30 Father's Day Songs, Plus One Written for Your Dad
The best Father's Day songs from a daughter, a son or the whole family, plus songs for a dad you've lost, when to play each one, and how to give it so it lands.
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Dads say they don't want anything for Father's Day. Most of them mean it, right up until someone plays the right song at the right moment.
So here are 30 Father's Day songs, sorted by who is giving them and what kind of dad is getting them, with a note on when each one works best.
Pick a Father's Day song in 30 seconds
From a daughter, for a hard-working dad
Daddy's Hands · Holly DunnFrom a son who has butted heads with him
Father and Son · Cat StevensFrom the little kids, over breakfast
Just the Two of Us · Will SmithThe first Father's Day without him
Dance With My Father · Luther VandrossA dad who'd rather laugh than cry
Watching You · Rodney Atkins
Father's Day songs from a daughter
For the daughter who still calls him first when the car makes a strange noise.
A straight, sincere thank-you from a daughter to her father. Send it if your dad is the standard you quietly measure everyone else against.
A gentle country song about a father's hands, the ones that worked hard and the ones that held you. Perfect for a dad who never said much but showed up every single day.
A grown daughter hoping to live up to the way her dad sees her. Play it if he has always been your biggest fan, even on the days you weren't sure of yourself.
A daughter who wants a partner to love her the way her dad loves her mom. Lovely for a dad who set that example, and a lot of fun to play with Mom in the room.
Sung from a father's side as he watches his little girl grow up. Play it for him and you are telling him you noticed everything he noticed. It doubles as a father-daughter dance song if there is a wedding coming.
A soft acoustic song about how fathers shape the way their daughters love. It works best as a thank-you from a daughter who turned out okay and knows exactly why.
Dad, if you landed here looking for the other direction, there is a whole page on a song for your daughter.
Father's Day songs from a son
Sons and dads tend to talk best side by side, in the truck or on the porch, not face to face. These songs do the face-to-face part for you.
A conversation between a father who wants his son to settle down and a son who has to find his own way. The right song if you two have argued and made up more than once.
A warm acoustic thank-you from a son to the father who shaped him. For the dad who taught you a trade, a craft, or how to do one thing really well.
The moment a son realizes how much of his father is in him. Best from a son who is now a dad himself and finally gets it.
A son learns that his father's love does not run out, then finds himself giving the same love to his own boy. Good for a table with three generations around it.
For the dad who showed love by working, fixing and providing rather than by saying it. If you finally understand what all those early mornings meant, this says so.
The bittersweet one: a son who grows up just as busy as his father was. Don't send it as a guilt trip. Play it on a long drive with a dad who already knows the song, then ask him about his own father.
Father's Day songs from the kids or the whole family
For Father's Day breakfast, the backyard cookout, and the dads who are brand new to all of this.
A dad-to-son rap that is goofy, proud and full of heart. Kids love the beat and dads love being the hero of the song. Made for breakfast in bed.
A kids' song made for exactly this day. If your little ones are preschool age, put it on and let them sing it to him.
Most kids know it from Toy Story, and it says what small children feel about their dad: he is their best buddy. Simple, sweet and easy for a three-year-old to sing.
For a stepdad or a bonus dad, the man who chose to show up. A rare song that thanks him for exactly that.
A tender lullaby from a father to his little son. Pick it for a new dad's first Father's Day, from his partner, ideally with the baby asleep on his chest.
A parent's blessing set to a rocking, singalong tune. Play it at a family gathering when three generations are in the room, and let Grandpa sing the loudest.
Songs for a dad you've lost
Father's Day can be the hardest day of the year when he is gone. These are for a quiet drive, a visit to his grave, or a service. If you would rather hear something made from your own memories of him, a memorial song can hold the details no famous song knows.
A son wishing for one more dance with his late father, sung with enormous tenderness. Gentle enough for a memorial service and personal enough for the car.
For the big moments he is missing: the wedding, the new baby, the game he would have loved. Play it when you want to feel close to him on a day he should have seen.
A son remembering the small lessons his dad handed down behind the wheel, and passing them on to his own kids. For anyone whose best memories of Dad happened in a truck.
About the things a son never said to his father while he still could. Painful and honest, and a good reminder to say them to the people who are still here.
A daughter calling out to her father, soft and almost prayer-like. For a candle-lit moment on the day itself, or a quiet visit to his grave.
For the dad who was everyone's hero: the coach, the volunteer, the man people called first. A tribute that stands upright instead of falling apart.
Funny and upbeat Father's Day songs
Not every dad wants a tearjerker. These are for the grill, the garage and the dad who would rather laugh.
