Daughters bring a light into our world like no other. They’re sweet little princesses who have us wrapped around their finger, and then they grow up to be spirited young women who want to carve out their way in this world. 
These songs show the different perspectives of having a daughter – from doting on them as babies to letting them go as they chase their dreams.
Jason Blaine – Dance with My Daughter
One of the most heartbreaking moments in a father’s life is letting go of her little girl so she can start a family of her own. In this song, Jason Blaine sings about the father-daughter dance that signifies that his baby girl is all grown up.
Lyrics about daughters: Gonna dance with my daughter
Spin her around under the lights
‘Cause I’m just a father making the most of this moment in time
Before she lets me go I’ll hold her close caught in this race against time
Right now all I want is to dance with my daughter tonight
Martina McBride – Teenage Daughters
Anyone who has a teenage daughter knows how much of a handful teens can be! Martina McBride knows this all too well because she sees herself in her seventeen-year-old daughter. Down from the sweetness of her daughter when she wants money to the realization of falling in love for the first time, Martina sings about it all!
Lyrics about daughters: Remember when we use to be
Everything they ever need
We had them believing we were cool
It’s like it happened over night
We’re always wrong, they’re always right
We use to be the one’s breakin’ the rules
Now we’re just mothers, we’re just fathers of
Teenage daughters
Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely
You can practically feel the giddy joy of Stevie Wonder as he sings about his newborn daughter, Aisha. What’s really fascinating about this song is that he incorporates Aisha’s real voice in the song – from her crying to her splashing in the water as her parents try to get her to bed.
Lyrics about daughters: Isn’t she lovely
Isn’t she wonderful
Isn’t she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we’d be
Making one as lovely as she
Paul Simon – Father and Daughter
You may know this song from the Wild Thornberrys movie, and it’s a very fitting song because of the relationship between Nigel and his daughters. However, Paul Simon also admits that it’s a song inspired by his daughter Lulu, who was seven when the song was completed. The song is about the hopes and wishes of a father for his daughter.
Lyrics about daughters: I’m gonna watch you shine
Gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you always know
As long as one and one is two
There could never be a father
Love his daughter more than I love you
John Legend – Right By You (For Luna)
John Legend wrote this song for his daughter, Luna, before she was even born. It’s about the anticipation of being a new father as well as thoughts about how a daughter would turn out to be. There’s a lot of anxiety that comes with being a new parent, and John Legend knows this best as his first child was born just last April 2016.
Lyrics about daughters: And even when it all becomes too much
When you’re growing old and feeling out of touch
Ooh, listen to this song and just take care
And know that I will be there
Yeah, I will be there
No, I swear that I will
Yeah, I promise I will
Little girl, I’m cryin’
Neil Young – Here for You
Neil Young wrote Here for You for his daughter, Amber Jean, during her last year of college. This heartfelt song is about how he misses her. However, he has a very realistic view of his relationship with his daughter because he says that even if he misses her, he doesn’t want to hold her down.
Lyrics about daughters: When your summer days come tumblin’ down
And you find yourself alone
Then you can come back and be with me
Just close your eyes and I’ll be there
Listen to the sound
Of this old heart
Beating for you
Jay-Z – Glory
Here’s another song from a new father to his daughter. In 2012, Jay-Z and Beyonce’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter was born, and within 48 Jay-Z was able to record this song for her. In this song, he tells his daughter about the life they lived before she came into their lives. And just like with Stevie Wonder’s song, Blue Ivy’s coos and cries were also included and she’s even credited as a featured artist!
Lyrics about daughters: False alarms and false starts
All made better by the sound of your heart
All the pain of the last time
Prayed so hard it was the last time
Your mama said that you danced for her
Did you wiggle your hands for her?
Jack Johnson – My Little Girl
While most artists really pour out their feelings when it comes to writing songs about their daughters, Jack Johnson does the opposite. He says he writes the lyrics to disguise what he really means, and in turn listeners start to relate those things to their own daughters. It’s Jack Johnson’s way of keeping his relationship with his daughter private while also sharing a song that parents everywhere can relate to.
Lyrics about daughters: You don’t ever have to feel lonely
You will never lose any tears
You don’t have to feel any sadness
When you look back on the years
How can I look you in the eyes
And tell you such big lies
The best I can do is try to show you
How to love with no fear
Tim McGraw – My Little Girl
Tim McGraw uses his country charm to tell his daughter about what she was like in the years she won’t remember. He knows that she’ll one day grow up to chase her own dreams, but he sings her this song to remind her that she was once daddy’s little girl.
Lyrics about daughters: You’re beautiful baby, from the outside in
Chase your dreams but always know
The road that will lead you home again
Go on, take on this old world but to me
You know you’ll always be my little girl
John Mayer – Daughters
While this song is about daughters, it’s addressed to the father of those daughters. John Mayer explains how a girl’s relationship with the first man in her life (her father) greatly affect the relationships she has with men when she grows up. So his advice is for fathers to be good to their daughters, so that these daughters can grow up to be women who are happy and secure in themselves.
Lyrics about daughters: Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters too
Make your daughter’s day by sending her one of these songs. Even if she’s all grown up and living her own life, we’re sure she’d still appreciate listening to these songs that remind her that she was once your little girl.
