What are some of your favorite songs about single fathers? The songs that I’m listing for this post are specifically about situations where mothers are no longer in the picture, but don’t feel that you have to limit yourself to such narrow parameters.
- Dan Seals, “Everything that Glitters (is Not Gold)”
- Ricky Van Shelton, “Keep It Between the Lines”
- Merle Haggard, “If We Make It Through December”
- David Allan Coe, “Single Father”
- Elvis Presley, “Don’t Cry Daddy”
“Please Daddy” by Dwight Yoakam and “I Don’t Call Him Daddy” by Doug Supernaw are two of my favourites.
The only two I can think of that haven’t already been listed are:
1. “Holes in the Floor of Heaven”(Steve Wariner): The mother dies when their child is young, and the main character’s daughter sings the chorus to him as he’s just about to walk her down the aisle for her wedding.
2. “I’m So Happy That I Can’t Stop Crying” (Toby Keith/Sting): A bit of a stretch, but it’s does cover a man trying to come to grips with his divorce, and the fact that he can’t see his kids all of the time. He eventually comes to grips with “joint custody and legal separation”, and that the park is full of “Sunday Fathers and melted ice cream”…in other words, that he’s not the only person on this earth that’s been in this position, and that he just needs to be there for his kids when they need him.
I really like this topic…it was hard trying to come with songs for it, because you listed so many good ones, particularly the top 3. Love the Dan Seals and Ricky Van Shelton picks.
cant think of that many, but there is an obvious classic:
“Everything that Glitters is Not Gold”
And somewhat related..a very newly widowed mother has to explain things to her daughter. probably one of the saddest songs ever in country music:
“How Far is Heaven”–Kitty Wells