Daddy’s Girl 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. =)
Isn’t She Lovely, Stevie Wonder (about his daughter Aisha)
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”?
I… I don’t think your father sang all the lyrics. That is a crushingly depressing song.
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.
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:
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.
Well, since it was your *first *wedding, he was kinda right. 
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.
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.
…
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, at least. And it’s certainly slow dance-able :).
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.
Moved MPSIMS to Cafe Society.
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” 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” 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
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.
If you put ‘father daughter wedding songs’ into Google, the youtube links will keep you busy for several days.
Steven Curtis Chapman- Cinderella
If you can both manage to get through it without sobbing like little girls with skinned knees, that’s the song.
Sinatra’s They Can’t Take That Away From Me
I think you misread Shodan’s comments about the boyfriend. He seems genuinely fond of him.
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.
As far as dancing goes, did the old slow twirl.