Jackson's tribute to his father, Eugene, who died in 2000, remembers fixing up an old truck and driving a boat together; it hit No. 1.
4:03
You Should Be Here
Cole Swindell · 2015
Swindell wrote it for his father, who died suddenly in 2013 while Cole was on a radio tour after signing his record deal.
3:10
Daddy Doesn't Pray Anymore
Chris Stapleton · 2015
Stapleton wrote it around 2005 after his father skipped saying grace, and recorded it only after his dad died in 2013.
4:10
Even Though I'm Leaving
Luke Combs · 2019
Across three scenes, a father and son comfort each other, ending with the father's death; it spent five weeks at No. 1 on Country Airplay.
3:45
I Can Only Imagine
MercyMe · 2001
Bart Millard drew on his father's death from cancer to write it; it's the most-played song in the history of Christian radio.
4:12
The Living Years
Mike + The Mechanics · 1988
Mike Rutherford and BA Robertson wrote it after both lost their fathers around the same time; it topped the Hot 100 in March 1989.
5:30
Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own
U2 · 2004
Bono wrote it about his father, Bob Hewson, sang it at his funeral, and it won the 2006 Grammy for Song of the Year.
5:05
Everything I Own
Bread · 1972
Often heard as a breakup song, it was written by David Gates in memory of his father, who died before Bread made it big.
3:07
No songs match all of these. Try another choice or clear the filters.
The songs he'll turn up in the truck
The songs people love most tend to come from their early teens. A 2018 New York Times analysis of Spotify data found men's favorite songs mostly came out when they were 13 to 16, most often at 14. Pick the year Dad was born to see the biggest No. 1 hits from when he was 13 to 15.
#1 songs come from Billboard's weekly charts: the Hot 100 since August 4, 1958, and its best-sellers chart from 1940 to 1958. The ages come from a 2018 New York Times analysis of Spotify data.
Playlists for Father's Day, his birthday and more
Each playlist is sized to the moment, with its running time. Tap Copy playlist to paste it into your music app or the family group chat.
Father's Day cookout
1 hr 1 min · 15 songs
Upbeat songs about dads for the grill and the backyard. Nothing sad.
- Coal Miner's Daughter Loretta Lynn
- Not All Heroes Wear Capes Owl City
- Daddy Could Swear, I Declare Gladys Knight & The Pips
- Just Fishin' Trace Adkins
- Father to Son Queen
Show all 15 songs
- Anything Like Me Brad Paisley
- They Don't Make 'Em Like My Daddy Loretta Lynn
- Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy) Rodney Atkins
- Isn't She Lovely Stevie Wonder
- I Learned from You Miley Cyrus & Billy Ray Cyrus
- Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) John Lennon
- Mr. Mom Lonestar
- Love Without End, Amen George Strait
- Father and Daughter Paul Simon
- Just the Two of Us Will Smith
His birthday dinner
48 min · 14 songs
Happy songs for him, from every era.
- Daddy Sang Bass Johnny Cash
- The Girl You Think I Am Carrie Underwood
- Watching Scotty Grow Bobby Goldsboro
- Watching You Rodney Atkins
- Daddy What If Bobby Bare
Show all 14 songs
- Tough Little Boys Gary Allan
- Pops, We Love You Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & Stevie Wonder
- Song for Dad Keith Urban
- Daddy's Hands Holly Dunn
- The Best Day George Strait
- Seein' My Father in Me Paul Overstreet
- Just the Two of Us Will Smith
- Put It There Paul McCartney
- Love Without End, Amen George Strait
Photo slideshow
18 min · 4 songs
About 15 minutes: enough for 150 to 180 photos at five seconds each.
- Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) Billy Joel
- My Little Girl Tim McGraw
- Butterfly Kisses Bob Carlisle
- Daddy Beyoncé
Road trip with Dad
1 hr 2 min · 16 songs
An hour of songs for the truck, loud ones and quiet ones.
- Oh! My Pa-Pa Eddie Fisher
- The Man He Sees in Me Luke Combs
- My Father Judy Collins
- First Man Camila Cabello
- Daddy's Working Boots Dolly Parton
Show all 16 songs
- Boy Lee Brice
- Leader of the Band Dan Fogelberg
- Home Is Such a Lonely Place blink-182
- Winter Tori Amos
- Daddy Dance with Me Krystal Keith
- I'm Already There Lonestar
- Ready, Set, Don't Go Billy Ray Cyrus & Miley Cyrus
- There Goes My Life Kenny Chesney
- Daughter Loudon Wainwright III
- Life of a Salesman Yellowcard
- I Loved Her First Heartland
Father's Day at church
24 min · 5 songs
Christian songs for the service, or for the family dinner after.
- Cinderella Steven Curtis Chapman
- Run to the Father Cody Carnes
- Lead Me Sanctus Real
- No Longer Slaves Bethel Music, Jonathan David Helser & Melissa Helser
- Good Good Father Chris Tomlin
Missing Dad
17 min · 4 songs
Gentle songs for a memorial, a slideshow or a quiet afternoon.
- The Living Years Mike + The Mechanics
- Daddy's Little Girl The Shires
- Drive (For Daddy Gene) Alan Jackson
- Dance with My Father Luther Vandross
What people tell us about their dads
When someone makes a song on our site, they tell us about the person it's for. We counted what came up in the songs people made for their dads and moms this year.
- Hard work comes first. 35% of stories about Dad mention his work, his job or how he provided, about twice the share for Mom.
- The lake and the garage are Dad's. 12% of Dad stories mention fishing, hunting or the lake, and 14% mention cars, trucks or tools. For Mom, each comes up in fewer than 3 in 100.
- He's funny. About 1 in 4 stories about Dad mention his jokes or his laugh.
- 4 in 10 songs for Dad are sung in a woman's voice. Country is his top pick, at 47% of Dad songs.
- People make about twice as many songs for Mom as for Dad.
Songs for MomSongs for Dad
From the songs people previewed on MakeCustomSongs.com for a mom or dad, July 19 to November 7, 2026, counted by the words they used. We never share anyone's story.
How to dedicate a song to your dad
Plenty of dads find it easier to hear something than to talk about it. Pick a song in your own voice (use the From a daughter or From a son filter), then add one line about why: the fishing trips, the driving lessons, the jokes he still tells. Tap Copy a note to Dad on any song for a text that's ready to send.
If you can, play it while you're with him instead of sending a link he'll open later. You'll get to see his face.
Choosing a song for Dad's funeral or memorial
A song he loved often means more than a song about fathers, because it brings him back for everyone in the room. If you want words that speak to him, the songs in memory of Dad above are gentle enough for a service or a slideshow. For hymns, songs for each part of the service and a slideshow song fitter, see our guide to funeral songs. Some families also have a song written from their own memories of him, like our memorial songs.
A song about him
Every song above is about someone else's dad. A custom song is about yours: his name, his truck, the things he always said. Here's one we made from a made-up story.
Southern rock
Luke's Song for His Dad
Example Father's Day song from Luke to his dad, written around fishing at dawn, an old Chevy on blocks, Friday night games and the saying he still hears at every job.
Example song written from a made-up story. We never share customers' songs.
Give Dad a song that's really about him
Tell us his name and a few memories. You'll hear a free preview in minutes, and you only pay if you love it.
Create your free preview