Happiness Built

Father's day songs

This past weekend was Father's Day.  My wife and kids are awesome at making Father's Day weekend (and week) awesome.  During the week they let me pick the first thing we watch together each evening so I've been introducing the kids to some of my favorite shows when I was a kid.  And they actually like some of them.  Last year I introduced them to "Perfect Strangers", "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", and "Full House."  They enjoyed all three and we've watched the first 2+ seasons of Perfect Strangers and Sabrina.  This year I did a Superman themed week and we watched Smallville, Lois & Clark, and Superman & Lois.  It was cool to see them watch these shows for the first time and the girls really want to keep watching Smallville.  

On Saturday we went out for cheeseburgers and on Sunday the kids made me biscuits and gravy for lunch and wings for dinner.  They each made me a card or a gift and they were awesome and thoughtful.  I got candy and soda and the kids kept asking me what I wanted to do.  I loved it. 

But I wasn't a very good son... I did call my dad and wished him a Happy Birthday/Father's Day and we chatted for a bit, but he's not much of a talker and that was that.  We made cards and sent them but that was all I did.  

Today I was watching one of my favorite YouTube channels, Professor of Rock, and he made a top 5 list of his favorite Father's Day songs.  It was fun to hear him talk about his dad and I realized I wanted to do something similar.  So now I'm typing out this post.  Next I'll use chatGPT to help me come up with a comprehensive list of songs about dads or father/son relationships and I'll list all the songs that I've heard.  Then I'll come up with my own top 5 or Top 10 and make a short video that I'll embed below.  

All The Songs I could find about Dads and Father Son relationships

That are popular songs that I have heard before

As I went through songs online I learned that most of the songs about father/son relationships are by father's singing to their sons.  I wish there were more that pay tribute to their own fathers.  I'll organize the list below from my favorite to least favorite (of this selection... they're all good songs). 

  1. Father to Son - Phil Collins (1989).  Father giving his son advice. 
  2. The Living Years - Mike + the Mechanics (1984). Great tribute to his father, lamenting that he couldn't tell him how great he was while he was still alive. 
  3. Still Fighting it - Ben Folds (year). Father to his son giving advice and talking about the realities of growing up. 
  4. Cat's in the Cradle - Ugly Kid Joe (1993).  Cover of the Harry Chapin classic, but I actually like this one more than the original as I heard it first.  
  5. Father, Son - Peter Gabriel (2000). From the album OVO, written by Gabriel as a tribute to his father and later sung at his father's funeral at his request. 
  6. Satellite - Collective Soul (2004). Written to son as a promise to protect, support, and guide through his life. 

Honorable Mentions