The 100 Best Mother-Son Dance Songs For Your Wedding

“May your heart always be joyful / May your song always be sung / May you stay forever young”

“Though I know I'll never lose affection / For people and things that went before / I know I'll often stop and think about them/ In my life, I love you more”

“You never need to doubt it / I'll make you so sure about it / God only knows what I'd be without you”

“When evening falls so hard / I will comfort you / I'll take your part / Oh when darkness comes / And pain is all, is all around / Just like a bridge over troubled water / I will lay me down”

“Boy, don't you worry, you'll find yourself / Follow your heart and nothing else / And you can do this, oh baby, if you try / All that I want for you my son, is to be satisfied”

“Lean on me / When you’re not strong / And I’ll be your friend / I’ll help you carry on”

“One bright and guiding light / That taught me wrong from right / I found in my mother’s eyes”

“Oh no darling, no wind, no rain / Or winters cold can stop me baby / No, no baby, ‘cause you are my love / If you ever in trouble, I’ll be there on the double”

“Whenever you’re in trouble won’t you stand by me / Oh, stand by me / Won’t you stand by”

“I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind / That I put down the words / How wonderful life is while you’re in the world”

“There’s a hero / If you look inside your heart / You don’t have to be afraid / Of what you are”

“Nothing you confess / Could make me love you less / I’ll stand by you”

“Some day, when I'm awfully low / When the world is cold / I will feel a glow just thinking of you / And the way you look tonight”

“Did you ever know that you're my hero / And everything I would like to be? / I can fly higher than an eagle / For you are the wind beneath my wings”

“He loves your old guitar / Yeah he’s taught himself today / He melts my heart / Tells me he loves me every day”

“You’ll be in my heart / No matter what they say / You’ll be in my heart / Always”

“You are my sunshine / My only sunshine / You make me happy / When skies are grey”

“It takes a lot to know what is love / It’s not the big things but the little things / That can mean enough”

“Before you cross the street / Take my hand / Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”

“Mama, how do I write the words to you / You were the only one who loved me true”

“You’re just a small bump unborn / In four months you’re brought to life / You might be left with my hair / But you’ll have my mother’s eyes”

“We stood / Steady as the stars in the woods / So happy hearted”

“So now I am older / Than my mother and father / When they had their daughter / Now what does that say about me?”

“I said I thank you, I'll always thank you / More than you could know, than I could ever show / And I love you, I'll always love you / There's nothing I won't do to say these words”

“You are the one thing that I got right / It's a fickle world, yeah, it's a fickle world / You turn the darkness into sunlight / I'm a lucky girl, yeah, I'm a lucky girl”

“Well, I’ve been afraid of changing / Because I built my life around you / But time makes you bolder / Even children get older”

“Have I told you lately that I love you / Have I told you there’s no one else above you / You fill my heart with gladness / Take away all my sadness”

“All you need is love / All you need is love / All you need is love / Love is all you need”

“She’s got a smile that seems to me / Reminds me of childhood memories / Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky”

“You belong among the wildflowers / You belong in a boat out at sea / Sail away, kill off the hours / You belong somewhere you feel free”

“This one’s for you, Ma, let me come right out and say it / It’s overdue, but baby, if you’re looking for a sad song, well I ain’t going to play it”

“Be courageous and be brave / And in my heart you’ll always stay / Forever young”

“You were my mom, you were my dad / The only thing I ever had / Was you, it’s true / Even when the times got hard”

“You helped me to grow into the man that I've become / We've been down, we've been up / I hope I've made you proud enough / You make it look easy even when I'm hard to love”

“And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me / Speaking words of wisdom, let it be”

“She’s the sky that holds the clouds / She’s the lady of the house / A blind believer in all I dare to be”

“When I love, I give it all I’ve got / Like my mother does / When I’m scared, I bow my head and pray / Like my mother does”

“I hope you never look back, but you never forget / All the ones who love you, in the place you left / I hope you always forgive, and you never regret / And you help somebody every chance you get”

“I know which place I’m from / I know my home / When I’m in doubt and struggling / That’s where I go”

“May you never take one single breath for granted / God forbid love ever leave you handed”

“You want all the dreams they’ve dreamed to come true / Then they do / Oh, and then they do”

“She’s your mother, you love her / There won’t be another / Place like her again that you call home”

“I called home to mom and daddy, I said your boy is now a man / She said I don’t care if you’re 80, you’ll always be my baby”

“Six pounds and nine ounces / Looking up at me / Like I have all the answers / I hope I have the ones you need”

“Boy, you’re gonna be so stubborn / You get that from your mother / I already see it now, you weren’t built for backing down”

