44 Best Songs That Celebrate Dad on Father's Day (2024)

Easily one of the more emotional songs on the list, this Bette Midler hit from her movie Beaches touches on the deep admiration a child can have for a father, and the foundation that a father provides to help said child go after their dreams and soar.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

This 1981 ballad, which tells the story of a woman pleading for her dad after her husband commits infidelity and checks her into a mental institution, shows that no matter how old you get, you're never too old to need your #1 guy.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

Lonestar gives a shoutout to a stay-at-home father raising his kids while his wife is away at work in this country number, while also reminding listeners of the hard work any stay-at-home parent does on a day-to-day basis — all without a paycheck.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

How sweet is it to be loved by a great dad and love him back just as fiercely? James Taylor gets it completely right with this feel-good favorite.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

Nothing quite says "the perfect Father's Day song" like this father-daughter collab. The original version, recorded by Nat King Cole, doesn't quite have the emotional pull that the duet he recorded later with his daughter Natalie Cole forty years later.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

The late country artist praises her father as "one hell of man who worked for what he got," in this track. She sings out, how many of us feel, that they just don't make 'em like our dads, anymore.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

During the height of the Vietnam War, The Winstons released their Metromedia album with this debut single that shares the story of a boy expressing love for his stepfather, a strong man who became the father to him and his six siblings after their father "died in the war."

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus have never shied away from writing about their relationship, especially since Billy led the way for Miley's music career. In Hannah Montana: The Movie, Miley strums the guitar and sings this delicate song, which talks about all the things her dad did for her when she was younger, like tucking her into bed and turning off her lights.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

Rapper "The Game" gives the full (and very relatable) rundown of the emotional night he got the call finding out his partner was in labor, through her giving birth to his son 50 minutes later in this early 2000s song.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

It's no secret that Beyoncé's father, Matthew Knowles, was instrumental in her career early on, and even served as her manager. And in tribute to her father, Beyoncé included this emotional ballad detailing their relationship on her 2003 debut album as a solo act.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

Camila Cabello brought tears to everyone's eyes at the 2020 Grammy's when she sang "First Man" to her dad, who was sitting in the front row. The song has since become a modern favorite for fathers and daughters everywhere.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

RELATED: Fun Things to Do On Father's Day

This song details all the supportive things that fathers do, through beautiful lyrics like "Like a lighthouse in a storm, you were always guiding me." If the tune sounds familiar, it's from the Pixar movie Onward, which is also about dads, and therefore a perfect Father's Day movie.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

A song fit for a father-daughter dance, Chrisette Michele details the relationship between a dad and his daughter, especially as she grows up and finds love of her own. "You'll always be my father and I'll always be your joy," she sings. Cue the tears.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

If Springsteen isn't Dad Music, we don't know what is. Then again this song, about the inevitable moment when kids leave their dads, is kind of a bummer, so we won't blame you if you just put on "Born to Run" again.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

All these years later, he's still your Prince Charming — and this emotional ballad by Steven Curtis Chapman will take him right back to the days of fairytales and princesses.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

In this song, the Man in Black admits that, even when times where hard when he was a kid, everything felt better when his family of four gathered around to harmonize. Warm up your pipes and do the same!

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

Zac Brown, lead singer of Zac Brown Band, keeps things simple and sweet while describing the two men who raised him: his dad, Jim Brown and mentor Rodney Shelton, who he called "Old Man." He shifts gears toward the end of the song, writing the final few lines from his kid's perspectives.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

Sure he does! This Berry Gordy-penned Motown song just confirms to Daddy what he already knows to be true.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

From Miley back in the Hannah Montana days, this song is about all of the things she learned from her father, even though at the time she said she didn't want to listen to him. No word on whether the steps to the "Achy Breaky Heart" are included.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST

The title track to St. Vincent's most recent album may not have a premise your family can relate to — it's about her dad being released from prison to find that she's a rock star — but if your dad is into it, the song definitely is a vibe.

ADD TO YOUR PLAYLIST