I've spent the last two days scouring the ‘net for a father/daughter dance for our wedding reception, and frankly, virtually every suggestion I've come across has a title that makes me throw up in my mouth a little like “Daddy's Little Girl” or “Butterfly Kisses.”I'm not opposed to sentimental songs but perhaps none with the bride=angel/child/doll theme I can't seem to get away from.

My dad's a '60s/'70s Classic/Southern rock kinda guy. There's gotta be something out there about years going by, getting older, moving on… I just can't seem to find it.

This is one of the few traditions we're actually keeping, so I'd like to find something right for us. —Sharon

Yeah, nothing like the creepy incest themes that seem to come up with father/daughter dances, hmm? That's part of why I skipped the tradition, but I do agree that with the right song it can be a nice moment. Here are a few non-icky song ideas pulled from all kinds of sources including the many, many, many suggestions in the comments:

Classic rock ballads and harder rock for those rockin' dads:

• Led Zepplin's “Thank You” (hear it)
• Lynyrd Skynyrd's “Simple Man” (hear it)
• Rolling Stones' “She's a Rainbow” (hear it)
• The Cars' “Just What I Needed” (hear it)
• Warrant's “Heaven” (hear it)
• Neil Young's “Here for You” (hear it)
• Bruce Springsteen's “When You Need Me” (hear it)
• Queen's “You're My Best Friend” (hear it)
• Guns and Roses' “Sweet Child O' Mine” (hear it)
• Staind's “Zoe Jane” (hear it)
• Tom Petty's “American Girl” (hear it)

Contemporary sentimental, but not overdone (yet!):

• Loudon Wainwright's “Daughter” (hear it)
• Five for Fighting's “100 Years” (hear it)
• World Party's “She's the One” (hear it)
• 10,000 Maniacs' “How You've Grown” (hear it)
• Natalie Merchant's “Kind And Generous” (hear it)
• The Cary Brothers' “Blue Eyes” (hear it)
• Wilco's “My Darling” (hear it)
• Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo'ole's “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” (hear it)
• Amos Lee's “Sweet Pea” (hear it)
• Eva Cassidy's “True Colors” (hear it)
• “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes (hear it)
• “Daughters” by John Mayer (hear it)

Softer rock classics (when you want to rock, but also keep it purty):

• Tom Petty's “Wildflowers” (hear it)
• Bad English's “When I See You Smile” (hear it)
• Journey's “Lights” (hear it)
• Billy Joel's “Just the Way You Are” (hear it)
• Beach Boys' “God Only Knows” (hear it)
• Carol King's “Child of Mine” (hear it)
• The Byrds' “Turn, Turn, Turn” (hear it)
• Paul Simon's “Father and Daughter” (hear it) or “You Can Call Me Al” (hear it)
• Stevie Wonder's “Isn't She Lovely” (hear it)
• James Taylor's “You've Got A Friend” (hear it)
• Joe Cocker's “Darling Be Home Soon” (hear it)
• Fleetwood Mac's “Songbird” (hear it) or “Landslide” (hear it)
• The Beatles' “Across the Universe” (hear it) or Rufus Wainwright's version
  (hear it)
• Another Beatles selection, “In My Life” (hear it)
• Lulu's “To Sir With Love” (hear it)
• Gram Parsons' “A Song for You” (hear it)
• Bread's “Daughter” (hear it)
• Jimmy Buffett's “Little Miss Magic” (hear it)
• Spiral Staircase's “I Love You More Today Than Yesterday” (hear it)
• Cyndi Lauper's “Time After Time” (hear it)

Classics from the '40s and '50s

• Ray Charles' “Ain't That Love” (hear it)
• The Rays' “Silhouettes” (hear it)
• Frankie Avalon's “Bobby Sox to Stockings” (hear it)
• Elvis' “The Wonder of You” (hear it)
• Sam Cooke's “Nothing Can Change This Love” (hear it)

Crazy and funky:

• Steppenwolf's “Born to be Wild” (hear it)
• Voltaire's “Goodnight Demonslayer” (hear it)
• Any version of “You Are My Sunshine,” particularly the Johnny Cash version (hear it)
• “Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (hear it)
• LOTS from The Vitamin String Quartet. Try Sweet Child O' Mine (hear it) or “Don't Stop Believing” (hear it)
• Kermit's “The Rainbow Connection” (hear it)

For the country dads at heart:

• The Bellamy Brothers' “Let Your Love Flow” (hear it)
• Kenny Chesney's “There Goes My Life” (hear it)
• John Fogerty's “I Will Walk With You” (hear it)
• The Judds' “Love is Alive” (hear it)
• Rascal Flatts' “My Wish” (hear it)
• Dixie Chicks' “Lullaby” (hear it)

Far out stuff for alterna-dads:

• Yo La Tengo's “You Can Have It All” (hear it)
• David Bowie's “Let's Dance” (hear it)
• “Standing” from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical, sung by Tony Head
  (hear it)
• The Dropkick Murphy's “Forever” (hear it)

And the strangest (but cool) suggestions from readers:

• Randy Newman's “Short People” (hear it)
• Jonathan Coulton's “Re: Your Brains” (hear it)
• Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five's “Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens”
  (hear it)

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