What does it actually mean to be a good man?

If you ask 10 different people, you’ll get 10 different answers. That’s why we asked our staff, clients, and friends to weigh in with the music that speaks to them.

These songs reflect what our staff, clients, and friends think reflect what it is to be a good man—in a variety of ways.

From fatherhood and vulnerability to resilience, growth, and inner strength, this 40-track Spotify playlist captures the full, complex spectrum of modern masculinity.

🎶 Take a listen, hit shuffle, and tell us in the comments: What song would you add to the list?

   Listen to the whole collection here. The “Good Man” Playlist on Spotify!

•  “Whatta Man” — Salt-N-Pepa feat. En Vogue

  “Secure in his manhood ’cause he’s a real man / A lover and a fighter… Every time I need him he always got my back.”

• “Tom Sawyer” — Rush

  “Though his mind is not for rent / Don’t put him down as arrogant / His reserve, a quiet defense / Riding out the day’s events.”

• “Hero” — David Crosby

  “I’ve seen the fire, I’ve felt the rain / I’ve walked the lonely road through the night / I’ve known the joy, I’ve known the pain / Just trying to keep the faith and do what’s right”

• “Gettin’ Grown” — CeeLo Green

  I’m just gettin’ grown, tryin’ to do the best I can / Livin’ life like a real man / I’ve come a long way from where I used to be / Now I’m standing tall for the world to see

  Got responsibilities on my shoulders now / Gotta make my family proud somehow / I made mistakes when I was young and blind / But I left those foolish ways behind

  I’m gettin’ grown, step by step / Payin’ my dues, keepin’ my self-respect / It ain’t always easy, but I’m holdin’ the line / Gettin’ grown, one day at a time

  Now I look in the mirror and I like what I see / A grown man livin’ in honesty / Workin’ hard for the things I own / Yeah, I’m finally gettin’ grown

• “Fantasy” — Earth, Wind & Fire

  “Every man has a place, in his heart there’s a space / And the world can’t erase his fantasies.”

• “Love Without End, Amen” — George Strait

  “And when I wanted to lose my temper and fly off the handle / I remembered what my daddy said to me / Daddys don’t just love their children every now and then / It’s a love without end, amen.”

• “Voices” — Chris Young

  “My granddaddy told me, “Son, work hard for what you earn” / And my mama told me, “Treat a woman with respect” / My daddy said, “Stand up for what you believe in” / And those are words I’ll never forget”

• “The Man I Want to Be” — Chris Young

  “I wanna be the man I want to be / The kind of man that she deserves to see / Strong enough to stand, wise enough to care / Always there whenever she needs me near”

• “Mr. Mom” — Lonestar

  “Balancin’ checkbooks, juggling bills / Thought there was nothing to it / Baby, now I know how you feel / What I don’t know is how you do it / Oh, Honey, you’re my hero”

• “Better Boy” — Nate Smith

  “I wanna learn to listen before I speak my mind / To be a little gentler, a little more kind”

• “To Be A Man” — Dax

  “It’s hard to be a man, we don’t cry… we just hold it inside / Built to protect and provide.”

• “Sharp Dressed Man” — ZZ Top

  “Clean shirt, new shoes / And I don’t know where I’m goin’ to / Silk suit, black tie / I don’t need a reason why / ‘Cause every girl’s crazy ’bout a sharp dressed man.”

• “Macho Man” — Village People

  “Every man wants to be a macho, macho man / To have the kind of body always in demand / Jogging in the mornings, go man go / Work outs in the health spa, muscles glow / You can best believe that he’s a macho man”

• “A Father’s First Spring” — The Avett Brothers

  “It’s a father’s first spring, the world is brand new / Everything changed the moment I held you / My heart opened up in a way I never knew / I’m a father today because of you”

• “Old Man” — Neil Young

  “Old man, take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you / I need someone to love me the whole day through / Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that’s true”

• “Father And Son” — Yusuf / Cat Stevens

  “It’s not time to make a change / Just relax, take it easy / You’re still young, that’s your fault / There’s so much you have to go through.”

• “all of my lessons” — Trevor Hall

  “All of my lessons are coming to light / Teaching me how to stand up and fight.”

• “If We Were Vampires” — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

  “Maybe time running out is a gift / I’ll work hard ’til the end of my shift / And give you every second I can find / And hope it isn’t me who’s left behind.”

• “Tree by the River” — Iron & Wine

  “I recall the sun in our faces / Stuck and leaning on braces / And being strangers to change / Radio and the bones we found frozen / And all the thorns and the roses / Beneath your window pane.”

• “Teach Your Children” — Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

  “Don’t you ever ask them why / If they told you, you would cry / So just look at them and sigh / And know they love you.”

• “Not Dark Yet” — Bob Dylan

  “Shadows are falling and I’ve been here all day / It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there.”

• “Hello in There” — John Prine

  “So if you’re walking down the street sometime / And spot some hollow ancient eyes / Please don’t just pass ’em by and stare / Say ‘Hello in there, hello’.”

• “Stella Blue” — Grateful Dead

  “There’s a band playing in the hall / Ballads of a lost time.”

• “Be Your Man” — Billy Strings

  “I just want to be your man, stand beside you through the storm.”

• “My Father’s Eyes” — Eric Clapton

  “How do I choose? / Where do I draw the line? / How do I feel what my father felt? / Look in my father’s eyes.”

• “Isn’t She Lovely” — Stevie Wonder

  “Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderful? / Isn’t she precious? Less than one minute old.”

• “When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)” — The Beach Boys

  “Will I lie awake at night thinking ’bout the things I’ve done? / When I grow up to be a man.”

• “With Arms Wide Open” — Creed

  “Welcome to this place, I’ll show you everything / With arms wide open.”

• “Mother Father” — Dave Matthews Band

  “Mother, father, please help me see / The person inside that I ought to be.”

• “Cowboys to Girls” — The Intruders

  “I used to play cowboys and Indians / Now I’m playing cowboys to girls.”

• “Danny’s Song” — Loggins & Messina

  “Even though we ain’t got money / I’m so in love with you honey / Everything’s gonna be alright.”

• “Simple Man” — Lynyrd Skynyrd

  “Mama told me when I was young / ‘Come sit beside me, my only son’ / Be a simple kind of man.”

• “Better Man” — Pearl Jam

  “She lies and says she’s in love with him / Can’t find a better man.”

• “Cat’s in the Cradle” — Harry Chapin

  “When you comin’ home, dad? / I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then / You know we’ll have a good time then.”

• “Dance With My Father” — Luther Vandross

  “If I could get one chance, one more dance, one more step with him / I’d play a song that would never, ever end.”

• “Brotha” — Angie Stone

  “He is my brotha, he’s strong, he’s black / He’s got my back.”

• “Sensitivity” — Ralph Tresvant

  “You need a man with sensitivity / Someone who can treat you right.”

• “The Best Man I Can Be” — Ginuwine, R.L., Tyrese, Case

  “I’m striving to be the best man I can be / For my family, my brother, and me.”

• “The Man” — Aloe Blacc

  “Well, you can tell everybody / Yeah, you can tell everybody / Go ahead and tell everybody / I’m the man, I’m the man, I’m the man.”

• “U Will Know” — B.M.U. (Black Men United)

  “When the road gets tough, keep your head up high / You will know, you will know.”

Daniel B. Singley, Ph.D.

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