Fatherhood is a multifaceted role. A dedicated father should be prepared to simultaneously act an educator and a learner — and most importantly, he should stand as a positive, loving figure focused on enriching and encouraging his child to be the best that he or she can be. With these notions in mind, the struggles and lessons attached to fatherhood can be incredibly difficult to communicate — especially to those who do not have children of their own — as the experience is always a little bit different.
However, over the years, a handful of brilliant musicians have been able to lyrically and aurally showcase their own experiences with fatherhood, portraying it in ways ranging direct autobiographical lyrics to subtle fictional narrative.
I have found that the strongest songs about fatherhood — or those that are indicative of fatherhood’s emotional spectrum — remind me of my own experiences with my son. Here are a few songs that have had a particularly profound impact on me in this regard.
John Lennon – “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”
I consider John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” to be, hands down, the best song to ever describe a man fully embracing fatherhood. Lennon said of the song, “The joy is still there when I see Sean. He didn’t come out of my belly but, by God, I made his bones, because I’ve attended to every meal, and to how he sleeps, and to the fact that he swims like a fish. That’s because I took him to the ‘Y’. I took him to the ocean. I’m so proud of those things. He is my biggest pride, you see.”
It would be silly to try to describe what “Beautiful Boy” is about because the lyrics speak perfectly for themselves. I have great memories of Arden’s first year of life, of holding him or playing with him outside on my back patio at sundown listening to Lennon’s masterpiece.
Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) – “Father and Son”
For me, a lot of the time, it is the music and not necessarily the exact message of the lyrics that drives my reaction to a song. When I listen to “Father and Son” by Cat Stevens, the song evokes the struggles of being a single dad and conversations that I might have with him when he is older — mainly about how he was above everything else for me. The song also makes me think of the struggles one deals with when dealing with another adult and having to raise a child with them when you are not together. I would want my son to know that I always tried to rise above negative situations — and that I made a lot of mistakes, but that mistakes are part of the job of in being a dad. This song has many times brought me to tears when my son is with his mom and he seems so far away.
Paul Simon – “Mother and Child Reunion”
Though its title may seem to indicate otherwise, Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion” is hardly inspired by anything directly pertaining to parenthood. According to Simon, the song’s lyrics were mainly inspired by the death of a family dog, which was the first death Simon personally experienced. Furthermore, the title was taken from a chicken-and-egg dish Simon once ordered at a Chinese restaurant.
Simon’s song is obviously not about a father and son, but it is yet another song that brings out a lot of emotion in me — not necessarily because of its lyrics are emotional, but because they are specific. When I hear this song, I look at the world through my son’s eyes and envision him having a great relationship with his mother as he grows up.
