1. "Stealing Cinderella" by Chuck Wicks--really sweet country song sung by the guy who loves the girl and also recognizes the love her father has for her. He's also the traditional guy who actually asks the dad for his daughter's hand in marriage.
I realized that in his eyes she would always be
playing Cinderella
riding her first bike
bouncing on the bed and
looking for a pillow fight
running through the sprinkler
with a big popsicle grin
dancing with her dad,
looking up at him
In her eyes, I am Prince Charming,
but in his eyes, I'm just some fella
Riding in stealing Cinderella.
2. "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw--we almost picked this song, but we figured a lot of people would end up choosing it. You can't really lose with a song sung by Tim McGraw :)
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.
You're beautiful, baby, from the outside in
Chase your dreams, but always know the
road that'll lead you home again.
3. "Take Good Care of My Baby" by Bobby Vee--we actually used this song because it's a bit more upbeat, and I really didn't want to make my dad cry, nor did I really want to cry. It's from the '60s, so if you want something a little older and with a quicker pace, this might work.
Take good care of my baby.
Please don't ever make her blue.
Just tell her that you love her
Make sure you're thinking of her
In everything you say and do.
Take good care of my baby.
Now don't you ever make her cry.
Just let your love surround.
Paint rainbows all around her.
Don't let her see a cloudy sky.
Once upon a time, that little girl was mine.
4. "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle--a classic but probably overplayed. It would've made me sob, so I wouldn't have picked it, haha.
5. "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion--at this point, this song is becoming an old one! Haha.
6. "In My Daughter's Eyes" by Martina McBride (more from a mother to a daughter though, but it could work)
7. "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill--Hey, look, I had Tim McGraw and now I have Faith Hill. What a coincidence.
8. "And Then They Do" by Trace Adkins--It's about how you want the time to pass quickly (when life is crazy), but you want it all back once it actually does pass.
Then they're fighting in the backseat
And I'm playing referee
Now someone's gotta go, the moment that we leave
And everybody's late
I swear I can't wait 'til they grow up
Then they do
And that's how it ends
It's just quiet in the morning
Can't believe how much you miss
All they do and all they did.
9. "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins--Older people giving advice to younger people (including a dad's advice to his daughter, who's a new bride)
Before she knows it
She's a brand new bride in her one-bedroom apartment
and her daddy stops by. He tells her it's a nice place.
She says it'll do for now, starts talking about babies, buying a house.
Daddy shakes his head and says, "Baby, just slow down.
You're gonna miss this. You're gonna want this back.
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast."
10. "Cowgirls Don't Cry" by Brooks & Dunn--But the dad dies at the end. :( However, it might work for some folks, so I'll include it. Maybe you could cut the song off before that part? Unless you like to cry and mess up your make up, then more power to ya.
Her daddy gave her her first pony
Then taught her to ride
She climbed high in that saddle
Fell I don't know how many times.
He taught her a lesson that she learned
Maybe a little too well
Cowgirls don't cry.
Ride, baby, ride.
It's gonna hurt every now and then.
If you fall, get back on again.
11. "Daughters" by John Mayer--In case you're sick of country songs, here's one by John Mayer that's all about parents treating a girl right because they become what they know.
I know a girl
She puts the color inside of my world
But she's just like a maze
Where all of the walls all continually change
And I've done all I can to stand on the steps
with my heart in my hand
Now I'm starting to see
Maybe it's got nothing to do with me
Fathers, be good to your daughters.
Daughters will love like you do.
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers,
So mothers be good to your daughters, too.
12. "Drive (for Daddy Gene)" by Alan Jackson--A song about a dad who's a total motor head, but it's a metaphor for daddy steering you in the right direction.
13. "I've Been Watching You" by Rodney Atkins--Fun and funny song about a dad teaching his son without realizing it (could still work for a father-daughter song)
14. "I'm Already There" by Lonestar--Because he spent so much time providing for us, my dad couldn't be there for as much as we wished he could have been. However, we're better people for simply having a father as hardworking as ours is. He did it all for us. That's what this song makes me think of.
A little voice came on the phone, said,
"daddy when you coming home?"
He said the first thing that came to mind
"I'm already there take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
I'm your imaginary friend and
I know I'm in your prayers oh, I'm already there
15. "My Front Porch Looking In" by Lonestar--this song is really upbeat, so it should be fun to swing around to on the dance floor.
My blessings aren't in front of me
It's not about the land
I'll never beat the view from
My front porch looking in.
16. "Cleaning This Gun" by Rodney Atkins--So hysterical and works perfectly if the dad has a fun relationship with his soon-to-be father in law.
I can't begin to count the theories
I've had pounded in my head
that I've forgot
I don't remember all that Spanish
or the Gettysburg address,
But there is one speech from high school
I'll never forget
"Come on in, boy, sit on down and tell
me 'bout yourself
So you like my daughter, do ya now?
Yeah, we think she's something else.
She's her daddy's girl, her momma's world
She deserves respect. That's what she'll get.
Ain't it, son?
Now, ya'll run along and have some fun
I'll see you when you get back, bet I'll be up
all night still cleaning this gun.
17. "Family Man" by Craig Campbell--Man, this song really pulls at my heart strings. It reminds me why my dad spent so much time working. It's sung by the dad himself, and he talks about his family being his reason for doing all that he does.
They're the world my world revolves around
My sacred piece of solid ground
The flesh and bone that gives me strength to stand
They're the fire in my driving on
The drive behind my coming home
The living, breathing reason that I am a family man.
18. "He Didn't Have to Be" by Brad Paisley--This song is for daughters who will be dancing with a dad who isn't her biological dad. A dad doesn't have to be biological in order to hold a special place in his daughter's heart. It's from the son, but it could still work for a father-daughter dance.
All of a sudden
Oh it seemed so strange to me
How we went from something's missing
to a family
Looking back, all I can say about the things
he did for me
Is I hope I'm at least half the dad he didn't have to be.
19. "Just Fishing" by Trace Adkins (man, he really is such a dad, eh?)--The singer is the dad himself who talks about how his daughter thinks they're "just fishing," but it obviously means much more.
She thinks we're just fishing.
I say "Daddy loves you, baby"
One more time
She says, "I know I think I gotta bite"
And all this laughing, crying, dying inside
Is what I call living
She thinks we're just fishing on the riverside
I like the line "I guarantee this memory is a biggun, but she thinks we're just fishing."
20. "The Best Day" by Taylor Swift--She goes through the different ages and how she sees her father. She talks about how spending time with him is the "best day." Ahhh, I love this song.
I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home.
I don't know why all the trees change in the fall,
but I know you're not scared of anything at all.
I don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away,
But I know I had the best day with you today.
Favorite line:
"I have an excellent father His strength is making me stronger."
I think 20 is a pretty good number to stop at, yeah? Anyway, I hope you find this list helpful. I wish this list was around when I was picking a song! I apologize for most of the songs being country music, but country music seems to focus more on family matters than every other genre does.
Anyway, happy early Father's Day!
xoxox,
Danielle
