- Goodbye My Lover, James Blunt.
- Angels, Robbie Williams
- I've Had the Time of My Life, Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley
- Wind Beneath My Wings, Bette Midler
- Pie Jesu, Requiem
- Candle in the Wind, Elton John
- With or Without You, U2
- Tears from Heaven, Eric Clapton
- Every Breath You Take, The Police
- Unchained Melody, Righteous Brothers
October 3, 2006
What song do you want played at your funeral?
51% in a (U.K.) survey say they have considered this question. (Via Metafilter.) I know I have. Haven't you? As you might imagine, most people have decided to inflict garbage on the poor souls who remain among the living and are decent enough to show up for the ceremony.
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56 comments:
How many people play Top 40 pop songs at their funeral?
Perhaps they have "considered it" but it does not appear they given it much thought. "I've Had the Time of My Life"? All righty then.
I've told my wife I want "I'll Fly Away" the old gospel song. Kinda like "In My Life" by the Beatles.
What age are these respondents?
I'm fond of the adagio cantabile of Beethoven's Pathetique. That'll be nice as my casket moves down the aisle.
It seems the vote should be given to those who are left behind. Why do people care about their own funerals? It's not as if they get to attend.
You might want to leave instructions for someone to say, after the song is played, "At least I don't have to hear that again."
MLK by U2
I've always been partial to the instrumental end of Layla. No kidding.
I guess "Amazing Grace" is an American thing. Nina's right - let the ones at the funeral decide. Better yet, give each one an ipod and allow them to choose their personal favorite. That could be interesting...
Sympathy for the Devil
Jody: An outstanding choice!!
When The Saints Go Marching In
No bagpipes. No banjos.
Pie Jesu, Requiem?
Do you think that this many people could really have meant it, or is this the Monty Python contingent?
(I *like* Pie Jesu, really, but every time I hear the children's choir sing it at Mass all I can think of is *WHACK!* I fully accept that this is a result of Original Sin and I hope that it is burned out of me in Purgatory.)
- my Dad went out with Herb Alpert and by God! it'll be some Jimmi Hendrix for me....
And another thing --- the journalist appears to think that "Pie Jesu," a requiem, is actually a song called "Pie Jesu" recorded by a group called Requiem, perhapsthis group.
I know journalists don't "get religion" (that's why this blog is so fun to read), but that's quite a doozy.
Interesting idea, I'll start a playlist. Trick is to balance uplifting, sentimental, and maudlin. Or just skip it and go for the ironic grin from the grave. At least try to entertain the people; no one enjoys these things, so just get it over with.
Probably start with Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso was never called an Asshole" just because it's funny.
"How Great Our Lord" from Randy Newman's musical "Faust." Hell, just play the whole thing.
"Hang on St. Christopher," Tom Waits.
For more of a death theme,Robyn Hitchcock's Bones in the Ground is pleasant. Tori Amos' Happy Phantom makes me laugh.
Definately closing with Robert Johnson's "Hell Hound On My Trail."
My plan is to invite thousands of dignitaries, hoping that they will attend out of concern that I was someone important that they simply forgot about. At the beginning of the funeral, one of my heirs will select at random one member of the audience to sing and another to accompany on the bagpipe. The tune will be Bohemian Rhapsody.
Will Ferrell's rendition of Dust in The Wind from "Old School."
"You're my boy, Blue!"
The Way We Were
Peace, Maxine
I'd like to lie in state before the high altar of the cathedral of Santa Fe, NM, as the final scene of Richard Strauss' "Salome" is performed by soprano and orchestra.
"The Wind Beneath My Wings?" Why hasn't it been banned by the authorities as a menace to public health?
I suppose it doesn't really count as a 'song', but I'd be keen on having Victoria's Requiem mass sung at mine. It'd bore the snot out of everyone there though.
Either that or Allegri's Miserere, the single most beautiful piece of music ever written.
Brain Eno & Harold budd
First Light
Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror
listen to a few seconds here
My previous wife died at an untimely age, and even though she was a singer and a songwriter, we never discussed what music she wanted, so I had to figure it out.
I had my son's singing teacher and a student my wife had cast in a play perform "Over the Rainbow," and it was very moving, though I realize now that it was a big thing to ask of a 15-year-old girl.
