Song for My Father ( song ) - wikipedia Song for My Father ( song ) `` Song for My Father '' Composition by Horace Silver from the album Song for My Father Language English Recorded October 26, 1964 Genre Jazz, hard bop Label Blue Note Composer ( s ) Horace Silver Producer ( s ) Alfred Lion `` Song for My Father '' is a composition by Horace Silver. The original version, by Silver 's quintet, was recorded on October 26, 1964. It has become a jazz standard and is probably Silver 's best - known composition. Contents 1 Composition 2 Original recording 3 Later versions and use 4 References Composition `` Song for My Father '' has a 24 - bar AAB construction and is in 4 / 4 time. It was composed in F minor. It has a bossa nova feel and features a bass ostinato. `` It contains only four chords : Fm - E ♭ - D ♭ - C. The piece uses even eighth notes throughout, not swing eighths. '' Original recording The original version featured Silver on piano, with Joe Henderson ( tenor saxophone ), Carmell Jones ( trumpet ), Teddy Smith ( bass ), and Roger Humphries ( drums ). It was recorded in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on October 26, 1964. It was first released on the album of the same name. The opening vamp (... ) leads to one of Silver 's most affecting themes, and then to perfect solos by, respectively, the leader and Joe Henderson. Henderson 's is one of the great motivically based solos in recorded jazz ; all derived from his three opening notes. In his improvisations on the track, Silver evokes historical precedents in his use of blue notes, blues scale, and the use of mixolydian modal concepts on the dominant chord, and a swinging rhythm punctuated with silence. He also uses a blues scale on the dominant and tonic ( F ) chords, and flat thirds, fifths and sevenths. In the second chorus, from the twenty - fifth bar, `` Silver changes from harmony in thirds to harmony in fourths ''. Two aspects of the accompaniment are just as important as the melody itself. First, the bassist plays only roots and fifths of the chords (... ) Second, the rhythm section breaks at measure 6 in every section. Both the bass pattern and the one - measure break occur consistently during the solos as well as the theme choruses, and provide an extra degree of continuity that helps tie the whole performance together. Later versions and use As of 2014, more than 180 versions of the song had been recorded. The opening bass piano notes were borrowed by Steely Dan for their song `` Rikki Do n't Lose That Number '', while the opening horn riff was borrowed by Stevie Wonder for his song `` Do n't You Worry ' bout a Thing ''. Earth Wind & Fire also borrowed the opening bass notes for their song `` Clover ''. In the booklet of their box set, Paul Weller noted that he `` nicked ' the chords for The Style Council 's 1984 song ' Me Ship Came In ! ' '' References Jump up ^ Keepnews, Peter ( June 18, 2014 ). `` Horace Silver, 85, Master of Earthy Jazz, Is Dead ''. The New York Times. ^ Jump up to : Meadows, Eddie S. ( 2013 ) Jazz : Research and Pedagogy ( 3rd ed. ). Routledge. ^ Jump up to : Owens, Thomas ( 1996 ). Bebop -- The Music and Its Players. Oxford University Press. p. 222. ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 510651 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Kirchner, Bill `` The Dozens : Horace Silver '' Archived 2008 - 09 - 24 at the Wayback Machine... jazz.com. Retrieved January 1, 2016. Jump up ^ McDonough, John ( September 2014 ) `` Horace Silver ''. Down Beat p. 49. Jump up ^ Mason, Stewart. `` Steely Dan `` Rikki Do n't Lose That Number '' ``. AllMusic. Retrieved November 5, 2014. Jump up ^ Huey, Steve. `` Song for My Father ( 1964 ) ''. Blue Note Records. Retrieved November 5, 2014. Horace Silver Years indicated are for the recording ( s ), not first release. Blue Note albums New Faces