3 Touching Rock Songs About Family That Will Have Everyone Tearing Up

These three rock songs are all about family. These tracks sum up specific relationships within the family unit in deeply relatable ways. We can all see ourselves in these rock anthems. Revisit them below and let them wash over you with familial memories.

[RELATED: 5 Soft Rock Songs From the 1980s That Get Stuck in My Head for Days on End]

“Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” — U2

This U2 staple is about Bono’s complex relationship with his father, Bob Hewson. After watching his father battle cancer, the U2 frontman was compelled to deliver this touching tribute. “You don’t have to put up a fight / You don’t have to always be right / Let me take some of the punches / For you tonight,” the lyrics read.

Anyone who’s been through a similar situation will have a hard time keeping a dry eye when this track comes on. Moreover, even if you can’t relate on a personal level, this song still prompts waterworks. “Listen to me now / I need to let you know / You don’t have to go it alone,” the lyrics continue, twisting the knife.

“Wake Me Up When September Ends” — Green Day

Additionally, on a similar note, this Green Day song is about Billie Joe Armstrong losing his own father to cancer. “Summer has come, and passed / The innocent can never last / Wake me up when September ends / Like my father’s come to pass / Seven years has gone so fast / Wake me up when September ends,” the lyrics read.

This song means different things to different people. People have used it as a 9/11 tribute track and as personal solace in hard times. But in Armstrong’s mind, this track is about a familial connection, which makes the lyrics all the more heartbreaking.

“Simple Man” — Lynyrd Skynyrd

The final song on this list, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, is advice from a mother to a son. “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,” the familiar lyrics read.

People have used this song at weddings and similar events to capture the feeling of moving on from childhood. This song always hits hard, but it means even more when you grow up and have to leave your family behind, at whatever rate.

(Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

The post 3 Touching Rock Songs About Family That Will Have Everyone Tearing Up appeared first on American Songwriter.