A little boy copies everything his dad does, including the things he shouldn't. Funny, sweet and a little convicting. Every dad of a small kid will recognize himself.
A stomping, brass-band country number about the lessons a tough father taught his daughter. Play it loud at the cookout.
Pure disco silliness. For the dad who still believes he is the coolest man at the party, and will do the dance to prove it.
An upbeat gospel-country song about a family singing together. Ideal for a family road trip, or for a dad who grew up harmonizing in church.
That riff. For the motorcycle dad, the leather-jacket dad, or the one who flips burgers like he is in an action movie.
Stevie Wonder wrote it about his newborn daughter, and it sounds like a dad who can't stop grinning. Bright and bouncy, harmonica and all, for the dad of a little girl over breakfast.
How to give Dad a song so it lands
A song link in the family chat gets a thumbs-up. A song that is actually given gets remembered. Three ways that work with dads:
1. Send it with a note
The note matters more than the song. Two or three sentences about why this song, why him. "This one is the drive to every hockey practice. Thank you for never once complaining about 6 a.m." If you send him a SongStory song, its gift page opens like an envelope and shows your message underneath the song, so he reads your words right before he hears it.
2. Play it at the cookout
Before the food, get everyone's attention for ten seconds. Say one sentence, "Dad, this one is for you," and press play on a speaker. Don't make a speech. The song is the speech. This works especially well with the upbeat picks and with Forever Young.
3. Take him for a drive
Dads talk in the truck. Pick him up for coffee, put the song on, and say nothing. Let him listen all the way through before either of you says a word. Drive (For Daddy Gene), Father and Son and Leader of the Band were practically made for this.
When no song sounds like your dad
Here is the honest limit of every list, this one included: these songs are about other people's fathers. None of them know that he burned the pancakes every Saturday, that he still calls you "kiddo," or that he once drove four hours through a snowstorm because you sounded off on the phone.
That is what a custom song for your dad can do. You write down a few memories the way you would tell a friend, SongStory writes the lyrics, and you can change any line before it records. Choose from more than 20 styles, country for the truck guy, classic rock for the garage guy, with a male or female voice, in over 40 languages, so it can even be in the language he grew up speaking. It comes back as two complete versions, and you can hear a free 60-second preview before paying anything. If it is right, unlock the full song for $9.9. If it misses, you get one free redo.
Then download the MP3 for the cookout speaker, or send him the gift page with a note. Either way, tell him why. That is the part he will keep.
Your turn
Give your dad a song that's actually about him
Write down a few memories. SongStory writes the lyrics and sings two full versions, and you hear a free 60-second preview first.
Questions, answered
What is a good song to dedicate to dad?
The best one sounds like the two of you. From a daughter, Daddy's Hands by Holly Dunn and Daddy by Beyoncé are heartfelt without being heavy. From a son, Father and Son by Cat Stevens and My Old Man by Zac Brown Band say a lot without anyone having to say it out loud. For a dad who would rather laugh, try Watching You by Rodney Atkins.
What are some special songs for Father's Day?
Classics that turn up on many Father's Day playlists include Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin, Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross, Drive (For Daddy Gene) by Alan Jackson and Just the Two of Us by Will Smith. What makes one special for your dad is the note you send with it, so say in a sentence or two why the song made you think of him.
What's a good dad song?
It depends on the dad. For a sentimental one, Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg or Love Without End, Amen by George Strait. For a fun one, Daddy Lessons by Beyoncé or Daddy Sang Bass by Johnny Cash. For a dad with little kids, Just the Two of Us by Will Smith or You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman.
What are some of the best songs for Father's Day worship?
Church services on Father's Day often lean on songs about God as a father. Good Good Father by Chris Tomlin and Run to the Father by Cody Carnes are two common modern choices. For the fellowship lunch afterward, Daddy Sang Bass by Johnny Cash is an upbeat, gospel-flavored song about a family singing together.
What song should I play for a dad who has passed away?
Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross is gentle enough for a service and personal enough for a drive alone. You Should Be Here by Cole Swindell fits the big moments he is missing, and The Living Years by Mike + The Mechanics is for the things you wish you had said. If none of them sound like him, a memorial song written from your own memories is another option.
Can I get a song written about my dad for Father's Day?
Yes. On SongStory you write a few memories of your dad, and it writes the lyrics and sings them in two complete versions, in more than 20 styles and over 40 languages. You can edit the lyrics line by line before it records, hear a free 60-second preview, and unlock the full song for $9.9, then download the MP3 or send it as a gift page with your own message.