The 5: Greatest Mean Dad Father/Son Songs, As Chosen By Tom Shillue

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Comedian Tom Shillue, the author of Mean Dads for a Better America thinks a mean dad is a good dad, and he’s found all the proof he needs in this list of his favorite father/son songs. Shillue will release the book, fully titled Mean Dads For A Better America: The Generous Rewards Of An Old Fashioned Childhood, on June 6, 2017. In Mean Dads, Shillue waxes nostalgic about his younger years and being raised with traditional values. For example, he longs for a time when neighbors disciplined each other’s children without fear of being sued, kids made it to the family table for dinner, parents’ rules were gospel, and the occasional fistfight was considered a fair way to solve a problem. It was a time when children were free to roam, make mistakes, and experience the first tastes of independence. Shillue has an hour special on Comedy Central, has been featured on Broad City, is a member of Jimmy Fallon’s barbershop quartet, and the former host of the Fox News late night show Red Eye with Tom Shillue.

You can purchase Tom’s new book at harpercollins.com or anywhere books are sold. Follow Tom on Twitter @TomShillue and visit tomshillue.com for more info.

#1 Father and Son by Cat Stevens

This Cat Stevens classic contains my favorite lyric ever from a dad- “you’re still young, that’s your fault” He blames his son for his age! Now that’s a mean dad.

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#2 (I’ve Been) Watching You by Rodney Atkins

This dad hears his kid swearing up a storm in the car, and realizes the only way his son could have learned those words was from him. He asks God for forgiveness and, lo and behold, the kid learns how to pray. Better late than never, dad.

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#3 Little Pal by Al Jolson (Performed by Jimmy Roselli)

This guy did something really bad and he is going off to prison, and this song is his last chance to tell his son to:

Do as mother says and never sin,
Be the man your daddy might have been

Are you kidding me? That’s got to be the saddest lyric ever written. Jimmy Roselli used to sing this one as his closer and all the mobsters would cry. You think you can get through it without welling up, tough guy? Give it your best shot.

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#4 A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash

This dad was so mean he named his boy “Sue”, so he’d be mercilessly teased all through childhood. The kid gets him back by tracking him down and almost killing him. But the dad reveals why he gave him a girl’s name:

Son, this world is rough
And if a man’s gonna make it, he’s gotta be tough

And you see? His project worked–his kid turned out to be a badass that people write songs about.

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#5 Cat’s in the Cradle by Harry Chapin

I saved this for last, everyone’s favorite song about a so-called neglectful dad. But this mean dad, like most, is misunderstood and his son turned out just fine. In the opening lyrics, the dad admits his son “learned to walk while I was away…” Doing what? Ostensibly, working his tail off to feed his growing family. And then, by the end of the song, when his grown son blows off his dad, he tells him:

You see, my new job’s a hassle, and the kid’s got the flu
But it’s sure nice talking to you, dad, it’s been sure nice talking to you

Yeah. His son turned out just like him, all right. A hardworking, committed family man. Mean dads didn’t raise sons to be their companions, they raised them to be men! Husbands. Fathers. Providers. Your son turned out like you? Damn right he did.

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Tom Shillue

Comedian Tom Shillue will release his first book, Mean Dads For A Better America: The Generous Rewards Of An Old Fashioned Childhood, from Harper Collins on June 6, 2017. Mean Dads finds the popular Fox News host reminiscing about his childhood, his family, and the traditional values he cherishes. Shillue takes us back to a time when neighbors disciplined each other’s children without fear of being sued, kids made it to the family table for dinner, parents’ rules were gospel, and the occasional fistfight was considered a fair way to solve a problem; A time when children were free to roam, make mistakes, and experience the first tastes of independence. Shillue has appeared in his own Comedy Central Special and was featured on the hit comedy series Broad City (Comedy Central). He is also a popular face on the late night circuit, with frequent appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) as part of “The Rag Time Gals,” Jimmy’s barbershop quartet. Performing alongside such guests as Justin Timberlake, Kevin Spacey, Steve Carell, and Sting, The Gals’ videos have been viewed over 50 million times! He was the host of the popular late night show Red Eye with Tom Shillue (Fox News) and has been featured on Conan (TBS), Late Night (NBC), Last Comic Standing (NBC), and Comics Unleashed (NBC). Shillue was also seen in the feature film Mystery Team. In 2013, Tom released twelve consecutive comedy albums as part of his ambitious “12 in 12” project, and in 2014 he brought his solo show “Impossible” to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Tom performs standup across the country.
Tom Shillue

Tom Shillue

Comedian Tom Shillue will release his first book, Mean Dads For A Better America: The Generous Rewards Of An Old Fashioned Childhood, from Harper Collins on June 6, 2017. Mean Dads finds the popular Fox News host reminiscing about his childhood, his family, and the traditional values he cherishes. Shillue takes us back to a time when neighbors disciplined each other’s children without fear of being sued, kids made it to the family table for dinner, parents’ rules were gospel, and the occasional fistfight was considered a fair way to solve a problem; A time when children were free to roam, make mistakes, and experience the first tastes of independence. Shillue has appeared in his own Comedy Central Special and was featured on the hit comedy series Broad City (Comedy Central). He is also a popular face on the late night circuit, with frequent appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) as part of “The Rag Time Gals,” Jimmy’s barbershop quartet. Performing alongside such guests as Justin Timberlake, Kevin Spacey, Steve Carell, and Sting, The Gals’ videos have been viewed over 50 million times! He was the host of the popular late night show Red Eye with Tom Shillue (Fox News) and has been featured on Conan (TBS), Late Night (NBC), Last Comic Standing (NBC), and Comics Unleashed (NBC). Shillue was also seen in the feature film Mystery Team. In 2013, Tom released twelve consecutive comedy albums as part of his ambitious “12 in 12” project, and in 2014 he brought his solo show “Impossible” to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Tom performs standup across the country.