Songs for siblings: for a brother, a sister or both
The best songs for siblings are about loyalty more than sentiment: the person who shared a back seat with you for eighteen years and still answers at 2 a.m. Below are twelve songs in three lists, one for sisters, one for brothers and one for any sibling, followed by which kind of song fits a wedding toast, a move across the country or a birthday. The last section covers getting a song written about your own brother or sister, including a funny rap version.
Songs for a sister
Sister songs tend to be about solidarity, inside jokes and growing up side by side. These four cover that range, from a singalong to a gentler pick for a younger sister.
| Song | Artist | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| We Are Family | Sister Sledge | Recorded by four sisters; the obvious party opener for a sisters' night |
| Sisters | Rosemary Clooney and Betty Clooney | A 1954 duet by two sisters about sticking together; fun to perform as a pair |
| Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves | Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin | For a sister who just bought a house, started a business or finished a degree |
| Sister Christian | Night Ranger | Written about the drummer's little sister growing up fast; for a big sibling's toast |
Songs for a brother
Brother songs are often about carrying each other, and sometimes about making up after years of competing. Pick the one that matches where the two of you are now.
| Song | Artist | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother | The Hollies | The classic statement that helping your brother is never a burden |
| Brother | NEEDTOBREATHE featuring Gavin DeGraw | Written by two brothers in a band after patching up a long rivalry |
| Brother | Kodaline | A promise to stand by someone through anything; for brothers who are also best friends |
Songs for any sibling
These are about friendship and showing up, which makes them easy to use for a brother, a sister or a group of siblings together.
| Song | Artist | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Count on Me | Bruno Mars | A light, cheerful promise to be there; good for younger siblings |
| You've Got a Friend | Carole King | A gentle reminder that one call is all it takes |
| I'll Be There for You | The Rembrandts | For siblings who watched every rerun of the show together |
| Home | Phillip Phillips | A send-off for a brother or sister moving to a new city |
| With a Little Help from My Friends | The Beatles | For the sibling who got you through the hard year |
Which song for which occasion
A sibling's wedding toast. Keep the speech under four minutes and end on the song. Ask the DJ to start it as you raise your glass, then step off the floor. An upbeat pick from the list above works better than a ballad here, because the couple's first dance usually takes the slow slot.
A brother or sister moving away. Choose something hopeful rather than sad. Send it the night before the move, or play it in the car on the way to the airport, and let it be about the new place more than the goodbye.
A birthday. This is where siblings get playful. A song that teases a shared memory, like who always won at board games, lands better than a serious tribute. If you have two or three good stories, consider a custom song instead (more on that below).
Graduation or a new job. Pick a song about doing it on your own terms, and add a note about the moment you knew they would make it.
How to give a song to a sibling
Siblings are suspicious of sentiment, so frame it lightly. A text like "this came on and I thought of the summer we got lost in Ohio" is enough. If you are sharing it in the family group chat, add a short memory from each sibling so it does not read as a speech.
For a sibling far away, a song pairs well with a photo from the same era as the memory you are referencing. One picture, one song, one sentence.
A song about your brother or sister, by name
Every song above was written about somebody else's sibling. If you want the lyrics to mention the cactus she carried to her first apartment, or the Mario Kart rivalry that resumes every December, a custom song can do that. On NameSong you type their name, choose sibling as the relationship and pick the occasion, then write up to three short lines about them. The song is built from those lines with their name sung in it.
Here is a birthday rap a younger sibling sent to a big sister turning thirty. The brief mentions her moving to Chicago with one suitcase and a cactus, running the family group chat, and winning at Mario Kart every Christmas.
嘻哈 / 说唱 · from her younger sibling
Thirty Years of Siobhan
送给 Siobhan
Her name is easy to get wrong, so it was typed as it is said (Shiv-awn) while the lyric sheet kept the real spelling. You can do the same for any name.
Writing the three lines
Siblings have too much material, so the hard part is choosing. Go for one story from childhood, one from adulthood and one thing they still do now. That spread gives the song a sense of time passing, which is what makes a sibling song feel earned.
Be concrete. "She is always there for me" gives the song nothing to work with. "She drove four hours to help me move a couch up three flights of stairs" gives it a scene. Names of places, objects and numbers all help: the cactus, the suitcase, the 22-year-old moving to Chicago.
If a story only makes sense to the two of you, add a few words of context so the lyrics can use it. The song cannot know that "the waffle incident" happened at Grandma's house in 2009 unless you say so.
Funny, heartfelt or hype
The tone setting matters most for siblings. Choose heartfelt for a wedding or a big move. Choose hype for a milestone birthday party where people will be dancing. Choose funny for the rest, which, for most siblings, is most occasions.
A funny song teases the situation, not the person. Good material is a shared story with a slightly ridiculous edge: the time he locked his keys in the car twice in one day, the sister who insists on navigating and always takes the wrong exit, the brother who claims he invented a recipe he found online. A funny song is not a list of insults, and that kind of song is not something we make. Siblings already know each other's weak spots; the song is more fun when it celebrates the chaos you shared.
Rap is one of the seven styles and suits funny lines well, since there is room for more words per line. It is available in English only. The other styles (acoustic pop, piano ballad, country, R&B / soul, indie folk and upbeat pop) can also be sung in German, French, Spanish or Japanese.
What it costs and what you get
The first 60 seconds play about two minutes after you finish the form, and that preview is free with no card. Every lyric line appears before you pay, so you can check the jokes land before you commit. To keep the whole two-minute track, you pay $12.99 one time.
Along with the MP3 you get:
- The lyrics as a sheet to print for a card, or as a PDF
- A private share link that plays without an account, ideal for the family group chat
- A free photo video made in your browser, with your photos and the lyrics on screen, in vertical format with 15- and 30-second cuts
- One free re-record if you want to change a line, the style or the voice
A name sung wrong after payment earns that song one free remake.
Start from a song for your sister, a song for your brother, or go straight to a birthday song for your sister.
Questions people ask
What is a good song for a brother's wedding? Something about loyalty with a steady beat, played right after your toast. Save the slow songs for the couple.
Is there a song about siblings growing apart and back together? Look for songs about reconciliation rather than loss. One of the brother songs above was written by two brothers who had just made up, which makes it a fitting choice.
Can I make one song for all my siblings? Yes. Type the names together, for example "Maya and Sam", up to 40 characters, and give each sibling one of the three lines.