This is the continuation of my ultimate list of 60 father-daughter songs. If you missed Part 1, you can find it here.

41. “Always Be Your Baby” by Natalie Grant. The final section starts with the first of five songs in this group sung by women. Natalie Grant strikes a perfect chord for men who want to know their daughters will always love them. Hearing your little girl say things like “You’re my hero” and you “Made me who I am in this world” will give any man a much-needed lift.
42. “I Hope You Dance” by Ronan Keating. Lee Ann Womack’s original version of this song set the country music world on fire in 2000. It ultimately won the CMA Song of the Year and the Grammy for Country Song of the Year, and for good reason. It’s a song of joy, and expression of hope for the future coming from a person who’s been through life’s trials. Ronan Keating’s version adds the aspect of having it come a daddy.
43. “Little Wonders” by Rob Thomas. You probably don’t know this song unless you’ve seen Meet the Robinsons and stayed through the credits. If you haven watched the movie, please do. It’s a hidden gem in the Disney vault. During the very feel-good ending, this song by Rob Thomas plays — and the moment feels even better. (Forget that it was written about Thomas’s dog. It’s a perfect sentiment for a daughter.)
44. “You’re Gonna Miss This” by Trace Adkins. As a teacher, I think the same thing as Trace Adkins all too often. Today’s younger generation is in such a hurry to grow up. They want all of the trappings of being an adult. I guess we all did, too, but teenagers now are in overdrive. It makes me sad, and his lyrics reflect my thoughts: “You’re gonna miss this/ You’re gonna want this back/ You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast.”
45. “Fathers and Daughters” by Michael Bolton. Before the film Fathers and Daughters was released to theatres, producers invited Michael Bolton to screen the film. Afterward, Bolton (who has three daughters) wrote this song as a letter from the movie’s father to its daughter (played by Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried). This line is letter-perfect: “Like moonlight on the water, and sunlight in the sky/ Fathers and daughters never say goodbye.”
46. “Baby Girl” by Young Gun Silver Fox. OK, so you’ve never heard of Young Gun Silver Fox or this song. So why is this song so deep on the list? Call it an indulgence on my part. But before you pass on this one, give it just one listen. This group is part of what I call NuYacht — a new generation of Yacht Rock groups — and this song is a great balance of bounce, insight and sentiment. Sometimes our little girls stray from the path, and the lyrics are reassuring that, “Baby Girl/ Should you ever lose yourself/ You know I got you.”
47. “Somewhere Out There” by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram. The 1986 animated film An American Tale is a bit of a classic now, but the most memorable part of the movie is this song. It’s sung first by two mice — the main character, Fievel, and his sister, Tanya. But the Ronstadt-Ingram version has immortalized the film and should have won the Oscar for Best Original Song. (It lost to Top Gun‘s “Take My Breath Away.) Even now, as I’m separated by hundreds of miles from my daughter, we can at least be connected by something as simple as looking at the moon.
48. “There Goes My Life” by Kenny Chesney. More than any other song on this list, Chesney’s song captures the journey of the young father. First, he’s caught by surprise and sees his freedom going away. “There goes my life.” Several years later, his baby girl has captured his heart and as he watches her he thinks, “There goes my life.” And when she’s leaving the nest, he packs her car, watches her go down the road and thinks, “There goes my life.” It apparently hit a lot of dads and daughters right in the heart, because it was No. 1 on the country charts for seven weeks in 2004.
49. “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” by Billy Joel. Billy Joel is one of my favorite all-time artists. He might not agree, but to me he’s almost the Beatles wrapped up into a single person. This song was written for his daughter, Alexa Ray, who is the product of his marriage to Christie Brinkley. Alexa had apparently asked him, “Where do we go when we die,” and this lullabye was his answer. “And you should always know/ Wherever you may go/ No matter where you are/ I never will be far away.”
50. “Cody’s Song” by Kenny Loggins. Originally included on his 1991 album, “Leap of Faith,” this song was so sweet that Loggins had to include it on his “Return to Pooh Corner” collection three years later. He really is the master of writing songs for his kids. This one was for his son, Cody, who was eight years old when this was released. Even though it was for a son, the song is pretty gender-neutral, and I’ve always associated it with my daughter. “I’ll promise you/ I’ll promise to/ Comfort you and say to you/ Darling, I’ll be there just for you.”
51. “Baby Mine” by Nick Lachey. We all know this song best from the movie Dumbo, where it was sung by Betty Noyes during the scene where Dumbo visits his imprisoned mother. It’s a heart-melting scene, and it should have earned “Baby Mine” the Best Song Academy Award. Sadly, it lost to “The Last Time I Saw Paris.” (Betcha can’t name the movie that one’s from. I had to look it up — Lady Be Good. I’d never even heard of that film or the song before now.) This version by Nick Lachey can’t one-up the original, but it comes close.
52. “Unforgettable” by Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole. In some ways, this is the ultimate father-daughter song. “Unforgettable” peaked at No. 14 when it was released by Nat King Cole in 1951 — and again at the same position when this version was released 40 years later in 1991. Natalie, who was just a teenager when her father died, found a way to sing with him 26 years after his death. David Foster’s production of this number was seamless, and the voices of father and daughter blend perfectly and still give me chills when I hear it today.
