Ultimate DAD ROCK Songs
Published on 30 May 2025
What age is your dad?
Does he like to rock?
‘Dad rock’ can mean a number of things, depending on the age of the dad in question.
Your dad loves to rock and you know it. Whenever you are in the car with him, it’s his tunes or nothing. Quite right too! Being a dad is a difficult job, and they need to have just the right songs to get them through their day.
So what kind of songs ARE Dad Rock anyway? Well, there is Classic Dad Rock and New Dad Rock. Classic Dad rock is the sort of singalong, fist-waving anthemic rock music that graces stadiums across the world. New Dad Rock can also be this, but there might be a post-grunge/Nu Metal element involved, most likely.
Usually, a particular generation’s music is cemented in that generation’s teenage years, since this is when music hits us the hardest in our lives. Therefore, music from the 80s, 90s and early 00s is where we’ll find most of our Dad Rock anthems, though the odd tune from earlier ages will no doubt show up too, since we all listen to music from before our time.
Today, I want to make you up a sweet cocktail of Dad Rock songs, from all eras and periods of Dad Rock. I’ll mix it all up so that you get a slice of it all. Every dad out there is going to love this selection, and even if you aren’t a daddy, I reckon you’ll find loads to love here…
Live and Let Die - Guns N Roses
This is the best song to begin a car journey with. Time it so that the big epic riff moment kicks off just as you are revving your SUV in the drive, preparing to go ‘cruising’ to the local Screwfix or B&Q. Bonus points if you can time the donning of your driving sunglasses to when Axl sings ‘Live and let Diieeeeeeeee’. The day is won, sir.
Beautiful Day - U2
Are you meeting some other dads to watch the game and sink some pints on Saturday? You need an anthem for this beautiful day, and Bono & co are there for you. Whatever the outcome of the match, if you’re in a pub with pints and pals, and the game is showing on the pub tellies, then it’s a Beautiful Day. Don’t let it get away!
Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen
Are you in a social setting with friends and loved ones? Does that event require you to be dancing at any point? Feeling awkward about your stiff and unnatural dad moves? Just wait for this banger to come on and you’ll find yourself armed with all of the moves, hips and bravado that are required to tear the place up. People are watching, but it's in awe.
We Will Rock You - Queen
This gets used at sporting events (rightly so) but you can use this song as a personal mantra, singing it back at yourself every morning as you gaze at your post-shower self in the mirror. Today you’re going to win, and this is your dad soundtrack.
Yes, you can air guitar the Brian May solo, but only if nobody can see you. Dealbreaker.
Sweet Caroline - Status Quo
When your mind is so filled with plans and ideas about how to be an awesome dad, you sometimes don’t have space in your brain for complex tunes. You want a straightforward slice of rock to nod your head and groove to, and Status Quo deliver this again and again.
Like a satisfying sandwich, Status Quo are simple, unpretentious and satisfying.
Burn it to the Ground - Nickelback
If Status Quo were neither simple enough nor crunchy enough to hit the spot, it may be time for the king of all dad-approved barbecue soundtrack bands, Nickelback. Vocalist Chad Kroeger definitely sounds like he needs to lie down for a bit, but instead he’s throwing out impeachably straightforward rhymes in that curious voice of his, just for you.
If you like your stomping anthems to be as uncomplicated as possible, then Nickelback are the dad band for you.
Thunderstruck - AC/DC
This hard rocking masterpiece galvanises dads all over the world. From the first notes of Angus Young’s intro, dads everywhere respond to this raw but quite palatable rock fury. Expect excited finger pointing and air guitaring by dads when this one gets played. In public, as well!
Motorcycle Emptiness - Manic Street Preachers
Even the hardest rocking dads have their tender, more emotional sides. They don’t reveal it often, but stick on this powerful blast of melancholic hard rock and you’ll see the sensitive side of yourself/dad reveal itself.
There’s a definite if abstract power to this song, and you don’t have to understand what ‘motorcycle emptiness’ actually means to intrinsically ‘get it’.
Smart Dressed Man - ZZ Top
You’re a dad at a wedding, and the Bruce Springsteen tune from earlier has got you pulling shapes on the dancefloor. You’ve had a drink, true, but you’re still pretty sober and are feeling a bit self-conscious. You need a certain type of song to come along and deliver the goods in a way that you can resonate with.
I give you…Mr Billy F Gibbons.
The evening is all downhill now.
Run to You - Bryan Adams
I suggested you start your car journey with GnR’s cover of the immortal Wings’ Live and Let Die earlier. Now I want you to continue your road journey with some of the best dad-friendly drive time anthems around.
This banger by Canadian songwriting machine Bryan Adams hits every bullseye required of a full-fat dad rock anthem. Cool intro with dated-but-now-trendy guitar sound? Check! Melodic verses with a touch of longing? Check! Singalong chorus with just a touch of male machismo? Check! Whether you picture your driver self as a James Bond type or a Mad Max renegade, you can make this tune work.
Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Dads love the Chilis, there’s no mistaking! It’s that blend of obvious melody, sunbleached SoCal charm and a hint of perceived danger that makes them a perennial source of interest. The less funky and more melodic & poppy, the more the dads love it, so I’ve suggested this Stadium Arcadium-era hit for the Dad Rock playlist. Going any further into ‘the funk’ (for example, choosing Give It Away) would encourage some very regrettable dad-dancing.
Higher - Creed
You like a bit of hard rock but not too much! Some of the other dads are proper metalheads but this level of rockin’ is enough for you. You like the sound, the message and the anthemic positivity on offer here, and you don’t mind (too much) being caught at traffic lights singing along to the chorus.
Nookie - Limp Bizkit
This tune reminds you of your boisterous youth, when you used to go crazy with your friends. You’d stay out all night knocking back beers and chasing girls like there was no tomorrow. Those were the days! Tunes like Nookie were the soundtrack to those perfect summers, and you still like to think you’ve got a bit of that Fred Durst attitude when you need it. Relive that glory right now as you re-connect with your inner caveman. It’s healthy!
In small doses.
Last Train Home - John Mayer
You didn’t think you were going to like John Mayer until you finally gave him a shot. Now you can’t get enough! He’s like the new Eric Clapton but for your Dad generation, not your dad’s Dad generation.
Last Train Home is one of those perfect ‘nearly back at the house’ songs for your journey, complete with an 80s vibe that you love. Slick, fancy but not too fancy: this guy just has it.
The Pretender - Foo Fighters
Let’s get an emotional banger for your last tune tonight. Eternal youth/ultimate dad Dave Grohl was always going to show up on this list, and this tune hits just the exact note to end things on. It reminds you that you are a lot of things, not just a dad. You are a unique soul, and one who lives life on their own terms. Grohl and the boys salute you.
New Dad Rock or Old Dad Rock?
How did you get on with that list? Did you love that blend of older Dad Rock with the newer generation? Which choice dad-cuts did I miss? Were you expecting to see The Verve, maybe? Or even Kasabian? All dads are different, but Dad rock is here to stay!
