Father's Day

Does anyone else feel like Mother's Day gets way more hyped up than Father's Day does? I've never really understood why - if you have an awesome dad, he deserves to be celebrated just as much as your awesome mom does. Take my dad, for example. My dad is my #2 call for any sort of technical support (he was #1 until I got married to a techy guy) - seriously, if a phone or computer or TV is acting up in ANY way, literally all he has to do is look at it and it starts working properly again. If something's wrong with my car, he's DEFINITELY the one I call first to find out if he can fix it or I absolutely HAVE to take it in to the shop. He has read, watched, and can participate in intellectual conversations about Harry Potter and just about every single Disney movie. When I was in middle school, he accidentally absorbed all of the High School Musical lyrics, which resulted in his eternal shame after he was able to complete the lyrics to Bop to the Top in front of my best friend and I. He's the one who introduced me to two of his favorite superheroes, Iron Man and Black Panther, before their movies were even dreamed of. He's the reason my dream car is a red Corvette convertible with a tan top and tan leather interior and the reason I know how to both swim and ski as well as I do. Basically, my dad's pretty rad.

You know who else deserves all the praise on Father's Day? Grandpas. Grandpas are some of THE BEST people on the planet and we all know it. I mean, I have two pretty rad grandpas myself. My Grandad made sure if he was in town and not globetrotting on he and my Nana's insane adventures, he was at any dance recital or piano recital or birthday party or anything that had to do with me. My Poppy is one of my best friends on the planet, one of the best cooks on the planet, and one of the best people on the planet - ask anyone but him, they'll tell you it's true.

Dads - this week is all about you. Just like always, this is merely a small sampling of my large curation of dad related songs, but it's definitely a good sampling that will hopefully bring back good memories of you and your dad if you're reading this.

Be Thou My Vision by Audrey Assad (Traditional)

We're gonna start the post off with an ode to the ultimate Father because really, NONE of us would be here if it wasn't for Him. This cover of the traditional hymn from Assad's 2016 album Inheritance was my introduction to her music a few months ago and now I'm obsessed - her voice is so beautiful, and the layering of the vocals on top of each other can only be described as ethereal.

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart/Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art/Thou my best thought, by day or by night/Waking or sleeping, Thy presence, my light/Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true word/I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord/Thou my great Father, I Thy true son/Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee, one

Psalm 73:25 NLT Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.

Walk With You by Edwin McCain (written by E. McCain, M. Sharp)

This 2009 single by McCain is such a sweet father/daughter song that would be a perfect Daddy Daughter dance at a wedding reception. The lyrics go between reminiscing about good memories with his daughter when she was younger and being thrilled for her as he's walking her down the aisle to his new son-in-law. The lyric "You're still my baby daughter, and now I've gained a son" gets me especially emotional because of how instantly accepting my dad was of my husband and what a great relationship the two of them have. My own "slow, sweet walk" with my dad down the aisle was definitely slow - I was wearing three inch heels that were destroying my feet - but thank goodness he was there to help hold me up, just like he always has been.

Every step that we take brings back the memories/Winter snows and horse shows and dancing on the beach/I can't help thinking that I'm the lucky one/You're still my baby daughter, and now I've gained a son/I'll take this slow, sweet walk with you/You'll let go of my hand to say, "I do"/And he will discover just how blessed a life can be/I know, 'cause all those years ago, your mom handed you to me

Steady As The Beating Drum (Reprise) by Jim Cummings (written by S. Schwartz, A. Menken)

Here's a song by one of the dopest Disney dads, Chief Powhatan from Pocahontas. Yes, he has faults just like most of the Disney princesses parents, but all throughout the movie he shows how much he loves his only daughter and how he only has her best interests at heart, even if his idea of what's best for her doesn't match up with hers. This reprise is super short, but I always loved this moment at the beginning of the movie where he comes back from a battle and they're just so happy to see each other and be together - he's the chief of the tribe, but he always makes time for his baby girl.

As the river cuts its path/Though the river's proud and strong/He must choose the smoothest course/That's why rivers live so long/They're steady as the steady beating drum

Cody's Song by Kenny Loggins (written by K. Loggins)

Loggins' 1994 album Return to Pooh Corner is one of my personal Top 10 Albums of All Time - I probably fell asleep to it a solid 90% of my nights living at home from ages 3 to 18. The entire album is so relaxing, it will still put me to sleep within 10 minutes of putting it on, almost Pavlovian style. Cody's Song was written for Loggins' second son, Cody, and is such a sweet lullaby for any parent to sing to their child to remind them that they'll be there for them no matter what.

When you feel afraid/When you lose your way, I'll find you/Just try to smile and dry your eyes/I will bring back the moon into your skies/Whenever you will, remember, darling/I'll be there to sing to you/I promise you, I promise to comfort you/And sing to you/Darling, I'll be there just for you

Coal Miner's Daughter by Loretta Lynn (written by L. Lynn)

This classic country staple from 1970 by country queen Loretta Lynn is pretty on the nose for why it's on this playlist. The song is Lynn's musical autobiography about growing up with her seven siblings under the care of her coal miner father and hardworking mother, and has ended up being the signature song of her career. You can hear through the lyrics just how much she loves both her dad and her mom and how she knows that even though they didn't have a lot growing up, they gave she and her siblings all they possibly could, and how she's "proud to be a coal miner's daughter."

Well, I was borned a coal miner's daughter/In a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler/We were poor, but we had love/That's the one thing that Daddy made sure of/He shoaled coal to make a poor man's dollar/My daddy worked all night in the Van Leer coal mine/And all day long in the field a-hoeing corn/Momma rocked the babies at night, read the Bible by the coal oil light/And everything would start all over come break of morn'

Teach Your Children by Matthew Morrison (written by G. Nash)

Jordan, why did you choose a Glee cover when you could've done the original by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young? Because I love Matthew Morrison's voice, so shut up. The moment Morrison's character, Will Schuester, sang this song to all of his assembled students in the series finale brought a tear to my eye. Mr. Schue was a father figure to every kid who went through New Directions, and this song was such a beautiful send off for the character to convey just how much he loved all of his "kids." Even though my father figure teacher was more of a grandfather figure, this version of this song makes me think about him and what an impact he had on my life the four years of college I studied under him and how I can't imagine that life experience without him in it.

You, who are on the road/Must have a code that you can live by/And so, become yourself/Because the past is just a goodbye/Teach your children well/Their father's hell did slowly go by/And feed them on your dreams/The one they picked, the one you'll know by/Don't you ever ask them why/If they told you, you would cry/So just look at them and sigh/And know they love you

Father and Daughter by Paul Simon (written by P. Simon)

This is a newer Paul Simon song compared to the rest of his repertoire, but it's still super good and another awesome Daddy/Daughter song. An ode to his then seven-year-old daughter Lulu, the song appeared in The Wild Thornberrys Movie in 2002 and was nominated for both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for best original song. It's super cute that Simon's son Adrian is the harmony vocal on this track (he was ten at the time), just adding another layer to the fatherly aspect of the song.

If you leap awake in the mirror of a bad dream/And for a fraction of a second, you can't remember where you are/Just open your window and follow your memory upstream/To the meadow in the mountain where we counted every falling star/I believe the light that shines on you will shine on you forever/And though I can't guarantee there's nothing scary hiding under your bed/I'm gonna stand guard like a postcard of a Golden Retriever/And never leave 'til I leave you with a sweet dream in your head/I'm gonna watch you shine, gonna watch you grow/Gonna paint a sign so you'll always know/As long as one and one is two/There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you

Happy early Father's Day to all of the rad dads out there. Happy listening, and I'll see ya'll next week!