If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.
When we think of musicians writing songs dedicated to someone in their lives we usually think of a lover or an ex, not their kids. But there are so many other relationships that deserve the attention of our affections — friends, parents, grandparents, and of course, children.
Some of the most beautiful, poignant, and loving love songs were written by musicians about their children? From Beyoncé to The Chicks to Machine Gun Kelly (and so many in between) these artists have all released love songs that they wrote for and about their children. So sweet, right?
Check out our list of celebrities who’ve written songs about their kids, and take a listen to discover new gems and rediscover forgotten favorites.
-
Phil Collins — ‘You’ll Be In My Heart’
Image Credit: Todd Williamson/Getty Images For Relativity Media Before she grew up to be a famous actress in her own right, Lily Collins was the muse behind her dad’s song, “You’ll Be In My Heart” which you’ll likely know as the Academy Award-winning theme song from 1999’s Tarzan.
-
Will Smith — ‘Just the Two of Us’
Image Credit: John Salangsang/Variety In 1997, Will Smith released his homage to his oldest son, Trey, a heartwarming track that samples Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us.”
Trey and Jada Pinkett Smith, while pregnant with their son Jaden, appeared in the music video for the track.
Smith welcomed Trey with ex-wife Sheree Zampino in 1992 before welcoming Jaden and Willow with Pinkett.
-
Stevie Wonder — ‘Isn’t She Lovely’
Image Credit: Rob Rich/Everett Collection It’s darn near impossible to top this one. It’s the standard-bearer. A stunning outpouring of unconditional love.
Written after the birth of his first child, daughter Aisha, Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” opens with the unmistakable sounds of a baby cooing. And it’s not just any baby, it’s the sweet sounds of Aisha’s public debut.
-
Alanis Morissette — ‘Ablaze’
Image Credit: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images If you automatically think of maternal love songs when you hear the name Alanis Morissette, you need to hear “Ablaze” and watch the video featuring her husband and cute kids.
To celebrate the song’s 2020 release, Morissette also performed it with her daughter Onyx on her lap on Jimmy Fallon.
Each verse is a distinct individual description of and wish-list for her three children, with the chorus tying in the overarching sentiment that her “mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze.” It’s just so beautiful.
Morissette shares sons Ever Imre and Winter Mercy and daughter Onyx Solace with her husband, Mario “Souleye” Treadway.
-
Machine Gun Kelly — ‘Play This When I’m Gone’
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Penske Media You may know Machine Gun Kelly, aka Colson Baker, more for his relationship with Megan Fox, with whom he shares a daughter, but he’s also dad to an older daughter Casie.
In 2020, he released a heartbreaking song for her, which he first shared with her via text message. “Play This When I’m Gone” lists his wishes for her life in case he’s not able to be there (due to his depression and anxiety). It’s not only a beautiful song, it’s brave.
-
Beyoncé — ‘Blue’ & ‘Protector’
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety Since welcoming daughter Blue Ivy in 2012, and later welcoming twins Rumi and Sir in 2019, Beyoncé has released several songs about motherhood and her little ones.
She kicked things off with a loving ode to her firstborn titled “Blue” in 2013. but there’s a special place in our playlists for 2024’s “Protector,” a sweet lullaby that Beyoncé performed with Blue and Rumi on stage during her Cowboy Carter Tour.
-
Adele — ‘Sweetest Devotion’
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety The closing track to Adele’s album, 25, is all about Angelo, her then 3-year-old son. With lyrics that feel like, “You’re my light, you’re my darkness…you’re my hope, you’re my despair. You’re my scope, everything, everywhere,” her immense talent as a songwriter has never been more evident.
In what might be a nod to Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” we can hear little sounds from her son as well.
-
Brandi Carlile — ‘The Mother’
Image Credit: Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic via Getty Images What you lose and what you gain when you decide to become a parent — that sums up what Brandi Carlile’s “The Mother” is about.
Carlile, an immensely talented Grammy-winning singer-songwriter hits home with her graceful, honest description of motherhood in a song for the ages, written for her first child, daughter Evangeline.
Since Evangeline’s 2014 birth, she and wife Catherine Shepherd have also welcomed a second daughter, Elijah.
-
The Chicks — ‘Young Man’
Image Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images The Chicks’ 2020 album “Gaslighter” earned itself a spot on the Best Breakup Albums of All Time list as singer Natalie Maines laid bare all the agony and hurt from her divorce from Adrian Pasdar. But the album also included a gorgeous song for her sons, Jackson and Beckett.
In “Young Man”, she explains as best she can the demise of their parents’ marriage and the faith she has in how she raised them to be strong men. With lyrics like “you’re of me not mine, walk your own crooked line…take the best parts of him, as your own life begins, leave the bad news behind you” it’s clear that the love she feels for her sons runs deep and true.
-
Pink — ‘Run’
Image Credit: Rob Latour/Variety We totally get the best badass-mama vibes from Pink, and those feelings shine through her song “Run,” which was written for her daughter, Willow Sage, a year after her 2011 birth.
This power ballad is meant to encourage and support Willow’s dreams and to remind her that she can always “run back to my arms” when she needs to.
Clearly, Pink is the best mama bear to Willow and son Jameson Moon who was born in 2016.
-
John Lennon — ‘Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Sometimes it’s the simplest of lyrics that pack the strongest punch. “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy),” John Lennon’s ode to his second child, Sean Ono Lennon, is a lovely little lullaby.
If you close your eyes tight enough, you can almost imagine John singing it while putting Sean down for a nap or to sleep at night.
-
DJ Khaled — ‘I Love you So Much’
Image Credit: Penske Media via Getty Images You can feel the joy and pride and love radiating through the speakers on this song, DJ Khaled’s 2017 single “I Love You So Much,” featuring Chance the Rapper, about his baby boy, Ashad.
More Stories from Entertainment
