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With Father’s Day here, now is the time to think of the man that stood tall in your life from day one. Of course, not all us are so lucky to have had one. So from Jay Z and Stevie Wonder showing love to their newborn daughters to Tupac Shakur giving his pops the finger and Madonna cursing hers as well, here are some daddy-related cuts to let ring this Sunday.
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Madonna, “Papa Don’t Preach”
In the pop star’s iconic song, Madonna tells her father about her pregnancy and though it’s probably not what one would want to hear on Father’s Day from his young daughter, the defiant song is a highlight on Madonna’s 1986 album True Blue. Singing “What I need right now is some good advice,” she reaches out to her dad for guidance. Madonna’s single was No. 1 on the Hot 100 for two weeks in 1986.
The Game, “Like Father, Like Son”
Closing out The Game’s debut album, this emotional song chronicles the birth of the Compton rapper’s son. Busta Rhymes sings the sentimental chorus: “But in the end I hope you only turn out better than me / I hope you know I love you young’n, like father, like son.”
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Eric Clapton, “My Father’s Eyes”
Clapton wrote this song to parallel looking in the eyes of his son, who died at age four, and the eyes of his father, whom he never met. The heartbreaking song shows the singer longing for the experience of a father-son relationship: “Bit by bit, I’ve realized,” he sings, “That’s when I need them / That’s when I need my father’s eyes.” The single made it to No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1998.
Bruce Springsteen, “My Father’s House”
Springsteen had an uneasy relationship with his father, but this song talks about overcoming these difficulties and embracing him. The Boss sings, “I imagined the hard things that pulled us apart / Will never again, sir, tear us from each other’s hearts.”
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The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”
From the 1972 album All Directions, this classic single is about an absent father. They sing, “Papa was a rollin’ stone / Wherever he laid his head was his home / And when he died, all he left us was alone.” It was a No. 1 Hot 100 single in 1972.
To hear these songs and about 20 more father-related tunes, visit Billboard.com.
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