That's My Job, A Classic Father's Day Song

Conway's specialty was singing about matters of the heart, but a song about the father/son relationship was quite a departure for him, yet it's a subject he took on masterfully in 1987 with the release of That's My Job, the third single from his Borderline album.

Written by Gary Burr about his relationship with his own father, That's My Job is a classic country music story song starting with a young boy waking from a nightmare about his dad passing away and ending with the father's eventual death many years later. Through the song's many verses is the ongoing theme that the father is always there for his son because that's his job.

That's My Job has become one of Conway's signature songs but someone who wasn't an initial fan was his eldest son, Michael. In an interview with Savvy Dad Michael tells the story of Conway showing up at his door late one night (wearing his favorite Mickey Mouse pajamas) with a cassette of the song. Michael explained that listening to its poignant words made him contemplate life without his father for the very first time, to which Conway responded that in the future all Michael would have to do is listen to that song to know Conway was always with him.

We all know Conway's children lost their father far too soon, and in concert tributes in years to come Michael would change the lyric woke up early one bright fall day to woke up early one bright June day to reflect Conway's passing.

A few interesting bits of trivia...

1) Conway got some flak from country radio about the length of That's My Job, clocking in at nearly 5 minutes.

2) In his book On the Road with The Oak Ridge Boys, Joe Bonsall reveals that the Oaks passed on the song.

3) It reached #6 on the Billboard charts and is consistently one of the top 5 most downloaded/streamed Conway songs on the various digital music services.

Whether you're blessed to still have your dad with you to celebrate this Father's Day or not, That's My Job is sure to bring a tear to the eye and a lump to the throat, which is exactly what a good country song (in the hands of a master) should do.