There is a specific genre that everyone is familiar with in one way or another. ‘Dad rock’ is a term thrown around to characterize the types of songs that someone might hear in their dad’s car on the way to swim practice. Some bands that would fall under this category include Nickelback, Shinedown, and Daughtry. There is no rhyme or reason to what the oddly specific genre is, but what can be agreed upon is how iconic some of these songs are.
Songs
“Here Without You” - 3 Doors Down
This song is on the more solemn side of things, it being sad by nature and its essence of divorced father. It is the epitome of sad rock ballad since the topic being about someone missing their partner. In genres such as these, the three sad dad rock ballads consist of either missing their partner, being sad about a breakup, or, if you’re the band Hinder, infidelity. It is safe to say that this song fits into this niche category.
“I Hate Everything About You” - Three Days Grace
Back again with the number three comes another subgenre of dad rock, otherwise known as the kind that a father would scream along to after having a long day. The lyrics of the song are simple with the person singing conflicted with their feelings towards someone they hate and/or love. It once again falls under the category of ‘divorced father.’ It is difficult for the image of a father belting this tune while going to pick up his child from their mom’s house to leave one’s head when in the presence of this rock anthem.
“Second Chance” - Shinedown
It is hard to have a complete list without having The Sound of Madness appear somewhere. ‘Second Chance’ is easily Shinedown’s most loved track, and it is safe to say that it is loved by a lot of fathers. The theme of these dad tunes stems in sadder tones, sticking it to the man, and politically charged anthems. Take the first two and you’ve got this power ballad. Shinedown has an abundance of dad bangers, and this is just one of them.
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Conclusion
Dad rock may be niche, but it is a shared memory amongst a large group of people. While people may harp on bands like Nickelback and Shinedown, there is no denying that one song is going to change that opinion if not for just a moment.
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Kasper Mielke is a music reviewer for the Eastern Echo. He is a women and gender studies major with a minor in creative writing. He has worked for The Echo since the summer of 2022, and has stuck to writing music reviews.
