13 - Father To A Son - Song Discussion

[Liam]

Use this thread to discuss the individual song

[MillenniumFan]

Weirdly, I didn't expect this to be so great. I thought it would be a purely acoustic song and quite honestly, I was dreading an Ordinary World Part 2.

Well BOY was I proved wrong. This song is great and an instant classic. Kinda a four-way mashup of Good Riddance, The Forgotten, When It's Time, 21 Guns. But unlike 21 Guns for instance, it's not lacking in any energy or drive. Don't get me wrong, 21 Guns is fun live but the studio version can drag on a bit. Father to a Son, on the other hand has the perfect flow to it. And the Oasis inspired outro is one of the best things I've heard in a long time. 

MUSIC VIDEO! MUSIC VIDEO! MUSIC VIDEO! 

[Stefano Bras]

Any chance this song is related to the whole Joey Armstrong-SWMRS-Abuse controversy fiasco?

[pacejunkie punk]

I love the orchestration it really lifts it up and makes it soar emotionally and elevates it above an insipid song like Ordinary World. Epic.

23 minutes ago, Stefano Bras said:

Any chance this song is related to the whole Joey Armstrong-SWMRS-Abuse controversy fiasco?

It’s just about fatherhood in general I think

[Thatsername]

I'm honest, I cried during the whole song when I listened to this for the first time. Kind of happy I didn't make it to one of those listening parties last week, would have been a little bit embarrassing, sobbing all over the place. I lost my Dad 2 years ago and somehow, this one hit me right in the guts. For me, he sings "Father to a daugther"🥲 "Is there anything I can do? A wisdom where your heart is heading to? A place you want more than I can give." Damn Billie😭

[greendepent]

Is not a bad song, but Regretfully Yours it is twice as better than this

[Vintage Disciple]

1 hour ago, Thatsername said:

I'm honest, I cried during the whole song when I listened to this for the first time. Kind of happy I didn't make it to one of those listening parties last week, would have been a little bit embarrassing, sobbing all over the place. I lost my Dad 2 years ago and somehow, this one hit me right in the guts. For me, he sings "Father to a daugther"🥲 "Is there anything I can do? A wisdom where your heart is heading to? A place you want more than I can give." Damn Billie😭

I lost my Dad 2 years ago also...I feel you. 

[jengd]

Again Billie sounds awesome, the strings are beautiful and the drum build toward the end (not sure how best to describe it).  Love this song, sounds amazing in headphones.  Lost my dad 20 years ago but you don't get over it 😭

[The Grohl]

I think this song was a bit overhyped. It doesn't sound as epic as I was imagining. I was thinking something BIG like on the scale of 21 Guns or WMUWSE. But it's still a good song. I like that AI has a song about Billie's dad and here we get his perspective on being a father, which he hasn't really touched on in songs. It's a very sweet song. 

[CherryBombs&Gasoline]

This gets better the more I listen to it. I think it’s my favorite, along with Strange Days are here to stay. Maybe it hits harder for people who lost their fathers? Because as someone whose father died when I was 14, I can say that this brings tears to my eyes. I really hope it gets a music video so that even more people get exposed to it. I think the song deserves it.

[pacejunkie punk]

5 minutes ago, The Grohl said:

I think this song was a bit overhyped. It doesn't sound as epic as I was imagining. I was thinking something BIG like on the scale of 21 Guns or WMUWSE. But it's still a good song. I like that AI has a song about Billie's dad and here we get his perspective on being a father, which he hasn't really touched on in songs. It's a very sweet song. 

It is cool that in the span of 20 years we got a song from the perspective of being a son about his dad, and now a song from the perspective of being a dad to his sons. Very nice full circle moment. It’s unusual too in that he’s said he prefers to write from the perspective of his younger self and isn’t big on writing about middle aged topics, but here is a nice exception 

[DookieLukie]

13 minutes ago, The Grohl said:

I think this song was a bit overhyped. It doesn't sound as epic as I was imagining. I was thinking something BIG like on the scale of 21 Guns or WMUWSE. But it's still a good song. I like that AI has a song about Billie's dad and here we get his perspective on being a father, which he hasn't really touched on in songs. It's a very sweet song. 

Agreed. It's a solid song and a bit more warm and hopeful than tear-jerking to me. WMUWSE is much more emotional. That's more about loss, whereas Father to a Son is more of a love letter sort of like "Happiness" from The Longshot was.

Edit: Actually I'm not sure if Happiness is about his sons or not. I forget.

[pacejunkie punk]

The part that’s emotional about the song to me is where he acknowledges mistakes and that it’s likely his kids needed certain things he can never give them. All parents make mistakes, but this is an admission of regret and apology of sorts that many kids wish they could get from their parents and never do.  That was deeply meaningful to me.

[dirnt286]

I had high hopes for this song and I think they were met here. I am a new father and so this hit home for me like I hoped but didn’t expect.

The lyrics are very simple and powerful. I love the song title as the lyrical anchor. I love the way he delivers the line “who knew a love could be scarier than anger.”
 

The upfront vocals, arrangement, and instrumentation is fantastic. The string and drum build offers a nice build at the end. I was hoping it could get more powerful at the end with guitars or heavier instruments but it didn’t quite go that hard.  
 

I am hoping they release it as a single and play it on TV. This could be a hit for them. Maybe it is too personal, but I think there is an opportunity for this song to do something big for them and the album.
 

