Merle Haggard

The B List: 10 Amazing Parent/Child Songs

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…

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Video: Beach Boys – Okie From Muskogee

Mike Love mentions the Beach Boys having jammed with the Grateful Dead on this Merle Haggard tune before going into it… [youtube]ZL2fkuoFLsk[/youtube] The Beach Boys – Okie From Muskogee

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Tour Dates: The Hazards Of Love

For those of you who thought we left rock operas behind in the ’70s, literary-folk-prog act The Decemberists will revive the bloated tradition with their latest release The Hazards of

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