Father Daughter Dance Songs

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Exploring the idea of a father daughter dance at your wedding, but not sure where to start with your song choice? Well, you’re in luck. We here at Tailored Entertainment, the UK’s leading supplier of live wedding entertainment, can help you out.

Father Daughter Dance Wedding Song Ideas

Now traditionally, the father daughter dance hasn’t really been a big thing in British wedding culture. It’s long been part of American wedding celebrations, however, and that’s how we first came across it – at weddings in the UK featuring a large American contingent. But more and more, we’re seeing them crop up in British couple’s wedding day plans, and we can totally understand the appeal.

Although it has to be said that the ‘Father Daughter Dance’ is, in truth, a tough thing to get absolutely right. In a lot of ways, it’s actually a harder task than choosing the first dance. Without really realising, it’s incredibly easy to choose a song that feels sincere in isolation, but on the day comes across as mawkish, cheesy, or perhaps even patriarchal and a little creepy.

Not to mention, that when turned into a song, the subject of the father/daughter relationship has tended to produce some pretty epic clangers over the years (see, for example, the toe-curling, painfully uncomfortable ‘I Loved Her First’ by Heartland).

But don’t let that put you off! The father daughter dance can absolutely be done right. Choose the right song, and it can become a poignant, personal, and genuinely beautiful moment between a bride and her Dad – and a true highlight of the whole wedding day.

Finding the right track definitely seems to be a bit of a minefield for many, and unsurprisingly there are quite a few blogs on offer out there hoping to point you in the right direction. However, many of these seem to go to that ‘cheesy’ well way too often for our taste, so we at Tailored Entertainment thought we’d put together something a little different for you. And who better to point you in the right direction than the UK’s favourite supplier of live wedding entertainment?

Here on this list, you’ll find 18 genuinely great songs, all of which would prove an absolutely lovely choice for a heartfelt father daughter dance – and there’s not a single cheesy American country track in sight!

Let’s get cracking, shall we?

Father Daughter Dance Wedding Playlist

Forever Young by Rhiannon Giddens and Iron & Wine

Let’s start off with a belter, shall we? This version of Bob Dylan’s brilliant ‘Forever Young’ is a genuine gem. Those of you that know your Dylan will be aware that he isn’t really one for much heartfelt sentiment in his songwriting. This song however, written for his first child on the eve of their birth, is one of the rare exceptions. And good gravy, is it good. It’s a beautiful example of a father/daughter song that transcends lazy, patriarchal stereotypes and instead offers a simple, universal prayer of hope for the future. The line ‘may you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung, and may you stay forever young’ is guaranteed to have every parent in the room weeping into their shirtsleeves.

Gracie by Ben Folds

So many songs written on the subject of fatherhood seem to be burdened with some seriously curious subtext and some might even leave you feeling a little uneasy after listening. This is one of many in this list that really gets it right. Best known for his unique brand of fabulously punchy ‘punk-rock-with-a-piano’, Ben Folds might seem a surprising shout for father/daughter dance material. But this song, taken from his almost flawless 2005 album ‘Songs for Silverman’, is a heartfelt and beautifully restrained reflection on the unexplainable and incomprehensible emotions of early fatherhood. It’s a stunner, plain and simple.

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) by James Taylor

This is the first of many feelgood father/daughter dances you’ll find in this selection and acts as a good watermark for choosing a father daughter dance song that manages not to take itself all too seriously. This 1975 hit from James Taylor is the perfect mix of sentimental and fun – and it’s the right tempo for a bit of good-old-fashioned dad-dancing. There’s also a cracking version of this tune by Marvin Gaye if you fancy something with a little more soul.

Father Daughter Dance Wedding Song Ideas

There Will Be Time by Mumford & Sons

This is, for our money, one of Mumford’s better tracks, and in the last few years has proven a popular choice for first dances and father daughter dances alike. Featuring the legendary Senegalese artist Baaba Maal, it’s message of infinite, unstoppable love pointedly pulls at the heartstrings. Plus, the back half of the tune picks up pace and energy making it a great point to get all your guests flooding the dancefloor.

Michelle by The Beatles

We love to hear of clients going with a bit of an outside-the-box pick for the traditional wedding dances, and this track sits really comfortably in that zone. From The Beatles’ simply exquisite 1965 record, ‘Rubber Soul’, this delightfully unconventional love song avoids the traditional soppiness of much of its contemporary tracks from the 1960s, whilst still carrying a deep seam of gorgeously realised heartfelt sentiment. It’s also an absolute gem of a song. For a Beatles choice that’s a touch less out-there, you could do a lot worse than ‘The Long & Winding Road’, another bit of McCartney brilliance.

Close to You by The Carpenters

Now, I know what we said – no cheesy numbers. And typically, this song tends to get lumped rather lazily into the category of total schmaltz from the get-go. But that’s doing a huge disservice to The Carpenters, who penned some of the most successful and best-written hits of the 1970s. Close to You is a stunning love song, leant added weight by Karen Carpenter’s incredible vocal performance, giving the song a subtle sense of innocence that really works with the father/daughter theme.

Father Daughter Dance Wedding Song Ideas

There She Goes by The La’s

This is a great choice for anyone looking for something a little indie and alternative, whilst still keeping with the spirit and poignancy of the father daughter dance. It’s also another good one for those worried about dancing in front of their family and friends, for one often overlooked reason. It’s mercifully short. For a version of this song that’s got a little less attitude and bite, try Sixpence None The Richer’s sumptuously summery, flower-pop take from 1997.