 

[Rumpelstiltskin2000]

Currently this is probably my least favourite track. I like it but it is what it is. Someone mentioned thinking of it as father to daughter and I should try that because whilst it's almost eight years since I lost my dad there isn't a day goes by I don't miss him

[stories and songs]

I think this is also my least favorite track at the moment, but the fact that this absolutely gorgeous, beautifully arranged song is my least favorite just speaks to how strong this album is. I don't dislike it at all — it's probably like a 7.5/10 for me. I love how it builds throughout and the outro instrumentation is gorgeous. It totally soars by the end. As some others have said, this song just had a lot of hype around it and I think my expectations were just a bit off from what it actually is, which isn't the song's fault. 

[Thatsername]

When the strings set in🥹 Chills. I have been dreaming about a Green Day orchestra-tour long before (with a really big orchestra, like The Who did), and this song makes me want it even more than ever.

[DeJennsitized]

I didn’t think I was that into this song but find myself waiting for it and then singing along. The lyrics don’t particularly land for me purely on a personal level but love love love the arrangement and how it all builds. I’d never heard the paper bullets songs so didn’t have that to compare to. 

[Red Lights Flash]

Probably my least favorite track on the record, but glad others (and the band themselves) are enjoying it so much.

[Zebahar]

I, like a few others, had really high expectations for this song, which is probably why I was slightly disappointed by it. Structured very similarly to Still Breathing, and I feel the lyrics could have been a little deeper.

With that being said, I love the arrangement of the strings and how good Billie's voice sounds. Similar to what others said, its not a bad song by any means, and it is not a skippable track for me, I just don't think it is deserving of a "single treatment" if they choose to release more in the future.

[pacejunkie punk]

10 minutes ago, Zebahar said:

I, like a few others, had really high expectations for this song, which is probably why I was slightly disappointed by it. Structured very similarly to Still Breathing, and I feel the lyrics could have been a little deeper.

With that being said, I love the arrangement of the strings and how good Billie's voice sounds. Similar to what others said, its not a bad song by any means, and it is not a skippable track for me, I just don't think it is deserving of a "single treatment" if they choose to release more in the future.

I tend to agree. The more I listen, I find the orchestration and the melody gorgeous, it's an enjoyable listen, but unlike similar songs like When it's Time or WMUWSE, the lyrics just don't touch me emotionally. I'm not finding a relatable hook to hang on to, even as a parent. I don't know if its because I can't separate this from the thought of Joey (and fuck Joey) or if there's some deeper statement on parenthood that the song gets close to but doesn't quite reach.  I'm not sure I understand the words of the chorus completely either, they're a little vague.  I know I stated earlier that there were emotional aspects to it for me, but they're a stretch and the song has diminishing returns.

[stories and songs]

I like the verses and I think the opening line is really beautiful, but the chorus is vague and confusing to me, too. I get the “is there anything I can do? Wisdom where your heart is heading to” — asking his kids if he can provide help/support. But how “A place you want more than I could give” connects to that thought feels a little disjointed to me. I understand the sentiment of not being able to always give your kids everything they need, but it’s just confusing when directly connected to the previous lines.

Edit: I maybe worked it out while typing this, but it’s sort of a reach? Or maybe it’s right?: “Is there anything I can do/wisdom where your heart is heading to” — your child is looking to have a heart to heart/get advice from you, but when they come to you, you can’t always give them what they need: “a place you want more than I can give.” That sounds…maybe right, idk.

It also took me several listens to realize he’s using “father to a son” both as like “a promise, father to a son” but also that he’s literally a “father to a son” and the “promise” part is not implied every time he says it.

The instrumentals here are absolutely perfect though. Really moving.

[pacejunkie punk]

8 hours ago, stories and songs said:

I like the verses and I think the opening line is really beautiful, but the chorus is vague and confusing to me, too. I get the “is there anything I can do? Wisdom where your heart is heading to” — asking his kids if he can provide help/support. But how “A place you want more than I could give” connects to that thought feels a little disjointed to me. I understand the sentiment of not being able to always give your kids everything they need, but it’s just confusing when directly connected to the previous lines.

Edit: I maybe worked it out while typing this, but it’s sort of a reach? Or maybe it’s right?: “Is there anything I can do/wisdom where your heart is heading to” — your child is looking to have a heart to heart/get advice from you, but when they come to you, you can’t always give them what they need: “a place you want more than I can give.” That sounds…maybe right, idk.

It also took me several listens to realize he’s using “father to a son” both as like “a promise, father to a son” but also that he’s literally a “father to a son” and the “promise” part is not implied every time he says it.

The instrumentals here are absolutely perfect though. Really moving.

This is my issue because it’s the kind of song that should hit you in the heart right away where you should feel its meaning and instead you have to kind of intellectually work it out

[Thatsername]

Maybe it depends on the point of view whether this song speaks to you or not. I'm not a parent, so I don't know that perspective and I'm only reading the song with the eyes of a child (son or daughter probably doesn't even matter so much). To me it sounds like a letter of apology for all the things and moments he missed with his son. I had a father who (like Billie) was absent very much because he travelled a lot and he missed so many important moments in my childhood and youth (birthdays, graduation from school or college etc.). You can never have those moments back. Realizing that must be painful. He promises you to never break your heart, but at the same time, he knows he's lying because he did break it so many times before. Maybe the "a place you want more than I can give" line is even literally about a place where father and child should be together, but never really get there together because the father is gone so much and when he returns, the child is already somewhere else because he's growing up and things change so fast. I don't know, maybe I'm reading way too much into this because I'm still mourning, but somehow this song sounds like a letter my Dad could have written to me to say "I'm sorry I missed so much."

[Little Boy Named Booze]

On 1/20/2024 at 6:29 AM, Red Lights Flash said:

Probably my least favorite track on the record, but glad others (and the band themselves) are enjoying it so much.

Yeah same. This one and Corvette Summer are my least favorites. 
Lyrics are great but the melody is really meh for me.