7 Ultimate Dad Songs

May 12, 2017

We all know what music your dad doesn’t like (“all that hip hop you kids are listening to”), but what songs does he like? Well, he likes songs that remind him of a simpler time. Sorry, that means it’s before you came along.

But some songs rise above all that and hit the truly transcendent heights of “being a dad song.” Here are seven of the ultimate dad songs in existence.

Rupert Holmes — Escape (The Piña Colada Song)

Is the chorus “do you like Piña Coladas” stuck in your head now? Definitely is the most dad song that has ever existed? Very likely!

Billy Joel — We Didn’t Start The Fire

Even if dads didn’t love Billy Joel in a way that’s honestly perplexing to everyone under the age of 45, this would be the perfect dad song.

It’s a cheesy song filled with references to a bunch of stuff they remember from “back in the day.” It might as well have been called “these kids got no idea how easy they have it.”

Harry Chapin — Cat’s in the Cradle

Probably the only time you ever saw your dad tear up a little bit is when he listened to this song and you were in the car. “No, it’s nothing, just dusty in here…his son, he never visits! Even after all he did for him!”

Bruce Springsteen — Born to Run

Springsteen is the height of dad rock, and “Born to Run” saw him at the height of his powers. This is a song guaranteed to make your dad air drum while driving, no matter how often you beg him to stop.

Van Morrison — Brown Eyed Girl

This oldie is bland and inoffensive (like dad!) but what really elevates it is that it’s the perfect song for a dad to sing to his daughter in an effort to embarrass her. “You’re myyy-yaiiii”

Dad STOP it!

“Brownnnn eyeeeed”

I HATE you!

Don McLean — American Pie

This is a true story: My dad was so obsessed with “American Pie” after it came out that he went to the library (the library!) and researched to figure out what every lyric in the song was a reference to.

If that’s not the most dad thing you’ve heard all day, well congratulations apparently you found yourself on the receiving end of a long monologue about how a riding lawn mower is an “investment worth making.”

The Rolling Stones — You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Every dad has quoted this song to their whining kid about a million times.

It’s not only a very good Rolling Stones song (who are, of course, dad icons), but it’s the best response to “But daaaaad I want it!” It’s like Mick Jagger looked into the future and said, “Good God, I look like that now?” and then followed that up with, “Oh, and dads are going to get a lot of leverage out of this.”

Mission accomplished.