Ten Amazing Father's Day Songs You NEED to Hear This Father's Day

     It's father's day, and as a father myself, I thought I'd do a special post today. Songs about fathers and fatherhood. I would've posted this earlier, but I didn't think of it until today, so here goes. As usual, only one song per artist, the songs are in no particular order, and I tried to include as many genres as I could. Unfortunately, most of the really good songs I could find about fathers portrayed them in a negative light, so I had to a couple of these a little bit. Without further ado, let's get started.

#1. Yellowcard - Life of a Salesman (2003) 

    Starting off this list with some pop punk, this song is a tribute to the lead singer's father. Though his dad had a working class job (hence the title) he still was able to make a big impact on another's life (namely his son). It's both a great father's day song, and a great anthem to the working man. 

#2. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Miles (2023)

    This is the second time alt-country/americana artist Jason Isbell has ended an album with a father-daughter song. Consider the other one, Something to Love, as an honorable mention. This one is about his daughter growing up and going from the innocent kid she is now to an angsty teenager who wants nothing to do with him. It's something all parents go through, and it's also extremely well-written. 

#3. Voltaire - Crusade (2004)

    This is the first real stretch on this list. While not mainly about fathers or fatherhood, there are several lines about sons taking inspiration from their fathers. Namely, our narrator is a knight who slays a dragon, like his father before him, before his son goes off and fights in the crusades. It shows the impact fathers can have on their sons, for better or worse. Also, the reveal that the dragon who was slain was a father trying to protect his child adds an extra layer of tragedy to this song.

#4. Confederate Railroad - Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind (1994)

    Alright, let me start by addressing the elephant in the room: This band's name is fucking horrible. There's no other way around it. However, as gross as I find this band's name to be, I still enjoy this song. It's a solid country rock song, with lyrics about the the narrator's father. It talks about how his father worked hard to provide for his family, though he never cared much for fancy things. Like the Yellowcard song mentioned above, it's a great working class anthem. It also has a rather bittersweet ending, with the father dying at the end. Still, it's a beautiful tribute, even if the band could really afford to change their name.

#5. Swedish House Mafia - Don't You Worry Child (2012)

Festival progressive house is a genre I have a complicated relationship with. On one hand, I like Avicii and Zedd has at least one good song (Clarity). However, I can't stand Calvin Harris's stuff in that genre, and the rest of Zedd's stuff is not good. As for Swedish House Mafia, this is the only song I've heard from them, but it's pretty good. It's basically about the comfort the narrator's father brought to him when he was young, and how he still thinks back fondly on his father's words in times of trouble. It's really sweet, and the EDM drop manages not to suck all the meaningfulness out of it. 

#6. Queen - Father to Son (1974)

    You can't have a father's day list without including some dad rock, can you? Queen make some truly unique and complex music, combining experimentation with just enough catchiness and pop sensibility to be mainstream. This song is from their 1974 album Queen II, and while it isn't as complex as, say, Bohemian Rhapsody, it's still a masterpiece. It's about a father talking to his son, and it combines heartwarming lyrics with some amazing instrumental switch-ups and great guitar playing.

#7. John Michael Montgomery - Letters from Home (2004)

    This one's for all the military families out there. Each verse is a letter from home to a soldier. The first one is his mom, the second one is his girlfriend, and the third one is his dad who just says one sentence: "You make me proud." The soldier cries and for once none of his friends laugh. It's heartwarming, and considering this was released one year after the war in Iraq was declared, it hits hard. 

#8. Demi Lovato - Father (2015)

    This one's a bit more bittersweet than the other seven songs shown so far. It talks about the complicated relationship Demi had with their father, who had died of cancer shortly before this was released. In this song, Demi tells their dead father that even though they get angry to the point of thinking they hate him, there's still a part of them that loves him. It's pretty heartbreaking, and it's a good song for those of you who struggle with celebrating father's day due to a complicated or possibly even bad relationship with your father. If that is you, I'm sorry.

#9. Neck Deep - 19 Seventy Sumthin (2017)

    With this pick, I'm breaking my rule about trying not to repeat genres. However, I couldn't leave this ballad by pop punk band Neck Deep off the list. This song tells the story of lead singer Ben Barlow's father falling in love, having a family, and eventually dying. It ends with Ben Barlow comforting his mother the way his father would've if he was there. It's heartbreaking, well-written, and a beautiful tribute to Ben Barlow's dad.

#10. Kendrick Lamar ft. Sampha - Father Time (2022)

    This is another one that's kind of bittersweet. It talks about toxic masculinity and how for generations, men have encouraged each other not to show emotion. For an example, Kendrick uses his father, who he loves because he wouldn't be where he is today without him, but also admits that he wishes that his father could've been less of a coldhearted gangster. It shows the dark side of fatherhood extremely well while also showing that it's not all bad. To any men out there, listen to this song. Especially if you have any sons. 

    And that's my list. Follow my blog for more content like this, and to any fathers reading this: Happy father's day. I'm Pat, signing off.