“You just call out my name / And you know wherever I am / I’ll come runnin’ / To see you again”

“Oh my mama loves me, she loves me / She get down on her knees and hug me / Like she loves me like a rock”

“You are the sunshine of my life / That’s why I’ll always be around / You are the apple of my eye / Forever you’ll stay in my heart”

“Your love, lifting me higher / Than I’ve ever been lifted before / So keep it up”

“I would not leave you in times of trouble / We never could have come this far / I took the good times, I’ll take the bad times / I’ll take you just the way you are”

“And so I try to understand, what I can’t hold in my hand / And wherever we are, home is there too”

“You were there for me to love and care for me / When skies were gray / Whenever I was down / You were always there to comfort me”

“For you, there’ll be no more crying / For you, the sun will be shining / And I feel that when I’m with you / It’s alright, I know it’s right”

“When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch / Well my mama told me there’ll be days like this”

“Hey sweet pea / Apple of my eye / Don’t know when and I don’t know why / But you’re the only reason I keep coming home”

“You will always have a part of me / Nobody else is ever gonna see / Gracie girl”

“I'm just sitting here thinking 'bout the time that's slipping / And missing my mother, mother”

“I see trees of green / Red roses too / I see them bloom / For me and for you / And I think to myself / What a wonderful world”

“Feelin’, happy feelin’ / In the music that we’re giving / Feel the power / Of the hour / Every moment that you’re livin’”

“Give and let live / Love and be loved / We’re workin’ on a positive vibe / So let the love rise to the top”

“Here’s a little song I wrote / You might want to sing it note for note / Don’t worry, be happy”

“In time the Rockies may crumble / Gibraltar may tumble / They’re only made of clay / But our love is here to stay”

“Unforgettable that’s what you are / Unforgettable though near or far / Like a song of love that clings to me”

“Mama said there’ll be days like this / There’ll be days like this, mama said”

“I’ll always love my mama / She’s my favorite girl / I’ll always love my mama / She brought me in this world”

“Isn't she lovely / Isn't she wonderful / Isn't she precious / Less than one minute old”

“Pick yourself up, dust yourself off / And start all over again”

“Oh, you’re the best friend that I ever had / Been with you such a long time / You’re my sunshine”

“All of the people around us they say / Can they be that close / Just let me state for the record / We’re giving love in a family dose”

“Just know you’re not alone / ‘Cause I’m gonna make this place your home”

“You were better to me than I was to myself / For me, there’s you and there ain’t nobody else”

“The moment I wake up / Before I put on my makeup / I say a little prayer”

“Then I call my mama to help me / And she came right away / To help me get back home, where I wanna be”

“Gonna take your mama out all night / So she’ll have no doubt that we’re doing oh the best we can / We’re gonna do it”

“Teach your children well / Their father’s hell did slowly go by / And feed them on your dreams / The one they pick’s the one you’ll know by”

“Oh, home, let me come home / Home is wherever I’m with you”

“I used to think maybe you loved me, now baby I'm sure / And I just can't wait till the day when you knock on my door / I'm walking on sunshine, whoa / And don't it feel good!”

“If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea / I'll sail the world to find you / If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see / I'll be the light to guide you”

“The sweetest devotion / Hitting me like an explosion / All of my life, I’ve been frozen / The sweetest devotion I’ve known”

“Have a mom, she might be the bomb / But ain’t nobody got a mom like mine / Her love’s ‘til the end, she’s my best friend”

“Hey, see, I was six years old with a dream / When my moms told me I can do anything / She said she’d be there forever, no matter what’s the weather”

“Before you go to sleep / Say a little prayer / Every day in every way / It’s getting better and better”

“Love is a verb / It ain’t a thing / It’s not something you own / It’s not something you scream”

“Son in life you’re gonna go far / If you do it right / You’ll love where you are”

“I know you were on my side / Even when I was wrong / And I love you for giving me your eyes”

“Full time you talk your money up / While it’s living in a coal mine / Tall time, to call your ma / Hey Ma, hey Ma”

“Oh darling, don't you ever grow up / Don't you ever grow up / It could stay this simple”

“You were an angel in the shape of my mum / When I fell down you'd be there holding me up / Spread your wings as you go / And when God takes you back / He'll say, ‘Hallelujah, you're home’”

“And he climbs up on the hill on the rock on which he stands / He looks back at the crowd / He looks down at his hands and he says / I am a difference maker”

“Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach / You gave me faith, ‘cause you believed / I’m everything I am because you loved me”

“Thank you for watching over me / All of the sleepless nights you lay awake / Thank you for knowing when to hold me close / When to let me go”

