Ordinary Days
Written for A couple's tenth anniversary, from Daniel to Emma
For parents of sons
Songs about sons, and one with his name in it
Thirty songs parents keep coming back to, sorted by how old he was, plus lines for dedicating one. Or tell us about him and we write a song that is his alone.
- His name in the lyrics
- Listen before you pay
- From $34.99
ForLeo
Taller than the doorframe, still my little guy
AI photo · fictional peoplesongtolove.com
Thirty songs, six pencil marks
Songs for sons, from his first night home to his wedding day
Six moments parents remember by height and age, each with five songs families play for them. Titles and artists only: play a few and notice which one makes you put the phone down.
- Day one
The newborn year
Play it for The hospital bag playlist, the first night home, the feeds at three in the morning.
- Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) · John Lennon
- Sweet Baby James · James Taylor
- You'll Be in My Heart · Phil Collins
- Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) · The Chicks
- Child of Mine · Carole King
- Age 3 to 10
The little years
Play it for Truck rides, bedtime, the ball field, and every request for one more time.
- Watching You · Rodney Atkins
- Cat's in the Cradle · Harry Chapin
- Boy · Lee Brice
- Teach Your Children · Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Count on Me · Bruno Mars
- 13, 16, 18, 21
The big birthdays
Play it for The birthdays when his voice on the phone suddenly sounds like a grown man's.
- Forever Young · Bob Dylan
- Hey Jude · The Beatles
- Father and Son · Cat Stevens
- Humble and Kind · Tim McGraw
- Lean on Me · Bill Withers
- Cap and gown
Graduation day
Play it for The slideshow at the party, the drive home, the card tucked in with the gift.
- My Wish · Rascal Flatts
- Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) · Green Day
- I Lived · OneRepublic
- Hall of Fame · The Script
- Unwritten · Natasha Bedingfield
- Moving out
Leaving home
Play it for College move-in day, a first apartment, or the morning he leaves for basic training.
- Home · Phillip Phillips
- Letters from Home · John Michael Montgomery
- Landslide · Fleetwood Mac
- 100 Years · Five for Fighting
- Keep Your Head Up · Andy Grammer
- His wedding
The mother–son dance
Play it for The dance after the first dance, or a father–son moment during the toasts.
- A Song for My Son · Mikki Viereck
- Simple Man · Lynyrd Skynyrd
- I Hope You Dance · Lee Ann Womack
- What a Wonderful World · Louis Armstrong
- You Raise Me Up · Josh Groban
Next mark
Every song on this list is about somebody else's boy
Yours can carry his name in the chorus, the nickname only family uses, and the story you still tell at every holiday table.
Looking for a song for his birthday or his 18th? 18th birthday songs
Dedicating a song
What to write when you dedicate a song to your son
The music carries most of it. One short line from you, on a card or in the gift message, carries the rest. A few that parents have written:
Writing your own line
Name a moment, not a feeling
“The night you drove home through the snow” says more than any adjective about being proud.
Keep one joke in
The burnt pancakes, the dog he named, the haircut. A small laugh lets the big words land softly.
Sign it the way he says it
Mom, Mama, Pops, Dad, Grandpa. Whatever he actually calls you across the kitchen.
On his wedding day
How to pick a mother–son dance song
It usually comes third: after the couple's first dance and the father–daughter dance, before everyone else is called to the floor.
A typical reception order
- First dance
- Father–daughter
- Mother–son
- Open floor
No mother–son dance planned? Families also do a father–son dance, or one song for both parents and the groom together.
Four questions families ask
- Who chooses it?
- Traditionally the groom does, but plenty of moms pick it as a surprise. Either way, give the DJ the title or the file a week ahead.
- How long should it last?
- Two to three minutes feels right to most guests. A DJ can fade any full-length song out after its second chorus.
- Slow, or a little fun?
- Start slow for the photographer. If you both like a laugh, have the DJ switch to something upbeat halfway through.
- Want one nobody has danced to before?
- Build it from stories only the two of you remember. It can mention his bride by name, too.