New Sounds ( Introducing the Horace Silver Trio ) ( 1952 ) / Horace Silver Trio and Art Blakey - Sabu ( 1952 -- 53 ) Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers ( 1954 -- 55 ) 6 Pieces of Silver ( 1956 -- 58 ) The Stylings of Silver ( 1957 ) Further Explorations ( 1958 ) Live at Newport ' 58 ( 1958 ) Finger Poppin ' ( 1959 ) Blowin ' the Blues Away ( 1959 ) Horace - Scope ( 1960 ) Doin ' the Thing ( 1961 ) The Tokyo Blues ( 1962 ) Silver 's Serenade ( 1963 ) Song for My Father ( 1963 -- 64 ) The Cape Verdean Blues ( 1965 ) The Jody Grind ( 1966 ) Serenade to a Soul Sister ( 1968 ) You Gotta Take a Little Love ( 1969 ) That Healin ' Feelin ', The United States of Mind, Phase 1 ( 1970 ) Total Response, The United States of Mind, Phase 2 ( 1970 -- 71 ) All, The United States of Mind, Phase 3 ( 1972 ) The United States of Mind ( compilation of the 3 ' Phase ' albums, 1970 -- 72 ) In Pursuit of the 27th Man ( 1972 ) Silver ' n Brass ( 1975 ) Silver ' n Wood ( 1975 -- 76 ) Silver ' n Voices ( 1976 ) Silver ' n Percussion ( 1977 ) Silver ' n Strings Play the Music of the Spheres ( 1978 -- 79 ) Albums released on other labels Silver 's Blue ( 1956 ) Live 1964 ( 1964 ) Guides to Growing Up ( 1981 ) Spiritualizing the Senses ( 1983 ) There 's No Need to Struggle ( 1983 ) The Continuity of Spirit ( 1985 ) Music to Ease Your Disease ( 1988 ) It 's Got to Be Funky ( 1993 ) Pencil Packin ' Papa ( 1994 ) The Hardbop Grandpop ( 1996 ) A Prescription for the Blues ( 1997 ) Jazz Has a Sense of Humor ( 1998 ) Art Blakey / The Jazz Messengers A Night at Birdland Vol. 1 ( 1954 ) A Night at Birdland Vol. 2 ( 1954 ) A Night at Birdland Vol. 3 ( 1954 ) At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1 ( 1955 ) At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2 ( 1955 ) The Jazz Messengers ( 1956 ) The Cool Voice of Rita Reys ( 1956 ) Originally ( 1956 ) Albums as sideman Introducing Nat Adderley ( 1955 ) Love and Peace : A Tribute to Horace Silver ( Dee Dee Bridgewater, 1994 ) Byrd 's Eye View ( Donald Byrd, 1955 ) Whims of Chambers ( Paul Chambers, 1956 ) Bohemia After Dark ( Kenny Clarke, 1955 ) Al Cohn 's Tones ( Al Cohn, 1950 ) Miles Davis, Volume 3 ( 1954 ) Miles Davis Quartet / Blue Haze / Miles Davis Quintet / Miles Davis All - Star Sextet / Walkin ' ( 1953 / 54 ) Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins / Bags ' Groove ( 1954 ) Quartet / Quintet / Sextet ( Lou Donaldson, 1952 ) Afro - Cuban ( Kenny Dorham, 1955 ) The Art Farmer Septet ( 1953 -- 54 ) When Farmer Met Gryce ( Art Farmer / Gigi Gryce, 1955 ) The Complete Roost Recordings ( Stan Getz, 1950 -- 51 ) Nica 's Tempo ( Gigi Gryce, 1955 ) Disorder at the Border ( Coleman Hawkins, 1952 ) Milt Jackson Quartet ( 1955 ) Plenty, Plenty Soul ( Milt Jackson, 1957 ) The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 ( J.J. Johnson, 1955 ) Blowing in from Chicago ( Clifford Jordan & John Gilmore, 1957 ) Hank Mobley Quartet ( 1955 ) Hank Mobley Sextet ( 1956 ) Hank Mobley and His All Stars ( 1957 ) Hank Mobley Quintet ( 1957 ) J.R. Monterose ( 1956 ) Lee Morgan Indeed ! ( 1956 ) Lee Morgan Sextet ( 1956 ) Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2 ( 1957 ) Clark Terry ( 1955 ) Selected singles `` Opus de Funk '' ( 1953 ) `` The Preacher '' / `` Doodlin ' '' ( 1955 / 54 ) `` Señor Blues '' ( 1956 ) `` Sister Sadie '' ( 1959 ) `` Nica 's Dream '' ( 1960 ) `` Song for My Father '' ( 1964 ) Related Discography Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Song_for_My_Father_(song)&oldid=846265138 '' Categories : 1960s jazz standards 1964 compositions Compositions by Horace Silver Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia 日本 語 Português Edit links This page was last edited on 17 June 2018, at 15 : 19 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote the lyrics to song for my father
Answer: Horace Silver