I needed something for the end of the service. She was a fan of Nancy Griffith's "Other Voices, Other Rooms," CD, so I looked there and found "Where I'm Bound," which I thought was perfect. It's a hootenanny-era folk song -- here's how it starts:
It's a long and dusty road, it's a hot and heavy load
And the people that you meet aren't always kind
Some are bad, some are good some have done the best they could
Some have tried to ease my troubled mind
But I can't help but wonder Where I'm bound, where I'm bound
I can't help but wonder where I'm bound
We just went through this when my father died in July. Throughout the years, he mentioned a few songs that he thought would be good for his funeral. How Great Thou Art; Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata [played at his grandmother's funeral]; a dixieland band playing When the Saints Go Marching In [from his time in New Orleans as a boy].
He got his wish.
"Every Breath You Take" is about Reagan and his cronies???
Not even remotely! It's about an obsessed lover.
Where is the politics in this lyric?
Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace
I dream at night, I can only see your face
I look around, but it's you I can't replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby please
If that's how you feel when you think about Ed Meese or Cap Weinberger...well you should probably keep it to yourself. Certainly don't IM anyone about it.
I'm not sure which is more distressing -- the total secularity of the list (which is not surprising and of no concern to many I'm sure) or the utter lack of taste the Brits have. I will haunt any hint of maudlin at my funeral.
My wish for my wife or kids -- play whatever gives you comfort it's not for me anyway.
"Songs at my funeral: "Many Rivers to Cross" by Jimmy Cliff, "Angel" by Aretha Franklin, and I've always had this fantasy that some beautiful, tearful woman would insist on "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" by Gladys Knight. But who would that woman be?" - Rob Gordon
Who said sympathy for the devil? lol
myTown-
no internet gambling, causes terrorism-i dont gamble
no smoking in omaha-i dont smoke
now they`re taking my sex toys away.......the ones I bot here !
and now, it`s what do i want played at my funeral?
mmm, have to be one of my own or a beatles tune;
Imagine?
Long & Winding Road?
mmm, `guess it `d be one of mine, "Rock & Revolt"
I know I have. Haven't you?
Honestly, it has never crossed my mind.
sympathy for the...lol
I went through this when my dad died back in March. He was a cowboy; my sisters and I chose "The Dance" by Garth Brooks to be played at the luncheon after the funeral.
My partner has chosen "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," and I suppose it will be the original, Vince Guaraldi version.
I haven't thought about this, but I lean toward dixieland: Start with "Just a Closer Walk" at a slow beat then speed it up to register the joy of passing over.
but if I had to choose.... if I die in the next few years -- "Where the Streets Have No Name" played live by U2 before they turn in to Rolling Stone jokes and then a good rousing "Drop Kick Me Jesus Through the Goalposts of Life" to make my wife laugh and anything by Bach for my kids.
"Pablo Picasso was never called an Asshole"
Bill! You never, ever let me down (you and XWL): I should have known you'd know that song. You rock.
Wouldn't have thought of it in connection with funeral-planning. Now I'll never be able to think about funeral-planning WITHOUT that coming to mind.
LOL.
Weird. I pretty much know what (or at least what type) of music everyone would want, but I've never hammered that down for myself. On some fundamental level, I think I don't actually care much about my own funeral (since I do believe their basically for the living).
Except--live music. Not recorded.
Real, live musicians.
My father (a musician) has always said that he wants to be cremated privately, and then for us to throw a big party, invite a bunch of musician friends of various genres, and just let them have it. Food and drink for free and free-flowing (within reason).
Sounds like a pretty good party to me.
"Freedom" by George Michael?
"Beat It" by Michael Jackson?
"Love Child" from The Supremes just to start rumors among the mourning?
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered?"
"Tears of a Clown?"
"Dancing in the Street?"
Since you're not going to be there at your funeral, the only way this can be a valuable exercise is if you integrate the song into your life, so that hearing the song intensifies your memory for the mourners.
This advice is a little easier than Henry Ward Beecher's "If you want someone to know what Jesus Christ can do for him, let him see what Jesus Christ has done for you," because you could integrate the tune into your life by, say, singing it or playing it on the piano. If you actually had to live a life as penitent as Gounod's "O Divine Redeemer" (my own choice), that would be very difficult.
Well, I'm never going to die, so I have no dog in this fight.
But if you have to listen to crappy pop songs even after you're dead, I've got some suggestions.
