Top 25 'Father' Songs

With Father's Day fast approaching, we decided to dig into the vaults to uncover the finest 'dad' songs around. Much like our 'Mother' list, the list is not based on sentimentality. Rather, the criteria for hitting the list is simply that it the title has some form of the word 'dad' in the title, and be a great song. We dug through everything from 3rd Bass' "Pop Goes The Weasel" to more classic country than we care to mention, but we boiled it down to this tight set of twenty-five gems.

Behold, our alphabetical list of the best 'Father' songs.

Garth Brooks: Papa Loved Mama
Passion and vengeance run hot on this Garth Brooks hit. Brooks paints a colorful picture over a fiddle-laced country-pop backing, with a over-the-road trucker coming home to find his two-timing wife out with another man.

  

James Brown: Papa Don't Take No Mess
The first of two tracks from the funky crooner. The 1974 track, with a glistening riff shaking through the rich horn section, was actually rejected as part of the soundtrack for Hell Up In Harlem. Their bad.

 

James Brown: Papa's Got A Brand New Bag, Pts. 1, 2 & 3
'The Godfather of Soul' lands twice on this list because it was impossible not to include both his 'papa' mega-hits. This 1965 tune was Brown's first Top Ten single, and is considered a harbinger of funk. The horn-drenched backdrop and Brown's classic soul yowl make it worth sitting through the entire seven minutes of the three part track.

Johnny Cash: Daddy Sang Bass
Fathers and country music seem like a perfect match, and this Johnny Cash classic is one of the best. The Man In Black's deep baritone vocals and the twangy bop of the band work together brilliantly, finding solace in spirituality as he looks forward to reuniting with lost family members in heaven.

 

Civil Wars: My Father's Father
The wonderful harmonies of male-female folk-duo Civil Wars recall Lady Antebellum, but without the overwrought country-pop cheese. The quiet flicker of acoustic guitar and the sweet homeward bound harmonies make this quite the charmer.

 

Drive-By Truckers: Daddy's Cup
Alt-country mainstays, Drive-By Truckers have a few 'dad' tracks, but for our money this is the best. The gruff vocals of Patterson Hood telling the tale of a retired race car driver raising his son to follow in his footsteps is one of many detail-driven gems from the band, as the strummy stomp of the twangy backing offers, "He could always pick the winner / 'Fore the ever took the curve / Number three might have the car / But number four has got the nerve".

Everclear: Father Of Mine
This fiery pop-punk smash hit about an absentee father helped usher in Everclear as alt-rock royalty in the nineties. The palpable pain in Art Alexakis's nostalgic vocals, recalling the time before his dad left, and the swarm of shaggy riffs add up to a solid angst-riddled listen.

 

Fistful Of Mercy: Father's Son
Folk-rock supergroup, Fistful Of Mercy pulls in the talents of Joseph Arthur, Ben Harper, and Dhani Harrison for a loosely flung bit of twangy rock magic, full of shambling acoustic guitar and fire-kissed lap-steel for a heavenly campfire vibe.

 

 

Gnarls Barkley: Gone Daddy Gone
The explosive duo served as the coming out party for Danger Mouse's vintage pop production style, with Cee Lo Green offering a gritty soulful vocal on their second hit. The plinking xylophone and shimmering guitar capture the carefree spirit of the runaway love song.

 

Heatmiser: Pop In G
The Portland indie rock outfit that eventually gave way to Elliott Smith's solo career offers a wonderfully scruffy gem full of hazy, quivering vocals and shuffling guitars, off what would be the band's last album, Mic City Sons.

 

 

The Isley Brothers: Pop That Thang
The sexed-up funk sound of The Isley Brothers finds the drippy bass groove, jangling piano, and loosely flung riffs shimmering through Ronald Isley's barely-restrained vocals for a the kind of soul song that takes hold and moves you whether you like it or not.

 

Jane's Addiction: Had A Dad
The blend of sawing rhythm guitar and snarling solos from Dave Navarro make a great foil for Perry Farrell's seared vocals on this ragged album track off their 1988 album, Nothing's Shocking.

 

 

The Killers: Daddy's Eyes
The thick, tumbling drums and Brandon Flowers' dramatic snarling vocals stretch out across expansively humming synth and coiled riffs for an explosive listen.

 

Madonna: Papa Don't Preach
This eighties pop hit is a synth-pop classic, as Madonna takes on teenage pregnancy with an excellent vocal and memorable hook.

 

 

Notorious B.I.G.: Big Poppa
Technically, this doubles as the second entry from The Isley Brothers on the list, as their "Between The Sheets" lays the silky backing for Biggie to steamroll with his thick woman-loving rhymes.

 

 

Paul Overstreet: Daddy's Come Around
This bubbling harmonica laced country-pop offering is a light-hearted tale of a woman's ultimatum hitting home for a late night loving father. The cute tale of his returning home after another night of partying to find the locks changed is an enjoyable romp.

 

Pearly Gate Music: Daddy Wrote You Letters
The tattered folk rock backing of splashy, loose-wristed riffs and a thick beat push this lo-fi winner about a father's prison-bound correspondence.

 

 

Prince: Pop Life
The easy-going bass drip, airy synth, and steadily ticking beat from Sheila E. make for one of the funkier hits from Prince. The boppy tune finds Prince questioning those looking to spice up their lives out of boredom.

 

R.E.M.: Pop Song 89
The slippery riffs drizzled though the playful, propulsive tune are as big a pull as Michael Stipe's hook, "Should we talk about the weather? / Should we talk about the government?"

 

 

The Rivingtons: Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow
The Beach Boys offer a loose surfer pop take on this nonsensical track, but we lean towards the soulful doo-wop original. The layered vocal interplay mixes a bopping baritone grumble under a searing feel-good tenor for one of the most fun, and silliest, hits of the sixties.

 

Sleeper Agent: Get It Daddy
The Bowling Green, Kentucky sextet make a racket as big as their line-up on this explosive pop-leaning punk tune. Their live-wire mix of hammering bass groove, shaggy riffs, and shout-along hook make this a killer track.

 

Cat Stevens: Father And Son
Cat Stevens' tender warmth in the melodic vocals awash in a lightly strummed acoustic guitar weave folk magic on this classic tune. The heartfelt advice to his son is a fantastic listen elevated by the twisting melody and sparse arrangement.

 

The Temptations: Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
As was frequently the case in Motown's heyday, this Norman Whitfiled and Barrett Strong penned tune was actually recorded and released by The Undisputed Truth first in 1972. Later that same year, Whitfiled gathered up The Temptations and recorded the expansive, orchestra-laced soul gem you know it as today, with their version of the absentee father track landing at number one on Billboard's Pop Singles chart.

Wolf Parade: You Are A Runner And I Am My Father's Son
The stomping organ chomp and creaky vocals of Dan Boeckner make an oddly beautiful couple on this indie rock gem about refusing to turn into your father.

 

Neil Young: Daddy Went Walkin'
The shifty rhythms and Young's quivering melodic vocals fit the classic folk style of this 2000 tune wonderfully, making it feel like something he recorded years prior.