In honor of the period we’ll call “Parent’s Month” that falls between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, this week’s B List looks at ten amazing songs written from the perspective of a parent to their child along with a few from the opposite perspective. I’ll include a lyrical gut punch from each.

1. Beautiful Boy – John Lennon

For one of the tracks on John Lennon’s ”comeback” album from 1980, Double Fantasy, the former Beatle wrote this song about his son Sean. I struggle to make it through this song sometimes thinking about how much love John had for his son and what a terrible tragedy it was when Lennon was gunned down later that year robbing the five-year-old boy of his father.

“Close your eyes, have no fear, the monster’s gone. He’s on the run and your daddy’s here”

2. Father and Daughter – Paul Simon

Originally released in 2002 as part of the soundtrack for the Wild Thornberrys flick, Paul Simon penned this ode to fatherhood which also appeared – in a different form – on his 2006 LP Surprise. Paul takes the POV of a father whose love for his daughter can never be measured.

“As long as one and one is two / There could never be a father / Who loved his daughter more than I love you”

READ ON for eight more amazing parent/child songs…

3. Father and Son – Cat Stevens

Back when Yusef Islam was known as Cat Stevens the singer/songwriter composed this song about the difficulties some father/son relationships face due to the generation gap. Stevens sings from both perspectives using a higher-pitched voice for that of the son.

“It’s not time to make a change, just sit down, take is slowly. You’re still young, that’s your fault, there’s so much you have to go through.”

4. Oh Daddy – Adrian Belew

Guitarist Adrian Belew might be best known for his work with Frank Zappa, King Crimson and Talking Heads, but he scored a hit of his own with 1989′s Oh Daddy. This catchy tune details a conversation between Belew and his daughter Audie about the musician’s hopes and dreams of trading in the “critically-acclaimed” tag for the “rich superstar” one. Oh Daddy was Belew’s lone “hit” making it to number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

“Oh daddy, when you gonna write that big hit? Oh daddy, when you gonna hit it real big, real big?”

5. Isn’t She Lovely? – Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder wrote Isn’t She Lovely? after the birth of his daughter Aisha for the now-legendary Songs in the Key of Life LP. Wonder still tells the story of the song, and of his love for Aisha, at many of his shows as his daughter is often a member of his backing band.

“Isn’t She Lovely? Isn’t She Wonderful? Isn’t She Precious?”

6. Forever Young – Bob Dylan

When Bob Dylan got back together with The Band in 1974 to record Planet Waves, he shared a song he had penned as a blessing of sorts from parent to child. Not only did Forever Young appear once on the LP but there are actually two versions of the tune on Planet Waves. We’re partial to the more upbeat take ourselves. How about you?

“May God bless and keep you always, May your wishes all come true”

7. Mother and Child Reunion – Paul Simon

One of the more ambiguous songs in Paul Simon’s repertoire, the legendary singer/songwriter was inspired to write the tune by Jimmy Cliff’s Vietnam and has been performing a hybrid of the two compositions on his current tour. Some feel that the mother and child reunion that Simon refers to happens in the afterlife and that’s my take as well.

“But the mother and child reu-nion is only a motion away, oh, little darling of mine.”

8. That’s My Job – Conway Twitty

Whereas the song above can have one of 20 different meanings, Conway Twitty’s That’s My Job is a straight-forward tune about a child’s reflections upon losing their father. The main character remembers waking up from a bad dream in which his/her father had died and the words of wisdom dad imparted to soothe them. These words still rang true despite the father’s passing.

“That’s my job , that’s what I do. Everything I do is because of you to keep you safe with me, that’s my job you see.”

9. Eric Clapton – My Father’s Eyes

Eric Clapton never met his father, who passed away in 1985, but he couldn’t help but think about his dad after he had children of his own. In Eric Clapton’s autobiography he explains the meaning behind his 1998′s hit My Father’s Eyes, “In it I tried to describe the parallel between looking the eyes of my son, and the eyes of the father that I never met, through the chain of our blood.”

“Bit by bit, I’ve realized that he was here with me; I looked into my father’s eyes”

10. Mama Tried – Merle Haggard

Country music legend Merle Haggard wrote Mama Tried in 1968 about a son who has caused his mother grief and agony by committing a heinous crime. Despite all of the mother’s efforts, this bad seed wound up in jail serving “life without parole.”

“Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied. That leaves only me to blame ‘cos Mama tried.”

What are some of your favorite songs about the relationship between parent and child? Let us know by leaving a comment below…

Scott Bernstein

Scott Bernstein co-founded Hidden Track in October 2006 and was managing editor until taking over as EiC in January 2008. Scotty also writes for Relix Magazine and curates YEMblog.com.

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