Sweet Child O’ Mine by Sheryl Crowe

First off, this song is a total banger, and we won’t hear anyone say otherwise. This version, by the eternally wonderful and seemingly ageless Sheryl Crowe, will bring a little touch of class to proceedings whilst simultaneously surprising and delighting your guests. Alternatively, you could go full ‘dad vibes’ and choose the Guns n’ Roses original. But if you do, be sure to select the single version. Take it from us, the extended three-minute guitar solo from the album version will be way too much ‘air guitar’ for absolutely anyone.

Moon River by Frank Ocean

Continuing to our theme of stonewall classics with a fresh, modern twist, check out this incredible version of the Audrey Hepburn-fronted classic ‘Moon River’, given a delightful makeover by visionary US songwriter Frank Ocean. It’s that perfect mix of contemporary and understated whilst still holding onto much of what’s right about the original recording.

Slipping Through My Fingers by ABBA

First off, there’s something we need to get straight. ABBA are one of the single greatest things to happen to pop music in its 80-year history. And if you don’t agree with that, please do feel free to move on to the next track in the list, but I’m sorry to say that we simply cannot be friends. ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’ is a song about watching your children grow up and find their place in the world, and realising they no longer need their parents to get them through the day.

Many other writers have tried to write a song like this and failed absolutely miserably (I Loved Her First, anyone?). Unsurprisingly, ABBA absolutely nails its bittersweet swirl of touching heartache and parental pride. For an even deeper ABBA cut on the same theme, you could try the equally brilliant and utterly heart-shattering, ‘My Love, My Life’.

Father Daughter Dance Wedding Song Ideas

That’s How Strong My Love Is by Otis Redding

Fancy something with a bit of soul? This is a great choice. It seems strange to say this, but Otis Redding is probably among the most underrated of the Motown artists by some distance. He had an unmatched knack for singing love songs that, in anyone else’s hands, would stray uncontrollably into total cheese territory. But in Otis’ hands, they were just marvellously beautiful. This track very much sits in that sweet spot, making it a great choice for your father/daughter dance.

The Best Day by Taylor Swift

If you’re after a big, popular, ‘American-style’ father/daughter song, this would be our number one pick. This is probably the most traditionally recycled father daughter dance in this selection of songs, in fact. But this song very much deserves a place on this list. ‘The Best Day’ rather deftly manages to buck the trend of ‘slightly uncomfortable country songs written from the perspective of children, and that’s solely due to Swift’s fantastic delivery and unquestionable brilliance as a songwriter – which probably speaks a lot to her wider mainstream appeal.

Daughter by Loudon Wainwright III

If you’re looking for unconventionally fun father/daughter songs, you needn’t look any further than Loudon Wainwright III. If you haven’t heard of Loudon, you might know of his equally talented, brilliant, and more mainstream successful children, Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright. When they were both very young, Loudon made a bit of a name for himself writing songs about his kids that offered a genuinely funny and unmistakeably heartfelt glimpse into the life of a father. ‘Daughter’ is a brilliant, bouncy folk song, wrapping all of Wainwright’s acerbic wit and charm in a big blanket of fatherly pride.

You Got A Friend by Randy Newman

Randy Newman wrote this classic earworm for the Toy Story soundtrack, released back in 1994. On its surface, Toy Story may be a kid’s film about toys come to life, but you don’t have to dig too deep to find the rich seam of metaphors on parenthood that have made the Toy Story franchise such a huge hit, striking a chord with generations of parents and children alike. Heard in this context, ‘You Got A Friend’ is, without a shadow of a doubt, a brilliant father daughter song. And for many parents and their daughters, it’ll carry some wonderful memories from watching the movies together in years past.

Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones

An exceptional and unexpected song from The Rolling Stones, Wild Horses is about the hard, everyday work that makes up every all of our relationships, and how that hard work makes our bonds infinitely and ever stronger. It’s timeless and heartfelt without ever straying into cutesy sentimentality. That mix of emotions might not be for everyone, but for those of you it suits, it’ll suit perfectly.

Father Daughter Dance Wedding Song Ideas

Shut Up & Dance by Walk The Moon

You may have made it to this point in the list thinking, ‘Yep, this is all well and good. But what if I just want a tune without any deeper meaning? What if we just want to get up and dance?’ Well, if that’s where you’re at, you can do much worse than this serious crowd-pleaser from Walk The Moon. It’ll get your guests going crazy, and make for some pretty epic photos, too. Plus, your wedding band almost certainly have a great version of it in their repertoire, so you could even get them to play it live.

My Darling by Wilco

Another slightly off-kilter choice, this tune was apparently written by Wilco’s lead singer whilst trying to get his daughter off to sleep late one evening. It’s one of the few relatively upbeat songs on the father/daughter theme that’s also a genuinely good tune. It’s a great swaying tempo, too, making it perfect for Dads who feel a little funny about dancing in front of their family and friends.

God Only Knows by The Beach Boys

This iconic number from the genre-defining ‘Pet Sounds’ was once voted by Rolling Stone readers as the greatest love song of all time, and we’re not about to disagree too strenuously. For us, the final canon of, ‘God only knows what I’d be without you’ perfectly captures the spirit of the father/daughter relationship; both sides inextricably defined by the other. Not to mention, this song is an absolute belter. You really can’t go wrong with this one!

THIS IS A GUEST FEATURE WRITTEN BY // Lee Broderick // from wedding entertainment agency Tailored Entertainment

Tailored Entertainment exclusively represents the UK’s best professional wedding bands. You’ll find an act to suit every event in our hand-picked roster of wedding entertainment – from soul showbands to festival headliners, from singers for your ceremony to a floor-filling DJ for the afterparty. Get in touch today, and we’ll help you find that perfect act for your big day.

Father Daughter Dance Songs – 18 Perfect Wedding Tracks