53. “Dance With My Father” by Celine Dion. Luther Vandross wrote “Dance With My Father” near the end of his life, and he partnered with Richard Marx in part because they both knew the pain of losing a father. Luther’s had died when he was only eight years old, and his song captures perfectly the wonder of spending time with a loving father and the sadness that comes when he’s no longer around. This version by Celine Dion was released in 2005, two years after the death of her father, Adhémar.
54. “Fathers and Daughters” by Kristin Chenoweth. You may know Kristin Chenoweth for originating the role of Glinda in the Broadway show, Wicked. She has also appeared in a lot of movies and TV shows. My wife knew her long ago when she was a resident adviser and Kristi Chenoweth lived on her floor. Kristen may have a voice and persona that’s larger than life, but in her heart, Kristi is still just a down-home Oklahoma girl. You can hear it in this song, which perfectly describes my relationship with my own daughter. “Well you laughed and told me you really wanted a boy/ But you cried first time you held me said you never felt such joy.”
55. “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts. Though the lyrics never mention it, this song is really about a daughter. Songwriter Jeffrey Steele penned the lyrics as a tribute to his then-teenage daughter Justine. (Side note: My daughter’s middle name is Justine.) Rascal Flatts turned it into a No. 1 hit in 2006 and it’s easy to see why. Gary LeVox’s vocals soars, especially in the chorus on the hope that, “Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small/ You never need to carry more than you can hold/ And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too.”
56. “Neverland Medley” by Kenny Loggins and Patti Austin. This one may confuse you. Most of you probably haven’t even heard this medley, though you’ve definitely heard the songs in it. I first heard this when my little girl was in a dance recital. The older girls started the show with an elaborate dance set to this number, which starts with Gene Wilder’s quote from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”: “Hold your breath, make a wish, count to three.” The dance was magical, partly because of this song. It mashes up “Somewhere Out There,” “Never Never Land” (from the musical Peter Pan) and “Pure Imagination.” The vocals of Loggins and Austin blend so perfectly that at first I didn’t realize there were two singers. (This is the song that sent me looking for Kenny’s “Return to Pooh Corner” album, where this gem appears. It’s a perfect lullabye for your little princess!)
57. “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle. You knew this one had to be here. If you have a daughter and you don’t tear up to “Butterfly Kisses,” I have to wonder about you. Bob Carlisle’s classic is timeless, tracking a daddy as he watches his daughter grow from a little girl praying by her bed at night until he is about to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. Every other song about that journey owes a lot to the original father-daughter tear-jerker. “Oh, with all that I’ve done wrong I must have done something right./ To deserve her love every morning and butterfly kisses at night.”
58. “Find Your Wings” by Mark Harris. You might not know this one, but you should. Mark Harris was one-fourth of the Christian group 4 Him. “Find Your Wings was his first solo single, and it was easily his biggest hit. The arrangement soars, but so do the lyrics, which capture the hopes of every father for his daughter: “I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams/ And that faith gives you the courage/ To dare to do great things.” And these hopes come with the bittersweet knowledge that those dreams will take our little girls on an adventure of their own: “It’s not living if you don’t reach for the sky/ I’ll have tears as you take off/ But I’ll cheer as you fly.” Add this one into consideration for the dance at your daughter’s wedding.
59. “Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman. This is another obvious lock for this list, despite the sad history associated with the song. Steven Curtis Chapman is simply one of the best songwriters of our time, Christian or not. He wrote this song in 2008 after putting two of his three adopted daughters to be. A few months later, one of the two — Maria Sue — was killed in a tragic accident in the family’s driveway. “Cinderella” was a song of hope and celebration, and the family was in full celebration mode for three of their children — Maria had just turned five, Will Chapman had just graduated high school and Emily Chapman had just announced her engagement. Suddenly, it became a song about how delicate life can be and how much we should cherish each moment. “Cinderella” is such a rich song, and Steven wonderfully ties the images we associate with the fairytale into real life. “I will dance with Cinderella/ I don’t wanna miss even one song/ ‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight/ And she’ll be gone.”
60. “My Girl” by The Temptations. No other song could be in this spot — at least not for me. I have countless memories of going with my daughter to places with jukeboxes, like Waffle House or Johnny Rockets, in part just to listen to this while we ate. “My Girl” is not actually about a daughter — Smokey Robinson actually wrote the song for The Temptations, as he said, “with all the women in the world in mind.” But the lyrics are perfectly suited for the perfect father-daughter dance. Go to YouTube and search, “temptations my girl father daughter dance” and you’ll find what seems to be an endless list of videos, including some that offer choreography to the song. Honestly, when you hear, “I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day with my girl,” who do you think about? I know that I think about “my girl.”

Part 1 (songs 1-20) • Part 2 (songs 21-40)

Copyright © 2021 Doug DeBolt.