It’s Father’s Day!
Like my Mother’s Day post, I’m putting up some songs that I know my dad likes. I’ve concluded this after years of hearing him say to me, “Please don’t ever play that music in front of me again. As long as I live. Please. If you love me, you’ll do as I say.”
I know he’s a HUGE Elvis Presley fan, so I could have filled this entire page with Elvis songs… but since my dad’s taste in music also stretches past Elvis, I thought I’d find a few other artists that he’s OK’d in my music library.
My dad’s favorite artist turns out to be Johnny Mathis, but I don’t have any Johnny Mathis music… and I don’t expect to any time soon. I remember the first (and only time) my dad attended a Johnny Mathis concert. He took my mom (who also thought she liked Mathis) and they both expected to have the best time. My dad owns a number of Mathis albums and hoped that he would hear a bunch of hits like “Chances Are” and “Misty,” but instead both my parents fell asleep during the show.
I remember the moment they got home… I ran downstairs and asked how it was. My dad said, “Boring. I fell asleep. I’m never going to another Johnny Mathis concert ever again.”
I said, “What? You were so excited to go!”
“Excitment doesn’t always translate into a good time, son.”
My mom also concurred. I half expected my dad to walk up to his Mathis albums and smash them one by one while muttering things like “Stupid Johnny Mathis” under his breath, but instead he blasted “Chances Are” and just smiled at my mom. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered that the song reminded my dad of the days he spent courting my mom… and Mathis didn’t sing it for him. What a bust.
Elvis never let my dad down.
Anyhow, you’ll notice that Pat Benetar‘s “We Belong” is included here as it was in the Mother’s Day post. Well, that’s because my dad digs this song as well. It’s one of the few “rock” songs that he actually liked from the 80′s.
I love my dad. He taught me how to play basketball, tennis, and Chinese Chess. He also kicks my ass in all those things.
Happy Father’s day, dad!
Your Dig-It Downloads:
Download: The Sound of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel
Download: Scarborough Fair/Canticle – Simon & Garfunkel
Download: I Wished on the Moon – Billie Holiday
Download: There is No Greater Love – Billie Holiday
Download: My Melencholy Blues – Queen
Download: Don’t Be Cruel – Elvis Presley
Download: Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley
Download: Blue Moon – Elvis Presley
Download: Blue Suede Shoes – Elvis Presley
Download: We Belong – Pat Benetar
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That might be the cutest story you have ever told about your parents.
No Johnny Mathis? At least we know what to get you for your birthday!!!!
Awesome FATHER'S DAY STORY.
Love this….you've inspired me to do a Mom and Dad list for my sisters…
BTW, my mother was a big Johnny Mathis fan. I have all the albums up in my attic so hit me up when you want to add them to your collection.
As a kid, I watched Mathis come on the TV variety shows and heard his songs on the radio. He had a great voice. “Misty” and “Chances Are” were and still are wonderful pop songs. As I grew older and I would see him fewer times but often on the Carson show. When live, not singing, just sitting on the couch talking to Johnny, he struck me as awful bitchy and a bit of a whiner. Hadn't thought of Mathias in a number of years until I read your very nice story about your Dad. My best to him and all Fathers on this day.
My parents are cute! Took me a long time realize this, but they are frakkin' cute!
My dad's the ultimate romantic.
If you get me a Johnny Mathis album, get me the one by U2 titled “The Joshua Tree Super Deluxe Edition.”
Did you listen to a lot of Mathis as a kid? I was subjected to a LOT of Mathis… he had one song called “You Shook Me All Night Long” that I totally dug.
Wait… that wasn't Mathis… that was Bing Crosby.
Thank you very much for the Father's Day wishes to my dad!
I do agree that those songs are classics… my dad played those Mathis albums over and over again… maybe that's why my btothers and I gravitated towards anything NON-Mathis. His voice IS pretty frikkin' smooth, though. Gotta give him that. If my voice were that smooth… well, it's not so I should stop dreaming.
No Mathis or Elvis in my house growing up, but if you ever need any Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass or Tchaikovsky…
Dad went to Memphis a few years ago on business, and – remembering back to his New York days in the 50's – was all stoked to hit up jazz clubs on Beale St. He came away sorely disappointed at today's reality and how grungy the Memphis clubs were. BUT he raved about Graceland. I never even heard him utter a word about Elvis my whole life until then. Go figure.
And, in the category of “genes will show”: his 3-year-old grandson's favorite artist in the whole world is, of course, Elvis.
Yeah, my mom was big on the singers – Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand & Shirley Bassey were her favorites. When she'd get mad at my dad she'd play Johnny over and over, but she had so many of his albums. The song I remember most is “Wonderful Wonderful” and his version of “Me & Mrs Jones”. I remember seeing him on a talk show and he explained how he held the long notes, that he learned very early how to carry a note just as strongly when he breathed in as when he breathed out. I thought that was kinda cool. Once my dad told my mom that he thought Johnny was a little “light on his loafers” – that was a pretty funny argument that followed, looking back on it. Dad was from Arkansas and was into the Hee Haw bunch – Buck Owens, Roy Clark – and Linda Ronstadt, lots of old time country and bluegrass. Too bad he's not around now for me to drag down to Nashville… ;)