While it isn’t a wedding tradition, more and more mothers and sons are opting to dance together at a wedding. If you want to do it right, then you need a good song. So, why not turn to the classic rock era between the 1960s and the middle of the 1990s?
If you’re looking for some good classic rock mother son wedding songs, we’ve got you covered. We’ve gone through countless songs, and we have compiled the greatest list of classic rock mother-son wedding songs ever. It wasn’t easy.
Very few songs can be used (few songs have been written about the mother-son relationship), but we reckon you’ll find a couple of bangers that you love on this list.
Remember, many of these songs are not strictly about the mother-son relationship, but the lyrics can be interpreted in that way. All are about a huge amount of love between two people, and mothers and sons always have that very close bond with each other.
The Best Classic Rock Mother Son Wedding Songs
You will also love these other play lists for memorable moments on your big day:
1. ‘Forever Young’ – The Pretenders
Lyrics You’ll Like: May you grow up to be righteous / May you grow up to be true / May you always know the truth / And see the lights surrounding you
This song was originally written and performed by one of the kings of rock, Rod Stewart. He wrote the lyrics as a tribute to his children. He talks about how he wishes they could remain young forever and, if they can’t, they go on to do brilliant things.
So, it links perfectly with the mother-son dance. A mother passing her son off. She doesn’t want to, but she hopes good things will happen.
We’ve gone for The Pretenders version because it just sounds better at a wedding dance. Don’t get us wrong. We do still love ourselves a bit of Rod Stewart. His vocals on this track aren’t quite right for the mother-son dance, though.
2. ‘You’re My Best Friend’ – Queen
Lyrics You’ll Love: Oh, you’re the best friend that I ever had / I’ve been with you such a long time
Queen’s back catalog is packed with songs that would go down a treat for those hankering for classic rock mother-son wedding songs. We’ve gone for ‘You’re My Best Friend’.
This song is great for those mothers and sons that don’t feel like doing the more traditional slow dance and are looking for something a lot more upbeat.
As you can guess from the name, this song is all about telling somebody that they are your best friend and how they have changed your life. Perfect!
3. ‘Landslide’ – Fleetwood Mac
Lyrics You’ll Love: Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’ / ‘Cause I’ve built my life around you / But time makes you bolder / Even children get older / And I’m getting older too
A lot of people class this as a father-daughter dance song, which makes sense. It was written by Stevie Nicks for Lindsey Buckingham, her bandmate at the time. The lyrics are very ‘male focused’. She wrote it at a time when Fleetwood Mac was struggling to gain traction.
The lyrics are about somebody who is reluctant to change, but they are going to embrace it anyway, even if the whole world comes falling down on them. We have seen many weddings where this is played as one of the mother-son dance songs, and it works beautifully well.
It works in the context of a mother passing on her son to the new love of his life.
4. ‘Wildflowers’ – Tom Petty
Lyrics You’ll Love: You belong among the wildflowers / You belong in a boat out at sea / You belong with your love on your arm / You belong somewhere you feel free
Tom Petty is the epitome of classic rock songs, so we just had to include one of his tracks on this list of the best classic rock mother-son wedding songs, and ‘Wildflowers’ is the best choice.
This beautiful track is about a person letting somebody that they love go, because they believe that person deserves to be ‘free’ and to find somebody who deeply cares about them.
We love the more upbeat nature of ‘Wildflowers’ too. It isn’t a slow dance, but it isn’t so fast that it is going to put people into a ‘bopping’ mood. Great for mothers and sons that don’t want to dance slowly in front of everybody.
5. ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ – Guns N’ Roses
Lyrics You’ll Love: She’s got a smile that it seems to me / Reminds me of childhood memories
This song is about an actual romantic relationship. If you listen to the lyrics, it is incredibly obvious. Although, Sweet Child O’ Mine still makes an appearance in many mother-son wedding dances, because a lot of people take the lyrics literally.
We don’t begrudge them for that. Any wedding with a bit of Guns N’ Roses playing is a good wedding in our books!
Once again, this is another song that veers towards being much more upbeat. Perfect if you want your dance to have a great solo in the middle of it. Everybody knows this song too, so you may even get a couple of people singing along!
6. ‘Mother’ – Pink Floyd
Lyrics You’ll Love: She won’t let you fly but she might let you sing / Mama will keep baby cosy and warm
The Wall must be one of the greatest rock opera albums in the world. Every track tells a story, and ‘Mother’ is one of those. This song’s lyrics involve the main character of the album seeking advice and guidance from his mother, and she tells him she will do everything that she can to protect him.
The lyrics make this perfect for those that want a classic rock mother-son wedding song. A good mother will always be there to protect their children.
7. ‘Thank You For Loving Me’ – Bon Jovi
Lyrics You’ll Love: I never knew I had a dream / Until that dream was you / When I look into your eyes / The sky’s a different blue
Another love song that can be used as a mother-son wedding dance. Bon Jovi are classic rock gods, and nearly every song that they have put out has been a banger.
‘Thank You For Loving Me’ tells the story of falling in love with somebody, and then thanking them for providing protection and love. The lyrics line up perfectly with what a son would love to tell his mother.
8. ‘All You Need is Love’ – The Beatles
Lyrics You’ll Love: All you need is love / All you need is love / All you need is love, love / Love is all you need
We must admit that ‘All You Need is Love’ isn’t quite at the height of The Beatle’s lyrical genius, but it is one of their most popular tracks, and perfect for mothers and sons that want a more upbeat track that everybody in that room is going to know.
