A Dozen Songs for Fathers & Sons

Me and My Boy

Disparagingly called songs about "Daddy Issues", as it turns out songs about fathers and sons are pretty common among singer-songwriters. Country, bluegrass, rap, gospel and rock musicians all do them.  Father and son relationships are powerful in our lives, so it's not unsurprising that singers write about them. Songs cover everything from fathers who die to soon, wonderful dads, fathers who are missing in action, and fathers who are not understood by their sons and sons not understood by their fathers.  Here is a very personal collection of songs about Dad, from several genres. Hope you enjoy them

1.  Pearl Jam - The Man of the Hour:  As one critic snarked, Eddie Vedder was still coming to terms with his "daddy issues" at the time this song was written. What this cold soul seems not to understand is that father-son relationships are confusing, deeply impact our lives, and are powerful themes for music, poetry, film and art. Eddie wrote this song for the movie "Big Fish" and it captures the theme perfectly.

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   2. Harry Chapin - The Cat's in the Cradle: Harry Chapin's poignant ballad about a Dad who inadvertently taught his son to be just like himself struck a chord with a lot of young fathers in the wake of the social upheavals of the 60s. Us hippie children were becoming fathers and Harry reminded us all not to repeat the mistakes of our own Dads. Apparently, not all of us listened too closely. I did, though.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Cat Stevens - Father & Son:  Cat Stevens aka Jusef Islam, was another popular singe-songwriter who took a shot at guiding my generation of skulls full of mush as to the dangers of poor communication between Dads and sons. Here he sings both sides of a familiar argument between Dads and their male offspring. He also had a lot to say to children while he was at it. He did some very engaging music over his career.

 

 

4. Dan Fogelberg - Leader of the Band:  Dan Fogelberg was one who loved and appreciated his father it appears. He also seems to realize that his father gave up his dreams to raise his family and that his Dad was responsible for his being able to achieve his own dreams. This one always makes me misty. Fogelberg talks about the song and what it meant for him and his father. This song never fails to make me get all misty.

5. Will Smith - Just the Two of Us:  Not all Dad/son songs are gentle folksy ballads. Will Smith manages to make a sweet rap song about being a father. I love the words of this song. I know exactly how Will felt when they put that baby boy in his arms.

6. James Blunt - Monsters:  This poignant song is about saying goodbye to a father and making peace at the end of a long life. If this song doesn't make you blubber, you have no heart. James couldn't even get through the song without weeping.

7. Peter Gabriel - Father, Son:  Another song about wrapping it all up with your father and saying goodbye. The video with this one is particularly poignant.

 

 

8.  Rodney Atkins - Watchin' You:  This sweet song is a cautionary tale about being a good father by example. I love this song. It's a reminder that as a Dad, you gotta remember you are being watched 24/7 by that little guy of yours.

9. Cliff Eberhardt - My Father's Shoes:  This song is more my experience of my father. My Dad was an alcoholic. He was by all accounts abusive, an ex-convict and something of a racist. He left my Mom with 3 kids when I was five years old to run off with a girl he met in a night club and made pregnant. Said he had to give the child his "name", as though that were a thing when he had 3 kids who already had his name. A lot of men think like that. His example determined me to not grow up to be him. This father in this song was kind of a more traditional father as seen by a restless hippie child, but much of the sentiment describes my own determination to not walk in my father's shoes.

10. Vince Gill - Key to Life:  This song is about the sort of father you don't want to introduce your girlfriend to. He's a chain-smoking, hard talking, wears over-alls without a shirt teenage boy's nightmare, but even then, he's your Dad and you better come to terms with that if you don't want to be just like him, because some of him is lurking there inside you.

11. Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs - Go Rest on High on That Mountain: This song is about losing a loved one and is frequently one sung by sons about their fathers when they pass on. Very nice trio.

12. Anthem Lights - You Will Always Be My Son:  Anthem Lights Band sings another song about holding on and letting go of your sons. You want them to fly on their own, but you also want them to know the nest is there if they lose some feathers along the way.

If you have any more songs, drop the name of the song and the artist in the comments box below. I know there are some other ones out there that are as good as this bunch, I just can't remember them now.  I'll add them to the post.  Thanks.

© 2021 by Tom King
* Links are to songs posted on Youtube. I don't own any of this music.