Guyz Nite: 'This One's For Dad'

Enlarge Courtesy of the artist

Guyz Nite's "Father's Day" is an almost preposterously goodhearted, winningly sincere tribute to Dad.

Courtesy of the artist

Guyz Nite's "Father's Day" is an almost preposterously goodhearted, winningly sincere tribute to Dad.

The New York hard-rock band Guyz Nite plays riff-laden odes to old-fashioned maleness, from party-hearty frat-guy fare to a profanity-laced declaration of appreciation for the Die Hard movies. The band's own name demonstrates how far Guyz Nite buries its tongue in its cheek — the singer is named Guy Manley, for starters — and its song "Father's Day" is no different: There's a jokiness inherent in everything from the song's mid-'80s hard-rock arrangement to its celebration of the manly lessons passed from father to son.

But make no mistake: For all its bluster, "Father's Day" is an almost preposterously goodhearted (and clearly sincere) ode to dads who teach their kids to try hard and be decent people. Sure, the song's wonderful video is a blur of silly facial hair and amusingly faked-up home movies, but "Father's Day" boils down to a message that's as heartfelt as it is simply worded: "You're my dad / the only one I've had / and if I turn out like you, I'll be glad." Believe this: Those words are all any father wants for Father's Day.

This story originally ran on June 13, 2008.