The lyrics are basically ‘All You Need is Love’ and variations of that throughout. As we said, not the greatest Beatles lyrics ever. Every so often, a quick verse breaks things up a bit. However, it is the ‘love’ part that we’re focusing on here. A mother’s love for her son.
9. ‘Simple Man’ – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lyrics You’ll Love: Oh, take your time, don’t live too fast / Troubles will come and they will pass / You’ll find a woman, yeah, and you’ll find love / And don’t forget son there is someone up above
This is a very faith-based song, and Lynyrd Skynyrd has leaned heavily into that, but you don’t have to be religious to enjoy ‘Simple Man’.
This amazing track is the story of a mother telling her son to go and find love and enjoy life but to always stay true to his roots. The mother constantly reassures that she wants the best for her son, no matter what that is. A perfect classic rock mother-son wedding song!
There are a few references to God in there (‘There is someone up above’), but the reference is so broad, you can ignore it.
10. ‘God Only Knows’ – The Beach Boys
Lyrics You’ll Love: God only knows what I’d be without you / If you should ever leave me
The Beach Boys may have some decent bops, but their music always carries a huge amount of meaning. Their songs have been analyzed like crazy, and ‘God Only Knows’ has been played at many, many different weddings as a mother-son dance.
You can interpret this song how you wish. We interpret the song in a way that there may be tough times ahead for the mother-son relationship, but the mother would be nothing without the son (and vice versa).
The Beach Boys have stated the lyrics are about a person’s relationship with God, but we have enjoyed this song at every wedding where it has made an appearance at.
11. ‘Days Like This’ – Van Morrison
Lyrics You’ll Love: When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch / Well my mama told me there’ll be days like this
Van Morrison is a seriously underrated musician, at least outside a couple of songs. His lyrics are always so beautiful, and ‘Days Like This’ is no exception to that rule.
This track talks about how a mother promised her son that while there will be ups and downs in life, things will always get better. So, what better song to play on what is going to be the happiest day of the son’s life?
12. ‘Beautiful Boy’ – John Lennon
Lyrics You’ll Love: I can hardly wait / To see you come of age
John Lennon wrote this song for his son, Sean. So, it is really a song about a father-son relationship, but the lyrics are general enough that it could also apply to mothers and sons too.
This song is certainly on the slower side of the classic rock side of things, so you may need to work on your slow dance skills.
‘Beautiful Boy’ works so well as a mother-son wedding dance as it tells the story of a parent who is enjoying every moment of their life with their child, but they can’t wait to see them grow up and become the person they are going to be for the rest of their lives.
We are sure that many mothers have felt like this.
13. ‘The Wish’ – Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics You’ll Love: And it’s a funny old world, mama, where a little boy’s wishes come true / Well I got a few left in my pocket and a special one just for you
‘The Wish’ by Bruce Springsteen has been called the quintessential classic rock song for a mother-son wedding dance.
Bruce wrote the lyrics in tribute to his mother, and the impact that she had on him growing up. Every single word in this song carries a deep meaning, and the lyrics are beautiful. Plus, who doesn’t want The Boss singing to them at their wedding?
14. ‘Wonderful Tonight’ – Eric Clapton
Lyrics You’ll Love: I feel wonderful / Because I see the love light in your eyes / And the wonder of it all / Is that you just don’t realize how much I love you
Wonderful Tonight is a romantic song, often used by couples for their first dance. Although, we’ve seen mothers and sons dance to this classic rock track too. The lyrics are broad enough for that.
Eric Clapton sings about the love somebody has for somebody, no matter what they look like or what they are doing. We’re sure that the mother is going to look beautiful for her son’s wedding, so why not tell her through song?
15. ‘In My Life’ – The Beatles
Lyrics You’ll Love: There are places I’ll remember / All my life, though some have changed / Some forever, not for better / Some have gone and some remain
There is a bit more of The Beatles ‘lyrical genius at play in ‘In My Life’ than in the previous Beatles recommendation. The lyrics are so much more beautiful. Although, since it isn’t as well known as ‘All You Need is Love’, we couldn’t place it higher on this list.
As with every Beatles song, the lyrics are up for interpretation. We like to see this as a song telling the story of major changes happening in a person’s life, but despite these changes, there are some people that they will love forever (‘though I’ll never lose affection’).
Which makes it great for a mother-son dance. A wedding is a major change, but the son wants to remind his mother that he’ll never stop loving her.
Outro
Unfortunately, there isn’t a huge number of classic rock mother-son wedding songs out there, which did make putting together this list incredibly difficult.
However, we reckon we’ve done a good job. If you’re looking for a great song idea or two, then you’ve spotted a couple of tracks you may want to play at your wedding. Add them to your playlist and have a fantastic married life!
FAQs
What are the best classic rock mother-son wedding songs?
We recommend either ‘Forever Young’ by The Pretenders, or ‘Landslide’ by Fleetwood Mac. Both encapsulate the beautiful relationship between a mother and son incredibly well.
Do Mothers and Sons Need to Dance at a Wedding?
It is not as traditional as the father-daughter dance, but it has happened at several weddings that we have attended. If you don’t feel comfortable dancing, then you don’t need to.
Serena & Dominic are a married couple and parents to 3 wonderful children. They plan weddings, run multiple small businesses, and curate wedding events.
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