“He made the sun, he made the moon / To harmonize the perfect tune / One can’t do without the other they just have to be together”

“When you breathe for the first time / When you see for the first time / When you love for the first time / I’ll be here”

“Although you see the world / Different from me / Sometimes I can touch upon / The wonders that you see”

“On the day that you were born the angels got together / And decided to create a dream come true”

“And when all my strength is gone / In you I can be strong / I look to you”

“I’ve spent my whole life gettin’ it all wrong / And I sure could use your help cause from now on / I wanna be a good man”

“Oh, my darling, sweet love of mine / I’ll hold you all through the night / I gave you your name, you gave me back my life”

“I pray you'll be my eyes / And watch her where she goes / And help her to be wise / Help me to let go”

“She loves me like Jesus does / I'm a lead foot leaning on a souped-up Chevy / I'm a good ol' boy drinking whiskey and rye”

Use this one when you're trying to keep things short and sweet. Each of these songs works well in just a verse and chorus—ideal for the 60–90 second mark.

• “Gracie” – Ben Folds
• “You’ve Got a Friend” – Chaz Mazzota
• “Mother” – Kacey Musgraves
• “Sweet Pea” – Amos Lee
• “Pick Yourself Up” – Ella Fitzgerald

Tip: Ask your DJ to fade these out after the first chorus if you’re keeping it brief.

Send her this list when you're narrowing it down together. Each song has lyrics that spark a smile, a memory, or a “yes, that’s us.”

• “Sweet Child O’ Mine” – Guns N’ Roses
• “Wind Beneath My Wings” – Bette Midler
• “Because You Loved Me” – Celine Dion
• “Isn't She Lovely” – Stevie Wonder
• “Boy” – Lee Brice

Tip: Play them while flipping through old photo albums—it works.

If you're not sure what direction to go yet, these are great for sparking ideas. Each one comes from a different genre and gives you a totally different vibe.

• “Let It Be” – The Beatles (rock)
• “Mom” – Meghan Trainor (modern pop)
• “Forever Young” – Rod Stewart (classic)
• “Count on Me” – Bruno Mars (upbeat)
• “A Song for Mama” – Boyz II Men (R&B)

Tip: Listen together and say out loud why you like—or don’t like. That’ll narrow it down fast.

Once you’re down to a few, pop these in a playlist and live with them for a few days. Let one rise to the top naturally.

• Your top 3–5 song picks from the list
• Add them to a private playlist
• Play it in the background while you’re doing life (laundry, emails, errands)

Tip: The song that sticks in your head is probably the right one.

Your wedding is your own and should be put together however you decide. Having a mother-son dance with the groom and the groom’s mother is traditional, but not required. Decide what fits best for your timeline!

Because of what this dance is, the song is normally chosen by the groom or decided on between the groom and the groom’s mother.

This is all going to depend on the individual. If you don’t immediately have a song in mind, first pick a style that fits with the rest of your wedding style. Then use our handy list of great songs to find one that speaks to you. Take your time—you don’t need to pick the song months in advance. If all else fails, ask your mother; she probably has some wonderful ideas.

This is completely up to the groom and mother who will be dancing, but usually it’s kept between 60 and 90 seconds. You do have the option of dancing for the full duration of the song or having the DJ fade the song out after a set amount of time.

The best mother-son dance songs are the ones that feel personal to your relationship. That could mean a sentimental classic, a song you grew up hearing in the kitchen, or something that simply makes you both smile. Our list includes a range, from timeless to modern, upbeat to emotional, so you can find a song that fits your story.

Yes, it's always a good idea to review the lyrics. While the song doesn’t have to be perfect in every way, you’ll want to avoid anything with romantic themes, strong language, or offbeat innuendo. Look for lyrics that focus on love, gratitude, memories, or life advice.

Definitely! Most mother-son dances last between 60–90 seconds, so it’s common to choose just a favorite verse and chorus. Your DJ or band can fade the song out naturally or create a custom edit to keep the moment sweet and focused.

Only if you want to! A simple sway can be just as moving as a full routine. But if dancing is something you and your mom love doing together, or if you want to add a touch of surprise or humor, a light, choreographed moment can be really memorable.

Absolutely. The song should reflect your unique bond—whether that’s sentimental, playful, or totally unexpected. Just make sure the lyrics and tone still fit the moment, and that your mom is on board for a more nontraditional pick.

If your mom can’t be there, consider dancing with a mother figure, aunt, sister, or close family friend. You can also honor her by dedicating a song during dinner or the ceremony, including a photo tribute, or selecting a track that reminds you of her for a quiet moment on the dance floor.