10 Great Country Songs to Celebrate Father’s Day
Dads certainly have a special place in our hearts. For daughters, your dad is your first love. For sons, your dad is your first best friend. They have been there for you from day one, teaching you the greatest lessons in life. And while they should be celebrated every day, we’ve come up with a great list of songs to show how much we appreciate dads this Father’s Day.
1. “The Best Day”- George Strait
Written by Carson Chamberlain and Dean Dillion, “The Best Day” is a great song about not only the adventures that sons and dads go on but the love of spending quality time together. Released in 2000 on Strait’s album Latest Greatest Straitest Hits, it tells the story of no matter how old they get, sons will always love experiencing the adventures of life with their father.
“Dad, this could be the best day of my life/I’ve been dreamin’ day and night ‘bout the fun we’ll have/It’s just me and you doin’ what I’ve always wanted to/I’m the luckiest boy alive/This is the best day of my life”.
2. “There Goes My Life”- Kenny Chesney
Written by Neil Thrasher and Wendell Mobley, “There Goes My Life” is a powerful song about a father who believes he may be too young to be a father and not ready for the responsibility. However, by the end of the tune, the father couldn’t picture his life without his daughter. Recorded in 2003 and on Chesney’s album When the Sun Goes Down, this song shares the message that no matter if you’re ready or not, being a dad will change your life for the better.
“There goes my life. There goes my future, my everything. I love you, daddy good-night. There goes my life”.
3. “My Little Girl- Tim McGraw
A popular father-daughter dance song choice, “My Little Girl” was written by Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas. Released in 2006 for the Flicka album, the story of the song is a dad letting go of his daughter as she goes into the real world. However, he will always be there for her, and no matter how old she gets, she will always be his little girl.
“You’re beautiful baby from the outside in./Chase your dreams but always know the road that’ll lead you home again./Go on taking on this whole world./But to me you know you’ll always be, my little girl.”
4. “Watching You” – Rodney Atkins
Released in 2006 on the album If You’re Going Through Hell and written by Atkins, Steve Dean and Brian White, “Watching You” is a song with the message that no matter how old they are, you are your child’s role model. And remember they are watching your every move, big or small, and want to be just like you.
“He said, “I’ve been watching you, dad. Ain’t that cool? /I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you/And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.”
5. “Bein’ a Dad” – Chris Janson
“Bein’ a Dad” was written by Chris Janson, Casey Beathard, and Ed Hill. Released in 2017 on Janson’s album Everybody, the song talks about the rewards that come with fatherhood. Even when things are crazy and there are drawings on the wall, there’s nothing you would change about being a dad.
“It keeps me young, it takes me back / It makes me cry, it makes me laugh/It’s what I do, it’s what I breath / My flesh and blood, my legacy / It’s the hardest and most rewarding job I’ve ever had / Ain’t nothing like bein’ a Dad”
6.“Boy”- Lee Brice
Written by Nicolle Galyon and Jon Nite, “Boy” was recorded for Brice’s 2017 album Lee Brice. The song is a story about a father singing to his son telling him how he’s going to be stubborn and not going to listen to his dad when he’s older. Why? Because that’s how his dad acted when he was young. It’s a message to remind you that no matter how strict your dad may have seemed at the time, he was just trying to teach you the greatest lessons of life.
“Boy, you’re gonna know it all / You’ll think you’re ten feet tall / And run like you’re bulletproof / And total a car or two.”
7. “It Won’t Be Like This For Long- Darius Rucker
Written by Ashley Gorley, Chris DuBois, and Darius Rucker, “It Won’t Be Like This For Long” is the perfect song for dads everywhere, no matter how old your child is. Released on Rucker’s debut country album Learn to Live in 2008, it talks about the difficulties of raising a child but reminds you that no dad is perfect, these difficult stages won’t last for long, and just try to hang on!
“It won’t be like this for long/One day we’ll look back laughing/At the week we brought her home/This phase is gonna fly by/So baby, just hold on. It won’t be like this for long”.
8. “Song For Dad”- Keith Urban
Written by Keith Urban for his 2002 album, Golden Road, “Song for Dad”, is a perfect tribute. It’s about a son realizing he has a lot of his dad’s characteristics and although he may not have appreciated it when he was younger, today he is proud to see traits of his father in him.
“The older I get/The more I see/That he loved my mother and my brother and me/And he did the best he could/And I only hope when I have my own family/That every day I see/Oh I hope I see/I hope every day I see/A little more of my father in me.”
9. “He Didn’t Have to Be”- Brad Paisley
Released in 1999 on Brad Paisley’s debut album Who Needs Pictures this pick is dedicated to all of the stepfathers out there. Written by Paisley and Kelley Lovelace, “He Didn’t Have to Be” gives appreciation to those who stepped in when a single mother and her children needed it most and who chose to be a “father figure” when they didn’t have to be.
“And then all of a sudden ah it seemed so strange to me/How we had gone from something’s missing to a family/Lookin’ through the glass I think about the man that’s standing next to me/And I hope I’m at least half the dad that didn’t have to be.”
10. “You Should Be Here”- Cole Swindell
Written by Ashley Gorley and Cole Swindell in 2016 for the album You Should Be Here, this song is dedicated to all the late fathers that we wish could be here with us this Father’s Day.
“You should be here, standing with your arm around me here/Cutting up, cracking a cold beer/Saying cheers, hey ya’ll it’s sure been a good year/It’s one of those moments, that’s got your name written all over it/And you know that if I had just one wish/It’d be that you didn’t have to miss this/Aw you should be here”
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