Songs About Love for Friends and Family

Relationships
Written By Catharine Hannay

published 2/5/17; updated 1/11/24

by Catharine Hannay, founder of MindfulTeachers.org

Continuing the popular series of Song Playlists for Teachers, here are a variety of songs about love, gratitude, compassion, and challenging relationships.

Teachers, please note: With such a multicultural audience teaching young children through adults, I can’t guarantee that all of the songs and videos will be appropriate for your particular context. I’ve included brief descriptions to help you choose, but please preview anything you plan to share with your students.

Always Be Together, Little Mix

lyrics; audio

R+B/pop song about being “friends for life”

Be a Father to Your Child; Ed O.G. and Da Bulldogs

lyrics; video

Hip-hop song about men taking responsibility for their kids.

Bye Mom, Chris Janson

lyrics; video

Country song about saying ‘bye Mom’ throughout his life, from a kid on his first day of school to the final goodbye.

Child of Mine, Carole King
lyrics; audio

Appreciating and supporting her child.

Count on Me, Bruno Mars
lyrics; audio; cover by Goodnight Fellows; ASL interpretation by Soph 1951

Ready to be a supportive friend in times of need.

Daddy Loves You, Lil Crazed
official video

Rapping about his love for his young son.

Daddy’s Little Girl, The Shires

lyrics; official video

country song about a daughter’s love for her father

Dance with My Father, Luther Vandross
lyrics; video

Wishing he could have his dead father back in his life.

Daughters, John Mayer
lyrics; video

Later romantic relationships are impacted by the way parents treat their children.

Dear Dad, Will Day

video

Quiet song about grieving for his father.

Dear Mama, 2Pac

lyrics; video

Even though they had a lot of struggles, he appreciates his mom’s efforts to raise him as a single mother.

Everything (You're Still Here), Alanis Morisette
lyrics; official video

Despite all my flaws, you’re still here. (There’s one potentially-offensive word in the first line.)

Family, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

lyrics; official video

Folk rock song about appreciating our families. (Video shows a variety of different families.)

Family Reunion, Jill Scott

lyrics; audio

R+B song about the positive and negative dynamics at a family reunion

Fathers and Daughters, Michael Bolton

lyrics; acoustic cover by Boyce Avenue

song from a father’s perspective about his love for his daughter

Friend, Ahn Jung Jae and Sungha Jung
Video of two musician friends playing guitar together

instrumental guitar music

Friendship, Chris Stapleton

lyrics; audio

Appreciating a lifelong friendship, through good times and bad.

Gift of a Friend, Demi Lovato

lyrics; video

Everything seems better when you’ve got a friend by your side.

A Grandmother’s Love, Phillip Mills

video (lyrics in description)

a tribute from her grandson

The Greatest Man I Never Knew, Reba McEntire
lyrics; audio

Regretting that she wasn’t closer to her father.

Hey Brother, Avicii

lyrics; cover by siblings Jada and Kyson Facer; official video (story of an older brother who dies while serving in the military)

This song can be interpreted two ways: about siblings, or about ‘brotherhood’ more generally.

Hold My Breath, Verona Blu
video (lyrics not available)

A father raps about his love for his little boy.

I Miss You, Peter Boxell
video of The Missing People Choir

A choir made up of people whose loved ones have gone missing, some of them for many years.

I Won't Let Go, Rascal Flatts
lyrics; video of live performance

This song expresses support for someone who’s struggling.

I'm Gonna Love You Through It, Martina McBride
lyrics; lyrics video; official video (song is intercut with women talking about how their loved ones supported them through cancer treatment)

I’m Only Me When I’m with You, Taylor Swift

lyrics; cover by Susan Yu; official video

It Won't Be Like This For Long, Darius Rucker
lyrics; video

Thinking about how quickly his daughter will grow up.

Jealous, Labrinth
lyrics; official video; video of cover by Josh Daniel dedicated to his best friend, who died at age 18 in a car crash (on The X Factor UK; worth watching until the end to see fellow judges wondering how to comfort Simon Cowell, whose mother died a month earlier)

A Letter to My Daughter, Kerri Brown

lyrics; lyric video

Mama, This One's for You, Beth Hart
lyrics; official video (live performance intercut with film clips of mothers and daughters)

My Angel, Kellie Pickler
lyrics; cover by Brittany Mercedes, dedicated to her own grandmother who just passed away

Not All Heroes Wear Capes, Owl City
lyrics; official video

A song about why his dad is his hero.

Old Friends, Guy Clark

lyrics; live performance

Once a Day, Michael Franti and Spearhead
lyrics; official video, which looks like a crazy multi-cultural street party; alternate video of quieter live performance

This song was written after his son was diagnosed with a serious illness.

Parents, Nothing More, Rosa Lee and Damon Timm
video: sign language (ASL) performance artist Rosa Lee Timm pairs up with her husband, musician Damon Timm, for a naptime recording of a song about the challenges of caring for a baby.

Pass It On, Kurt Hugo Schneider
lyrics; video

A cappella song about sharing your love (with rhythm from hand claps and Coke bottles—I definitely do not have that level of coordination!)

P.S. I Love You Dad, Tom Nitti

video

Ready, Set, Don’t Go, Billy Ray Cyrus
lyrics; video of cover by Mama Uke

Trying to be supportive of a daughter leaving home and chasing her dreams.

See You Again, Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

lyrics; official video; official lyrics video; cover by One Voice Children's Choir

Missing a friend and looking forward to getting reconnected.

She's Leaving Home, The Beatles
lyrics; audio; video of performance by The Analogues

The classic Beatles song about parents not understand why their daughter left home when they gave her “everything money could buy.”

Shower the People, James Taylor
lyrics (click on song title); video of live performance; cover by Choir! Choir! Choir!

Be sure to express your love to your friends and family.

This is Love, Walk off the Earth

lyrics; official video

Video is a compilation of fan videos of love for their families, partners, and pets.

True Friend, Hannah Montana

lyrics; audio

Two of Us, Louis Tomlinson
official video (lyrics in video description); 'Richard's Bucket List': Louis, who's grieving for his mom, teams up with an 83-year old widower for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure

Unsteady, X Ambassadors
lyrics; official video

A child’s reaction to parents splitting up.

You Are My Friend, Ledisi
lyrics, audio

You've Got a Friend, Carole King
lyrics; audio;  performance by James Taylor; cover by Ralph Otic

You've Got a Friend in Me, Randy Newman
lyrics; cover by ortoPilot


Catharine Hannay
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