Tiny Humans, Big Feelings
Birthdays have a funny way of making you reflect on your life. Where you’ve been. Where you’re going. What you’ve done. What you still want to do.
I am at the age where my friends are making little friends.
While I do not want kids for myself, and I’ve never felt like parenthood was something missing from the life I envision for myself, it makes you think about the impact that you want to make on the world and how that impact (hopefully) creates a better world for their little worlds. It’s no longer some far away, abstract idea. It’s here, it’s now, and it’s what they will inherit.
Because there is something to be said about watching people you love create tiny people that they love more than anything earthly possible that naturally expands your worldview a little.
And apparently, it has also made me incredibly susceptible to songs musicians wrote for or about their little ones that hit me like a ton of bricks when I hear them (so probably hit actual parents like a comet hurtling towards earth especially if it actually includes their kid’s name).
So in honor of another trip around the sun, here are my top 10 songs musicians wrote for their kids that get me every. frickin’. time.
Whitney Houston - “My Love is Your Love”
This song was a part of her “comeback” album (full bias that I don’t think she ever left) with the same title. The sweetest part of this song wasn’t even originally planned and comes 17 seconds into the ballad, when her 5-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina hypes her up by saying, “Sing, Mommy.” While Whitney was in the recording booth, Bobbi Kristina said it and Wyclef Jean had her repeat it, recorded it, and, without Whitney knowing, saved it for the finished song. So Whitney didn’t hear that her daughter’s voice had been added until Wyclef played the final track for her and said it brought her to tears (which, like, same).
Lauryn Hill — “To Zion”
This is actually the song that sparked the brain dump of this blog. In writing out my feelings about the 2026 BET Awards Tribute to Lauryn Hill’s career (shameless plug read it here) I found myself re-listening to “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” on my long commute and WOOF. The metaphors. The double entendres. The vulnerable emotion felt in every lyric. “Unsure of what the balance held, I touched my belly overwhelmed, by what I had been chosen to perform.” “How beautiful if nothing more than to wait at Zion’s door. I’ve never been in love like this before. Now let me pray to keep you from, the perils that will surely come. See life for you my prince has just begun.” And as a sidenote/fun fact: Lauryn Hill’s son, Zion is a direct descendant of the late Bob Marley who regularly would reference Zion in his music. How cool to think that your grandfather sang to you before even being actualized as a twinkle in your father’s eye?
Justin Bieber — “Everything Hallelujah”
S.W.A.G. in and of itself seems like a love letter to family through the perspective that fatherhood has given him to level up in other aspects of his life: husband, believer, artist. Quite frankly to me comes off as having such overwhelm to just say thank you (in this case hallelujah) as a full sentence. He’s been in the game long enough to know lyrics really are forever so to include “Oscar Piggy” right after “Baby Jack” in his list of Hallelujah feels extremely paternal.
Teddy Swims — “Small Hands”
Honestly, I think this harnesses everything that the phrase “small, but mighty” means. An individual not ready to change their toxic ways, in the split of an instant, finding all the motivation needed in the smallest package. And while unsure of the right thing to do, having the willingness to do it scared with this new purpose.
Beyoncé — “Brown Skin Girl”
To me this is everything beautiful about breaking generational trauma and pouring into your child everything that society may have told you, at face value, is ugly, but more so how your differences are what make you most beautiful and should be highlighted. It’s not just about “I love you.” It’s “Hey, I love you AND you should love you, so I need you to know your worth before the world gets an opportunity to tell you otherwise.”
