The release of a top-ten chart of funeral music requests got me thinking morbid thoughts a few weeks ago. The top ten, for those who missed it, were:

1. Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt
2. Angels - Robbie Williams
3. I’ve Had the Time of My Life - Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley
4. Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler
5. Pie Jesu - Requiem
6. Candle in the Wind - Elton John
7. With or Without You - U2
8. Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton
9. Every Breath You Take - The Police
10. Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers

There’s not a one on that list that I’d want at my funeral. And it seems I’m not the only one. The blogging world has been abuzz with suggestions, from Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien and Always Look On The Bright Side of Life to Where Eagles Have Been and See You in the Next One.

But what would I want? Well, I’ve come up with a list of three. I know that’s pushing it a bit, but hey, it’s my funeral… It’s not as if I’m going to be too bothered if it drags on…

Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah:

It’s the defining death scene song of a generation - anybody who’s anybody in anything dies to this song, to the point where it’s almost a meaningless cliché. But it’s a nice song, and kinda sets the mood for a funeral, I think.

My Chemical Romance’s Welcome to the Black Parade:

Pushing the boundaries of acceptable funeral music… It’s a new release, so a new one to add onto the list (bumping Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars off, I think). It says everything I’d want to say I my own funeral - remember me for who I was and what I did in life, not for how I died - however that might be! And ‘carry on’ without me.

Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now:

It seems so appropriate… I think I’ve wanted this ever since Jonny Kennedy had it at his funeral, so I guess it’s a tribute to him in a way. It would serve as a reflection on a happy life I’d enjoyed living. And it’s kinda upbeat, which would be nice for the end of a funeral, I think. Leave people celebrating life, not dreading death.

So there you go. That’s a cheery thought and a half. Hopefully, I’ll have an awful lot of time to be rethinking and rejigging this list in the future…!

Oh, and I’ve probably broken a gazillion copyright laws in this post, so if any record company wants anything removed, feel free to get in touch. And then I’ll write to the Daily Mail and tell them that the big bad corporation wouldn’t even let me tell people what music I wanted at my funeral. Or maybe not.

Interact with this post

Your Comments and Responses

I’m a traditionalist. How Great Thou Art and Amazing Grace.

» This comment was received at 13:20 on 20 October 06

Man, like you wouldn’t want Tears In Heaven played at your funeral. Clapton is God after all
I think today I’m gonna go through and make a big list of songs that I want, I need something better to do with my time >_

» This comment was received at 00:49 on 23 October 06

Fun list! And thanks for the shout out.

» This comment was received at 01:16 on 10 November 06

The Godfather theme- It’s haunting, it’s beautiful, and I think, the perfect way to leave your mark.

Other songs I’d like played at my funeral are…

Ain’t No Sunshine- Al Green
I’ll Cover You (reprise)- Rent
Angel- Sarah McLachlan
Pass Me Over- Anthony Hamilton
People Ain’t No Good- Nick Cave
Under the Bridge- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Dust in the Wind- Kansas
You Are So Beautiful- Ray Charles
I’ll Be Missing You- Puff Daddy and Faith Hill
Can You Feel the Love Tonight- Elton John
Fall At Your Feet- James Blunt
Don’t Dream It’s Over (Live Acoustic)- Crowded House
Fast Car- Tracy Chapman
Remember Me- James Horton performed by Josh Groban
Somewhere Over the Rainbow- Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
Take Me Home Country Road- Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

» This comment was received at 21:49 on 19 November 06

Anna - that’s going to be one long funeral

» This comment was received at 22:41 on 19 November 06

Pity the poor ministers who have to play some of this stuff whilst keeping a straight face!

» This comment was received at 08:34 on 07 December 06

Who said anything about a minister being there:?:

» This comment was received at 09:11 on 07 December 06

how about I’m Not Dead by Pink?!

» This comment was received at 03:28 on 15 February 07

Very good!

» This comment was received at 08:08 on 15 February 07

Only one for my funeral its written in my will - Bob Dylon singing Sands of Time.. Wow what a way to go -

» This comment was received at 21:34 on 04 March 07

This post has been referenced by another on this site:
sjhoward.co.uk » Doctors get (even more) vocal about MMC

[...] many, many more great songs from StableStound on other topics here, and I’ll be revisiting this very popular post soon for more musical [...]

» This pingback was received at 10:36 on 28 March 07

I recently saw this on the road: http://www.motorcyclefunerals.com/ which prompted me to think about my swan song: Definitely gotta be “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf with this kind of send off! No - i’m not a motorcycle enthusiast - I just have a good sense of occasion.

