The Most Sentimental Father-Daughter Songs to Dedicate to Your Dad (2024)

Opening with rumbling drums and the sounds of a newborn cooing, StevieWonder's "Isn't She Lovely" lets you know exactly what it's about from the very start. There's a reason it remains a favorite in Wonder's colossal catalogue: the song is a sweet, catchy, and uplifting celebration of the first moments of the father-daughter relationship.

Every parent has probably sung this song to soothe an upset child, but this late-career JohnnyCash cover has a special poignant, paternal quality. The vocals, somewhere between singing and spoken word, make this "YouAre MySunshine" feel especially intimate.

On "Right By You," JohnLegend ponders what life will look like for his daughter Luna."Will you think like me? Will you have your mother's fire /Maybe the way we are will not be how you're wired," he wonders. The song reflects the anxieties of many young parents bringing children into an unpredictable, rapidly changing world.

Focusing on three specific phases of parenting—the first week home with a newborn, starting preschool, and early teenhood—Darius Rucker's"It Won'tBeLike This For Long" beautifully captures the fleeting nature of childhood. And as Rucker notes, while waking up at 4:00 a.m. to care for a crying baby isn't exactly a father's favorite activity, it's one he'll eventually reflect on with a smile.

Piano and strings prove a poignant canvas for Ben Folds on "Gracie,"a song about the ineffable quality of the father-daughter connection. "You will always have a part of me /Nobody else is ever gonna see,"he sings, and it's a sentiment surely shared by many dads.

The 2005 Grammy winner forSong of the Year, "Daughters" explores the way our relationships with parents shape how we love, and the parents we become in turn. The 27-year-old Mayer's breathy vocals convey a wise-beyond-his-years quality, and the track is a sobering reminder that parenting affects much more than simply yourself and your child.

Written by Kanye andPaul McCartney, "OnlyOne" sees West singing from the perspective of his late mother, reflecting on their relationship and also West's first daughter, Nori. One ofKanye's simplest songs, it's also an emotional meditation on how the mother-son relationship affects the father-daughter one.

"There could never be a father /Loves his daughter more than I love you,"Paul Simon sings matter-of-factly on the gentle"Father and Daughter."Plus, the song was written forThe Wild Thornberrys Movie,which features a heartwarming, if unorthodox father-daughter relationship at its core.

An ode to both her father, Matthew Knowles, and her hometown of Houston, Beyoncé's "Daddy Issues" is a galloping highlight off of her seminal albumLemonade.At this point, nothingBeyoncé does should be a surprise, but her transformation into preternaturally cool country singer was truly stunning—she even performed the song with the Dixie Chicks at theCMAs.

TimMcGraw's early 2000s country hit is filled with rich vignettes of fatherhood, from the way his daughter's smile could get her out of trouble to to the moment he first laid eyes on her."I remember I thought you looked like an angel wrapped in pink so soft and warm /You've had me wrapped around your finger since the day you were born," he sings.

On "Letter to MyDaughter," rising Georgia rapper Quando Rondo promises his daughter,Italy, will want for nothing. More than that though, he pledges to give her the kind of safety and security that he lacked growing up. "Want you to know you the only one /Made me change the way that I live," he sings over poignant acoustic guitar.

Likening growing up to the gradual thaw of a cold front, Tori Amos's "Winter" is filled with fatherly wisdom, delivered dramatically atop soft strings and piano that feel like a gentle snowfall.

Atribute to the way the father-daughter dynamic changes over the years, Chrisette Michele's "Your Joy" is a gorgeous acoustic slow jam, with elegant guitar work from Babyface."Hold your hand much bigger /Never wanted mine to grow /So I could always feel perfect /Inside your palms just so," Michele sings wistfully.

The overt religious references on"Butterfly Kisses" may be too much for some listeners, but there's stillmuch to appreciate in Bob Carlisle's powerful vocals and vivid lyrics. And there's no denying that it's a catchy tune.

Pulled from the soundtrack of theRussellCrowe, Amanda Seyfried movie of the same name, Michael Bolton's"Fathers& Daughters" is a sweeping, heartfelt song about the everlasting bond between a dad and his girl. "Like moonlight on the water, and sunlight in the sky /Fathers and daughters never say goodbye," Bolton belts.

A stirring, piano-heavy track about how all kinds of relationships in life change, Hamilton Leithauser's "The Old King" not only works as a reflection on the father-daughter relationship, but it features his two young daughters singing backup vocals.

Brimming with words of encouragement about taking risks, loving wholeheartedly, and living life to the fullest, Lee AnnWomack's "IHopeYouDance" could easily be read from the perspective of a father passing along wisdom to his daughter as she gets ready to enter the world."I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance /Never settle for the path of least resistance,"Womack sings.

Beyoncé makes a second appearance with this more conventional soul ballad off her 2003 debut. Though it's not as energetic as "Daddy Lessons," "Daddy" features vivid snapshots ofBeyoncé and her father riding bikes on the Bayou, as well ashis reaction when she got her first tattoo and went on her very first date.

Overflowing with fatherly pride, this DJ Khaled-Chance the Rapper collaboration is filled with wordsof affirmation from the two artists to their son and daughter, respectively.

This piano ballad from Billy Joel's final pop studio album is dedicated to his daughter, as well as the special connection between family and music."Someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby / Then in your heart there will always be a part of me,"he croons.