Music For Dads Part 1: Wish You Were Sphere
A community sourced 🥭 selection of 🥭 Dad Rock 🥭 for dads, from dads, about dads, my Dad, hypothetical dads, and moms too
Hey there!
I’ve always had a knack for receiving noise complaints from neighbors due to the volume at which I like to enjoy music. This penchant for cranking it up to 11 is a trait I received from my Dad. If you’ve spent time with us together, you’re aware there are many other shared traits.
Whether attending concerts at Red Rocks, hiking a mountain with Pink Floyd’s Meddle soundtracking the journey, or ‘seeing’ my first Grateful Dead show one month before entering the world (all credit to Mom), the transcendental power of music has been instilled in me from an early age.
My dad is a human encyclopedia when it comes to music, so unsurprisingly upon reading the last Mango he sent me:
Here are my top albums for Dads who were teenagers during each of the 5 year windows between the early 1970s and early 1990s, whose kids now are discovering the bands that they will play too often in order to drive their kids crazy. I also give you a line on the Dad Rock Song from each.
Hence, this thing is gonna be a two-parter not only to keep it to a digestible size but because the anecdotes for each selection from everyone who reached out are worth the read and the shine. We’ve got submissions from dads, about dads, for dads, my dad, hypothetical dads, as well as a few moms from across the map.
Mom Rock edition in the oven.
I’m gonna let my good bud Katie start things off as she is someone who speaks fluent Dad Rock, who drove across the country to see Bob Segar, and who introduced me to Seger’s Night Moves, which she has a tattoo of. I will be following suit here soon.
Here’s the playlist, windows down, volume up 🥭🥭🥭
Tune: Bob Seger - Night Moves (1976)
Katie: Night Moves and Dad Rock go hand in hand. Where one is the other is right behind it, there is not one without the other. It shouldn’t be a concern as to whether Night Moves will be there or not because it is the safest of bets when putting on Dad Rock. It is the classic beer shot combo at your favorite bar, it’s the jean jacket you grab when nothing else looks good, its the first selection when you get in front of the touch tunes screen. If it’s not there, it’s not Dad Rock.
Album: Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)
Don (My Dad): This is one of those albums that has multiple songs that have been overplayed on Classic Rock stations over the last 25 years, but importantly is an album that is good beginning to end with each song being a classic to Floyd devotees. It also is an album that defined a musical genre and made the band a worldwide star.
"How I wish, how I wish you were here, We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl. Year after year, Running over the same old ground, what have we found? The same old fears, wish you were here"
Every word of this song is an Existentialist Manifesto.
Album: Dyango - La Radio (1975)
Antonio: A friend got this from an in-law and gave it to me as a present. It started like a joke a bit but I instantly got hooked to that 80s production full of bubbly and quirky keyboards, which are perfect for the corny romantic topics and the powerful voice of Dyango: once of the most renowned Crooners in the Spanish-speaking world.
Tune: Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road (1975)
Bruce: There's a lot of dad rock out there, but one that sticks out is Thunder Road by Springsteen. When my daughter Riley was young, I played the song and she would wait for the lyric "roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair"… Of course she would do just that, stick her head out the window and let the wind blow back her hair. Always makes me smile when I think about it now.
At the Springsteen show in Dublin (in May) I got a little emotional as I looked over to her and she smiled back as he closed the second set with Thunder Road.
Tune: Bob Seger - Her Strut (1976)
Katie: There is a solid argument that Bob Seger’s entire collection is Dad Rock. It is an ingredient in the cement foundation of Dad Rock’s house. It is the framed photo of animals playing pool that hangs in your parent’s basement or dad’s garage.
Tune: Steely Dan - Do It Again (1972)
Tom: Steely Dan is - for me anyway - the epitome of Dad Rock. Even going so far as to straight up write from the perspective of someone aging and struggling to accept his sliding out of style in their famous “Hey Nineteen”. I chose “Do It Again” because for me it‘s the quintessential Steely Dan song. Long, uncompromising, somewhat genre-bending, but a full-on funker as per.
