# This Time I Don't Want to Embarass My Daughter **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 30, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512 "2013-12-30T21:20:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/41 "2013-12-31T03:51:49Z")
[Daddy’s Girl](http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858789107/) by Peter Cetera. The dingbat DJ at my first wedding played, “Do You Believe in Life After Love” for the final song of the evening. I wanted my money back. =) ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/42 "2013-12-31T04:49:31Z")
Isn’t She Lovely, Stevie Wonder (about his daughter Aisha) ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/43 "2013-12-31T05:04:52Z")
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/44 "2013-12-31T05:10:03Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Ultra-corny suggestion. When my sister was very young, my father always (nightly, for a good long time) sang to her before putting her down to bed, “You are my sunshine”. Ultra-corny, but slow enough you can dance to and, who knows, the sappy sentiment might appeal to her. Or embarrass her, who can tell? I… I don’t think your father sang _all_ the lyrics. That is a crushingly depressing song. > [@](#): > > I’ll always love you and make you happy > If you will only say the same > But if you leave me to love another, > You’ll regret it all one day > > You are my sunshine, my only sunshine > You make me happy when skies are grey > You never noted how much I love you > Please don’t take my sunshine away ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/45 "2013-12-31T05:22:20Z")
It was an interpretation I’d never thought of, but I thought it was adorable when I attended a wedding and the bride and her father danced to “My Girl” by the Temptations. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/46 "2013-12-31T07:13:51Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > I… I don’t think your father sang _all_ the lyrics. That is a crushingly depressing song. THANK YOU! I was resisting the temptation to immediately reply to him when I read that to see if anyone else replied. And don’t forget the last verse: > [@](#): > > You told me once, dear > You really loved me > And no one else could come between > But now you’ve left me > And love another > You have shattered all my dreams; _Now_ I can appreciate the song’s melancholic beauty, but man, when I had decided to look up the complete lyrics of that sweet song sung to kids (“there’s gotta be more than just the one short bit I know. Wonder what it is!”), I was freaked out as I read along. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/47 "2013-12-31T07:35:28Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > [Daddy’s Girl](http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858789107/) by Peter Cetera. > > The dingbat DJ at my first wedding played, “Do You Believe in Life After Love” for the final song of the evening. I wanted my money back. =) Well, since it was your \*first \*wedding, he was kinda right. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/48 "2013-12-31T08:09:23Z")
How about “Laura’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago. The original version has no lyrics, but a nice song for dancing. I just think choosing any song without lyrics would be best, so nobody will try to read some mysterious, secret message into the text. There are lots and lots of Big Band era songs that would work as well. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/49 "2013-12-31T10:03:45Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Besides, it has to be slow enough to dance to it, so a cast is not a good enough excuse. So you can’t use the one from my cousin Mike’s wedding, I guess? After the not-very-blushing couple’s first dance, the second one was MoG-Mike and FoB-Sole to the tune of Mambo Number 5. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/50 "2013-12-31T10:43:42Z")
… ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/51 "2013-12-31T10:46:32Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > It is a pretty song, I have always liked it and I think Whitney had a heck of a set of pipes, and it conveys the sense of bittersweetness I am feeling as my daughter moves on to the next part of her life. > > Do you have suggestions? Well, when my sister got married and I felt a strangely similar sentiment, I eventually found that Queen’s _Sail Away Sweet Sister_ was the best way I could express it to her without looking like a big fat pansy. She still thought I was a big fat pansy, but that’s besides the point. Could work just as well for a daddy, maybe. [Worth a listen](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQxXgmnS_yM), at least. And it’s certainly slow dance-able :). ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/52 "2013-12-31T13:41:17Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I have been browsing about a bit, and the best I can come up with so far is “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston. It is a pretty song, I have always liked it and I think Whitney had a heck of a set of pipes, and it conveys the sense of bittersweetness I am feeling as my daughter moves on to the next part of her life. If you do use this song despite the textual dissonance pointed out by **Ravenman** , do yourself a favor and use the Dolly Parton original. Whitney just blasts it out, Dolly sings it with some actual emotion and nuance. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/53 "2013-12-31T14:06:19Z")
Moved MPSIMS to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/54 "2013-12-31T14:30:15Z")
Thanks for the suggestions so far. I think it needs to have lyrics, and my daughter likes country music, so something from that genre might be good. Browsing thru some of the suggestions, I came across [“Daddy Dance with Me”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo0ay--8KUE) which is very pretty but addressed from the daughter to the father, and I want it the other way around if possible. I also found [“Gotta Let Go”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21XBELeWkwc) which is also nice, and under consideration. Sorry, but not “Sunrise, Sunset”. Too hackneyed. Maybe I will create a poll with all the suggestions. Keep them coming! Thanks for the move, **twickster**. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/55 "2013-12-31T14:40:21Z")
If it helps, I’ve attended hundreds of weddings (for a certain value of ‘attending.’ I was a busboy at a ballroom facility all through high school.) I would say about 75% of the daddy/daughter dances were “Sunrise, Sunset.” With two caveats: - this was the 1980s. - it very well may have been the only appropriate song our 5-man house orchestra knew. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/56 "2013-12-31T14:42:14Z")
If you put ‘father daughter wedding songs’ into Google, the youtube links will keep you busy for several days. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/57 "2013-12-31T14:50:59Z")
Steven Curtis Chapman- Cinderella [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nrWMBC6yoME/maxresdefault.jpg "Steven Curtis Chapman - Cinderella (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrWMBC6yoME) If you can both manage to get through it without sobbing like little girls with skinned knees, that’s the song. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/58 "2013-12-31T15:01:25Z")
Sinatra’s _[They Can’t Take That Away From Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpcWfWUEjY0)_ ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/59 "2013-12-31T15:07:33Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Considering how thrilled he is about the boyfriend, I’d say it’d be fitting. On a few levels. I think you misread Shodan’s comments about the boyfriend. He seems genuinely fond of him. ---
**Author:** ![UncleMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e0b2c6/32.png) [@UncleMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleMoose)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512/60 "2013-12-31T15:59:48Z")
I was in this same situation 2 years ago, except that I was determined not to pick a song that would cause me to break down on the dance floor (so Daddy’s Little Girl was right out). I ended up using the dubbed Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole version of “Unforgettable”, which worked well for us. [http://youtu.be/2uRtNMFfF-g](http://youtu.be/2uRtNMFfF-g) As far as dancing goes, did the old slow twirl. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-time-i-dont-want-to-embarass-my-daughter/677512.md?page=4)