Father’s Day is the perfect excuse to revisit some of the most beautiful songs inspired by paternal relationships.
Some talk about the love of a father for his son or daughter (from Paul Simon’s ‘Father and Daughter’ to John Lennon’s ‘Beautiful Boy’). Some deal with the hurt and ache of an absent or failing father: in ‘Oh How Strong Is Your Love’ by Bert Jansch, a young father overwhelmed by his new responsibilities contemplates leaving his wife and child.
Greenday’s ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’ describes how singer Billie Joe Armstrong locked himself in his room after his father’s funeral, intent on not getting out before the pain had subsided.
In the nine following tracks, artists address their father directly. These songs are about saying things which might be too hard to say face-to-face or on the phone, or about all the things we wish we could have said before it was too late.
While Beyonce praises the qualities of her father and Owl City dedicates a song to the quiet hero in his life, Madonna turns to her father for advice when the whole world seems to be crashing down, and Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam sings about the need to break away from the father figure to be his own self.
Peaceful or tortured, loving or spiteful, behind each song are raw and profound emotions, expressed with some of the most powerful lyrics. Whatever it is we might be trying to tell our dad today, they say it better.
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“Thank you for loving me” – ‘Daddy’ by Beyonce (2003)
Beyonce planted ‘Daddy’ on her 2003 Dangerously In Love album as a secret track. In this song, she tells her father how grateful she is for his unconditional love and support, and how she wants to find the qualities of her father in the people she surrounds herself with.
“Now there is a way and I know I have to go away” – ‘Father And Son’ by Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam (1970)
This song is about breaking loose and carving your own path, your own way. While a father encourages his son to settle down and get married, the son says he needs to seek his own destiny.
“I’m sorry for blaming you for all the things I just couldn’t do” – ‘Hurt’ by Christina Aguilera (2006)
Break out the tissue box. This heart breaking song was written by 4 Non Blondes lead singer Linda Perry a year after she lost her father. Aguilera’s phenomenal voice delivers an emotional ode to broken relationships and what people might have said if they had had more time.
“That’s when I need my father’s eyes” – ‘My Father’s Eyes’ by Eric Clapton (1998)
Another one likely to have you sob, this song is about being a father without a father. Eric Clapton never knew his father. In this song, he draws on his feelings when his own son (who died at the age of four in 1991) looked into his eyes to imagine what it would have felt like looking into his own father’s eyes.
“My dad’s a hero to me” – ‘Not All Heroes Wear Capes’ by Owl City (2017)
This song is for those who struggle to say “I love you”. From building tree houses to teaching him how to drive, this song is about the all reasons a son looks up to his dad. Adam Young’s father even stars in the song’s video clip.
“I still feel your hand in mine” – ‘Song For My Father’ Sarah McLachlan (2014)
Many songs dedicated to late fathers are about complicated, difficult or inexistent relationships between a father and their child. But Sarah McLachlan’s beautiful ode is about a peaceful and loving relationship which continues beyond her father’s death.
“I’ll always want you near” – ‘Winter’ by Tori Amos (1992)
In this gorgeous piano ballad, Amos sings about the reassuring figure of her father through her self-doubt and questioning, constantly encouraging her to “stand up for herself” because he “won’t always be around”.
“Daddy won’t you come and play?” – ‘Daddy’ by Coldplay (2019)
This song is about a child longing for his absent father to come home and play with them. It was partly inspired by Chris Martin’s frequent absences from his children while touring with Coldplay.
“What I need right now is some good advice, please” – ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ by Madonna (1986)
When it came out, the song garnered fierce criticism for talking about teenage pregnancy. Ultimately, ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ is about a girl in trouble, who is turning to her father for advice, not a lecture.