Jay-Z feat. Blue Ivy — “Glory”
Grammys. Riches. The respect of his peers. Full stadiums rapping back his lyrics to him. One of the greatest lyricists of our time reminding us his wife is Beyoncé “You’re a child of destiny. You’re the child of my destiny. You’re my child with the child from Destiny’s Child.” And he gives us one of the most simple, direct, heartfelt lines over baby Blue Ivy crying in her first moments Earthside: “My greatest creation was you”.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ed Sheeran — “Growing Up”
A classic “I’m so excited to be a parent, but I’m scared I’ll screw you up” song which I feel just captures every first time parents’ feelings. There’s the battle with self-doubt: “Sometimes I question why I’m here, I just wanna be a good dad. Will I be? I have no idea.” And in his attempt to give his best fatherly advice he’s simultaneously trying to almost convince himself of the advice he’s giving? Like we’re getting this insight into some self-realization and these internal battles with what he has essentially been told about living life and what he’s actually observed within the first 30 seconds. “They say boys don’t cry, but your dad has shed a lot of tears.” or “They say girls shouldn’t be tough and moms should raise their kids at home. But baby, I know that that isn’t true. ‘Cause your momma’s the toughest person I know. I wanna raise you to be like her”. And so it’s almost like he gets to the point of a very “do as I say not as I do” in a loving way of if I could go back this is what I would have done like “Wear a helmet, don’t be stupid” feels very specific and tied to a memory. This song feels even more topical with recent events between these two.
Stevie Wonder — “Isn’t She Lovely”
Honestly, have some fond memories dancing with my dad at my father-daughter dances with this one. It makes me smile thinking of my guy friends excitingly anticipating their first-born daughter with the same excitement. Like not “I’m so excited I need to go make the happiest song I’ll ever record”, but I’m sure they would if they could.
Adele - “Remedy”
Adele writes music for people who need to cry and alas, I am her target demographic. But Remedy hits different. It’s not heartbreak inthe traditional Adele sense. It’s heartbreak that is anticipatory of the things life’s gonna throw at them and about wanting to be a safe place for when it gets hard. And honestly, I think there’s something to be said about knowing you can’t protect your kid from every hurt, but promising that when it does hurt, they have a soft place to land.
Billy Joel - “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)”
This talks about the same fear and yearning to protect your kids from the bad stuff, but ultimately confronts the reality of mortality: “I love you so much and I cannot actually stay here to protect you forever.” It’s one of those songs that I feel doesn’t need me to explain further because well, Billy effin’ Joel.
Honorable Mention
Taylor Swift - “Never Grow Up”
The quite literal only reason this is not in the top 10 is because she is not singing about her own children thus warranting an honorable mention section.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. - “Dear Theodosia”
Yeah yeah I know it is fictitious, but come on! Leslie Odom Jr.’s “When you smile, you knock me out, I fall apart and I thought I was so smart”? Tears If you are really trying ball your eyes out listen to Chance the Rapper (who was about to be a first time father at the time of recording) sing on the Hamilton Mixtape
Jonas Brothers - “Little Bird”
Something weird about 3 brothers who you have consciously watched grow in popularity since 6th grade grow up to get married and have children.
Minnie Riperton - “Lovin’ You”
This song hits like a dagger when you learn the background that Riperton originally created the melody as a distraction for her daughter who was a baby at the time so she could spend time with her husband. On the unedited track you can even hear her ending the song by singing her name Maya repeatedly…that daughter grew up to be the Maya Rudolph
Stevie Wonder — “You Are The Sunshine of My Life”
Ok, technically about his first wife, but this is quite literally a classic song in most Black households and honestly if you ever watched “Everybody Loves Raymond” you know it was playing when Ally was born and became her song for Ray. So if you object, I overrule it.
Meghan Trainor - “Timeless”
The lyrics themselves read as a love song to a significant other, but honestly when I saw her in concert and she showed videos of her kids wow, just wow.
Beyoncé — “Protector”
Another banger that I was able to hear in concert from Virgo sister, Queen B. The message was so clear on its intent: beginning, middle and end.
Obviously, my list isn’t inclusive of every song. Got a song that makes you think of your kids, nieces, or nephews? Add it to the list! Because whether or not we have little worlds of our own, we all have some social responsibility for the world we give them. Might as well give them a good soundtrack while we’re at it.
(Also feels obvious, but I do not own any of the music or artwork)
