Father's Day, Vol. 3

This next weekend, it's time again take to celebrate and love on those who have taken on a fathering role in our lives. Whether it be a dad, a grandpa, an uncle, a brother, a mentor, a teacher, a friend, or even a mom who has stepped up into that ever so important position in your life, remember to take extra time to let them know what they mean to you because they can never, ever hear it enough and they like hearing they're appreciated just as much as mom's do even though they'll rarely ever say it.

Below is the 2022 Audio Aesthetics Father's Day Playlist - the full master playlist can be found on Apple Music by following @audioaesthetics.

Dear Winter by AJR (written by A. Met, J. Met, R. Met)

Featured on AJR's 2019 album Neotheater, this a really sweet song written from the point of view of a guy singing to his future child. You hear a lot about women already knowing what they want to name their children if they want them, but not as much from the guy's point of view, and I think it's an awesome turn and a good little bop to listen to whether you're already a dad or you haven't met your future kids' mom yet yet.

Dear Winter, I hope you like your name/I hope they don’t make fun of you when you grow up and go to school, okay/‘Cause Winter is a bad ass name/Dear Winter, I hope you talk to girls/Or boys or anyone you like, I just hope you don’t stay in every night/‘Cause I wish I was out tonight/It really doesn’t seem like there’s anyone for me/But dear Winter, I hope you like your name/I’m hoping that someday, I can meet you on this Earth/But shit, I gotta meet your mom first

Blow Us All Away by Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manuel Miranda, & Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton (written by A. Johnson, C. Martin, K. Muchita, K. Turner, L. Miranda)

Featured in Act 2 of Lin-Manuel Miranda's iconic Broadway hit Hamilton, this song walks us through the events leading up to the death of Alexander and Eliza's oldest son, Phillip (taking some creative liberties along the way of course, but it's pretty close to exactly what happened IRL). Phillip, played by the always entertaining Anthony Ramos, is so proud to be a Hamilton that he'll do anything to defend his father's reputation, and Alexander (who is, of course, Lin-Manuel Miranda) tries his best to offer fatherly advice but discovers that his best intentions aren't always enough. This is a catchy, upbeat song that leads to a really emotionally rough part of the show, but like the rest of the musical it's great.

Meet the latest graduate of King’s College/I probably shouldn’t brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish/The scholars say I got the same virtuosity and brains as my pops/The lades say my brain’s not where the resemblance stops/I’m only nineteen, but my mind is older/Gotta be my own man, like my father, but bolder/I shoulder his legacy with pride, I used to hear him say/That someday I would blow us all away

One More Day by Diamond Rio (written by S. Jones, B. Tomberlin)

Featured on Diamond Rio's 2001 album One More Day, this is a song I grew up hearing on the radio but never considered from this point of view until I was searching for ideas for Father-Daughter dance songs for my wedding. I read a post from a woman who said that this made her think about her dad who had passed away and it made me look at this song in an entirely different way. If you're someone who's missing their dad in this season, this song may be for you, but be careful not to trigger yourself into unnecessary grief.

Last night, I had a crazy dream/A wish was granted just for me, it could be for anything/I didn’t ask for money or a mansion in Malibu/I simply wished for one more day with you/One more day, one more time/One more sunset, maybe I’d be satisfied/But then again, I know what it would do/Leave me wishing still for one more day with you

Dear Theodosia by Leslie Odom Jr. & Lin-Manuel Miranda (written by L. Miranda)

Featured in Act 1 of Hamilton, my favorite bit of trivia about this show is that Lin wrote this song thinking about his dog because his son hadn't been born yet and that's the kind of energy we should all have about our pets. Anyway, there's a lot of fatherhood themes sprinkled throughout Hamilton's soundtrack, but I really think this one is my favorite as we watch Burr (the incomparable Leslie Odom Jr) sing to his newborn daughter Theodosia and Hamilton sing to baby Phillip about how they want to make the world a better place for them to grow up in.

Dear Theodosia, what to say to you/You have my eyes, you have your mother’s name/When you came into the world, you cried and it broke my heart/I’m dedicating every day to you/Domestic life was never quite my style/When you smile, you knock me out, I fall apart/And I thought I was so smart/You will come of age with our young nation/We’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll make it right for you/If we lay a strong enough foundation/We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you and you’ll blow us all away/Someday, someday/Yeah, you’ll blow us all away/Someday, someday

Sugar Daddy by Pistol Annies (written by A. Presley, A. Monroe, M. Lambert)

Featured on the Pistol Annies' 2018 album Interstate Gospel, this is clearly our first "joke" song of the post. This is a fun country bop with Miranda Lambert taking the lead on verse 1, Angaleena Presley on verse 2, Ashley Monroe on verse 3, and all three Annies sharing some tight harmonies on the choruses.

There ain’t a damn man in Dallas/Who wouldn’t put a ring on my hand/Red dirt queen of the palace/I’m running through ‘em like a watering can/My sugar daddy’s got a pool in the back/Got a rifle in the rack of his Cadillac, driving me crazy/My sugar daddy’s got diamonds in his watch/Got a boat on the dock ‘cause a-why not, I’m his lady/Give me some sugar, daddy

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again by Sarah Brightman (written by A. Lloyd Webber, C. Hart, R. Stilgoe)

Featured in Act 2 of Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterpiece of a musical The Phantom of the Opera, this is another truly beautiful song that hits at the heart of missing a father who's no longer here. Sarah Brightman as Christine pours so much emotion into this song as she sings to her father about wishing she had some sort of closure with his death, and if you've never listened to this particular song from this musical I highly encourage it because it's one of my favorites.

You were once my one companion/You were all that mattered/You were once a friend and father/Then, my world was shattered/Wishing you were somehow here again/Wishing you were somehow near/Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed/Somehow you would be here/Wishing I could hear your voice again/Knowing that I never would/Dreaming of you won’t help me to do/All that you dreamed I could

Who's Your Daddy? by Toby Keith (written by T. Keith)

Our final song, featured on Toby Keith's 2002 album Unleashed, is also clearly a joke and is basically the mirror opposite of Sugar Daddy. Sung from the point of view of a self-proclaimed sugar daddy, this is a fun, funny song that's full of that classic early 00's country sound.

Yeah, here you come knocking on my door, baby, tell me what you got on your mind/I guess those college boys all went home for the summertime/Yeah, you’re looking right, looking good, looking like a woman should, so why is it so hard to find/A place to lay your pretty little head down once in a while/You run on a little tough luck, baby/Don’t you sweat it/Everything is waiting inside for ya/You know I got it, come and get it/Who’s your daddy, who’s your baby, who’s your buddy, who’s your friend/And who’s the one guy that you come running to when your love life starts tumbling/I got the money if you’ve got the honey, let’s cut a deal, let’s make a plan/Who’s your daddy, who’s your baby, who’s your buddy, who’s your man

Whether you're celebrating a father or being celebrated as a father this weekend, I hope you found some fun new music to enjoy. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!