Or give him his own
A song that already knows his name
The songs above were written about other people's sons. His can hold the name you chose for him, the nickname nobody outside the family uses, and the stories that come out every holiday.
What parents ask us to put in
- His name, and the one only family uses
- A small story: the bike, the dog, the burnt pancakes
- What you would tell him if he sat still long enough
- Who it comes from: Mom, Dad, or both of you
Two finished songs to listen to
Neither one is about a son. Play them to hear how a few true details turn into verses, and the moment a name is sung.
Celebrate You, Maya
Written for Maya's thirtieth birthday, from her best friend
Both songs were made on this site from real stories. The names you hear are the names their buyers gave us.
From parents
Songs parents gave their sons
Played it in the car after the ceremony. He stared out the window for the whole second verse so I wouldn't see his face.
Denise M. 
My son is sixteen and doesn't say much to me. He asked me to text him the MP3. From him, that's a speech.
Rob K. 
He flew out the next morning. Weeks later he told me he played it on the bus more than once, and that nobody teased him.
Teresa A. 
Made it at 2 a.m. between feeds. His name, his birth weight and the dog who won't leave his crib are all in there.
Chris & Dani 
We danced to it at his wedding. The verse about him crashing his bike into the mailbox made his bride laugh out loud.
Maria G. 
I slipped a card with the QR code into his care package. He texted back one word: Mom. Then a second text with four hearts.
Janet O. 
My son turned forty and I am seventy-two. I finally told him the things I never managed to say while he was small.
Evelyn R. 
Played it for him after his last game of the season. He is eight, and he made the whole team listen to it twice.
Luis P.
How it works
From your stories to his song
Most parents finish the writing part on a phone, in one sitting, before the coffee goes cold.
- Step 1
Tell us about him
His name, his age, what he is like at the dinner table, and one or two stories you still tell. A few honest lines are plenty.
- Step 2
Listen to two versions
Around three minutes later, two complete songs play in the voice and style you picked. There is nothing to pay at this point.
- Step 3
Change a line, or the whole mood
Swap a word, slow it down, try a different voice. Every change brings two fresh takes to compare.
- Step 4
Give it to him
Pay once, then send the private gift page by text or email on the day, or play the MP3 out loud at the table.
What it costs
One song, written about one boy
A single payment, made only after both versions have played from start to finish.
FAQ
Questions parents ask
Mostly asked the week before a birthday, a graduation or a wedding.
Can the song use his nickname and our family jokes?
Yes. Put them in your story: the name only family uses, the dog he named, the joke that still works at Thanksgiving. The lyrics are written from your details, so the more specific you are, the more it sounds like him.
Can it be about when he was little?
Of course. Many parents write about the early years: a first word, a stuffed rabbit, the summer he learned to ride a bike. Say roughly when it happened and the verses can travel from then to now.
Will it work for a mother–son dance at his wedding?
Yes. After payment you download an MP3 for the DJ. You can't set an exact length, but you hear both versions in full first, and the DJ can fade it after the second chorus to keep the dance short.
Who sings it, and in what style?
You pick a genre, a mood such as calm, nostalgic or happy, and a male voice, a female voice or a duet. We can't imitate a real artist, but you can describe the sound you have in mind.
How quickly can I give it to him?
Two versions are usually ready two to three minutes after you send your story, and the files unlock the moment you pay. You can also schedule the gift email for his birthday or graduation morning.
What if it doesn't sound like him?
Then don't pay. Change a line, the mood or the voice and you get two new versions; the app shows how many rounds you have left. Once paid, purchases are final except as our refund policy describes.
Can I put it in a graduation slideshow or a family video?
Yes. You get an MP3, a lyric video (MP4) and a lyrics PDF, and once you pay we transfer our rights in your song to you, so it can go in a slideshow, a video or a post.
Can it come from both of us, or the whole family?
Yes. Tell us who it is from in your story and sign the gift message with every name you like: Mom and Dad, his grandparents, his little sister.