» This comment was received at 12:30 on 30 April 07

k i kno this might sound weird especially since im 15, but i was talkin about it with my sisters and parents the other day and, my five songs that i would like to be played are,

Queen - Don’t stop me now
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
U2 - Stuck in a moment
Metallica - Nothing else Matters
Guns and Roses - Sweet child of mine,

What you think?

Natterz

» This comment was received at 12:11 on 03 May 07

Hey, not so weird, even if you are 15!

I’ve made a few changes to my list, but I am planning on covering them in an upcoming post… more classical things might be good I think. I’ll make sure I ping this post when I post the update, so you’ll know.

» This comment was received at 23:29 on 04 May 07

This post has been referenced by another on this site:
sjhoward.co.uk » Funeral music revisited

[...] Funeral music… Top ten and my picksDoctors get (even more) vocal about MMCNapster to give users one million songs for under £15Why does it work?Terrorist attacks on London Recent Posts [...]

» This pingback was received at 16:29 on 01 June 07

This post has been referenced by another on this site:
sjhoward.co.uk » Music for Funerals

[...] work?Funeral music revisitedIl DivoFeelin’ Hot Hot HotDoctors get (even more) vocal about MMCFuneral music… Top ten and my picks Recent [...]

» This pingback was received at 09:02 on 30 July 07

I think alot of Linkin Park’s songs would be good. Such as:
What I’ve Done
My December
In Pieces
Leave Out All The Rest
In The End

» This comment was received at 14:44 on 22 August 07

I think it is funny that almost a year later I am still getting almost daily hits from this page!

» This comment was received at 19:26 on 25 August 07

It’s still a page which generates a huge amount of traffic, and comments still trickle in about it. I assume it’s because it’s become the top hit on Google for ‘funeral music‘ - which is great!

» This comment was received at 22:05 on 25 August 07

My son once suggested ‘Ding Dong,the Witch is Dead”,for my funeral.I’m tempted.
I quite like the idea of having Eric Idle’s ‘The Galaxy Song’ at the end.

» This comment was received at 15:30 on 10 September 07

Songs from my “funeral list”:

Peter Gabriel, ‘Washing of the Water’
Ozark Henry, ‘Weekenders’
Beth Nielsen Chapman, ‘Say Goodnight’
Beth Nielsen Chapman, ‘I Find Your Love’
Coldplay, ’See You Soon’ (acoustic version)
John Mayer, ‘Dreaming With a Broken Heart’
Keane, ‘She Has No Time’
Rajaton, ‘Butterfly’
Rajaton, ‘Dobbin’s Flowery Vale’
Schumann, ‘Träumerei’

What do you think?

» This comment was received at 13:43 on 27 September 07

I wouldn’t want anything too cliché. I’m thinking maybe Matthew West – “You Know Where to Find Me”.

» This comment was received at 17:48 on 21 October 07

trespassers william - different stars

» This comment was received at 12:51 on 26 October 07

were having :-
burning ring of fire - johnny cash
bill withers - lean on me
right said fred - your my mate

rip pete mate! (-:

» This comment was received at 19:28 on 31 December 07

‘It was a wild ride, Lord Trunkthorpe!’

Pschychedelic Soul from the Ghost in the Shell SAC second soundtrack album. Vocals by Scott Matthew and the ever legendary music of Yoko Kanno.

» This comment was received at 14:38 on 14 February 08

How about ‘Going Underground’ by The Jam?

On a more serious note, I intend to have ‘Motion Picture Soundtrack’ by Radiohead.

» This comment was received at 01:43 on 27 May 08

How about “God only knows”:Beach Boys,”Mr. Tambourine Man”,Bob Dylan, “Blue Moon”, the Marcels, “Jerusalem,” Emerson Lake and Palmer, “Ne me quitte pas”, Jacques Brel,”Ti penso”, Massimo Ranieri, or The Easter Hymn ,(from Cavalliera Rusticana) by Cossotto. (On You Tube.) “Supper’s ready,”Genesis, “Wondrous Stories”,by Yes, “I know it’s over”, The Smiths. All these songs have a lot of pathos and will induce tears from most people, before going on to a pub or restaurant , where they can all have a good laugh, (as you ordered, )about the daft things you did or said, or criticise you for being the most two-faced cow they’d ever worked with! Me, I’m going for E.L.P. and Brel.

» This comment was received at 20:50 on 29 July 08

If i may suggest: Amazing grace, played by scotty… and then whoos, off goes the torpedo cascet… just a great way to go.
well… at least for a trekki funeral

» This comment was received at 14:04 on 29 August 08

Write a new comment or response