Tune: Roxy Music - Same Old Scene (1980)
Roland: Bryan Ferry has so many good tunes and I never know if he's being serious or not because it's so over the top, but I get the feeling he's being totally sincere. Which is cool. The sax solo here is just perfect.
Album: Mecano - Entre el Cielo y el Suelo (1986)
Maria: Mecano's music is the quintessential "dad music" in Spain, often playing in car rides during childhood. But beyond nostalgia, they are icons of La Movida Madrileña, a post-dictatorship cultural revolution. La Movida was a vibrant mix of music, cinema, and writing, celebrating newfound freedom and led by the LGBTQ+ community. Mecano's tunes, with their themes of love and individuality, became a soundtrack to this transformative era, symbolizing Spain's artistic and social rebirth.
Album: Esta Noche Cruzamos El Mississippi (1996)
Luis (Maria’s Dad): In the dynamic media landscape of the 90s, Esta Noche Cruzamos el Mississippi stood out as a Spanish TV show that brought a fresh and daring approach to late-night programming. Hosted by the striking Pepe Navarro, known for his alternative hairstyle, the show combined provocative interviews, unique regulars—including the colorful and flamboyant La Veneno, a prominent transgender figure—and a transgressive flair.
The album played a pivotal role in introducing Spain to Dad Rock music. This genre, which had little exposure in the Spanish mainstream, found a new audience thanks to the show's innovative platform.
Tune: The Allman Brothers Band - Blue Sky (1972)
Ben: For me, my dad is a bit of a square when it comes to music… so Dad Rock was discovered through my mother and The Allman Brothers ‘Blue Sky’ will always remind me of her and seeing them with her as my first concert.
Rest In Power, Dickie Betts
Tune: Steely Dan - Reelin’ In the Years (1970)
Valentina: After hating this song to the guts growing up, its wacky energy eventually won my heart. The lyrics are delivered spectacularly, though as far as Steely Dan songs go, they are a bit dumbed-down. And isn't the blazing guitar work exceptional? (you're absolutely right Valentina, Jimmy Page would reply).
Tune: Bruce Springsteen - Jungleland (1972)
Byron: Windows down, life in the fast lane and car packed with all the goods for a Summer holiday. Jungleland by The Boss not only allows for time in the car to pass on by, but his 9-minute number to round off the Born to Run album inspires you to survive and persevere with whatever life throws at you.
Tune: Boz Scaggs - Lido Shuffle (1976)
Melanie: Lido Shuffle by Boz Scaggs is such a great song, period. Even though it’s about a guy down on his luck, you can’t help but feel good belting out that chorus. The fact it’s co-written by the guy who wrote Toto’s Africa and Rosanna cements its status as a Dad Rock classic (Toto being the quintessential Dad Rock band after all). However, seeing Warren Ellis dancing on stage to it at a recent Dirty Three concert is proof of its broad appeal.
Tune: Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4 (1970)
Tom: Chicago‘s “25 or 6 to 4” comes from a more personal story, because it’s literally my dad‘s favorite song and one of my first musical memories.
Being released in 1969, it does follow some of the psychedelic rock tropes of the time. But adding Chicago‘s Jazz Rock signature to it, always made it feel more adult than the stereotypical acid dropping Hippie guitar trip. The soundtrack for the aging Hippie (sorry, dad!)
Tune: U2 - Bad (1984)
Isaac: I couldn't pick just one and struggled to think of just one so these are favorites from each of my parents, my Dad's being Neil Young and this was a track I learned to play on guitar that he would always request when he was drunk on wine and this one from my Mom that we would yell from the car with the window down driving through the countryside in rural Taranaki.
Album: The Who - Who’s Next (1971)
Don (My dad): " ...get my back into my living, I don't need to fight, To prove I'm right, I don't need to be forgiven"
This song about the tension between Teenage Bravado/Angst (Wasteland) and its power chords, this is Classic Rock incarnate.
🥭 Here’s a playlist that has a taste of everything mentioned 🥭
That’s it! If you enjoyed this one, you’re all set to receive the next ones, and if you feel inclined, pass it on to family and friends if you think they’d like it.
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If you’ve got a Dad Rock song, album, or story to share for Part 2, send it on over.
See ya in a couple weeks!
Nick
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