With contextual suggestions:
Green onions- Booker T (unwashed vegetables)
Bad Medicine- Bon Jovi( single payer healthcare)
Hit me with your best shot- Benatar (boasting)
Poison arrow-ABC (ecotourist mishap)
Straight from the heart -Bryan Adams (embolism)
Two less lonely people in the world-Air Supply (murder/suicide)
Tijuana taxi- Herb alpert (cab crash)
Bend me shape me- American breed (before rigor mortis sets in)
Hold your head up-Argent (old age)
Make the world go away-Eddy Arnold (cirrhosis)
Pick up the pieces-AWB (lawnmower accident)
Rescue me- Fontella Bass (drowning)
I don't want to spoil the party-Beatles (Irish)
How can you mend a broken heart-Bee Gees (co-pay/deductible too high)
What a fool believes-Doobies (homeopathy)
Judy's turn to cry- Lesley Gore (suicide)
I think we're alone now-Shondells (her father showed up)
I choose Irving Berlin's "I Say It's Spinach And The Hell With It."
How about "Days" by the Kinks?
"Surf's Up" by the Beach Boys.
"A Change is Gonna Come," Aretha's version.
Maybe when people are walking in, I'd play "The Shape I'm In" by the Band.
The more I think of it, the more I'm fond of playing the most treacly crap imaginable, with a notation in the program that I'm so glad I don't have to hear this stuff. You light up my life, Patches -- those kinds of songs. If I have a long lingering illness, I will survive would be good too.
Taps
or Amazing Grace if you have a good piper.
It was suggested by others, but I want Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.
Doesn't it say something good, though, about how far we've progressed as a species, that "My Way" _isn't_ on the list?
Plus, I mean, c'mon, let's appreciate the humor here. "I've had the time of my life" --- well, sure, obviously at this point.
For me, the old faithfuls: How Great Thou Art, and Amazing Grace, preferably on bagpipes. When my mother went a couple of years ago, we skipped the bagpipes, given how overpowering they can be.
"Oops... I did it again."
Just to confuse the lot of them.
Haven't thought about it much, but the first song that came to mind was "Have a Drink on Me" by AD/DC.
Maybe I'll get over this, but I hope not. Especially if I live to be very old. I particularly love this first choice for a little old lady:
Processional: "Don't Fear the Reaper," Blue Öyster Cult
Recessional: "Chan Chan" from "Buena Vista Social Club"
And maybe in the middle: "Sicut Cervus" by Palestrina.
Ann, I think you like this because you're looking at your funeral as an art project.
Amba: Not really. I don't even want a funeral. I have thought of the song, but only in the context of feeling that I wouldn't want to inflict it on/share it with other people. I think I've only told one person what the song is.
Bach cantata, Vernugte Ruh.
"My Sweet Hunk O'Trash"
---It's a love song...honest!
Sung by Billie Holliday. I'm serious.
Also, "I Get Along Without You Very Well".
Cmon, no I'm serious...that's also a love song...and elegy.
I'm not kidding. Matt Monro sung that one best.
Songs where you've got a discrepancy between the title and the lyrics.
Irony and contradiction.
Peace, Maxine
I used to joke about having "Disco Inferno" as my funeral march. But then I found the most tragically beautiful song that seems crafted for a funeral procession, "Vapour Trail" by Ride, which you can watch at You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-UdQrKUBNM.
Since I was diagnosed with cancer in 2003, whenever I would hear an old favorite, usually a love song, I automatically add it to my funeral playlist.
"Don't Dream It's Over" - Crowded House
"Pearly Gates" - Prefab Sprout
"Maybe It's You" - The Carpenters
"Til I Die" - The Beach Boys
"In My Life" - The Beatles
"The Last Goodbye" - Jeff Buckley
"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" - The Smiths
Tearjerkers all.
Now that I am possibly facing bone metastasis of my breast cancer, I realize that I want to be cremated without a formal memorial service. But not any time soon, God willing.
If my loved ones insist on a funeral despite my wishes, I want this sign on the side of my casket for all the mourners to see:
Wish you were here
When they open the casket for viewing, something like the Pointer Sister's "Jump!" would be neat. As the mourners file past, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" would be good. Then again, Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?" may better represent the general view.
They ought to have no problem working in Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" either before or after any eulogies.
After an announcement that I donated by organs to UCSF for scientific research, Tony Bennett's classic, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" would be appropriate.
At the end of the service, as my family departs, preferably one by one, I trust they will sing "So Long, Farewell" from the Sound of Music.
They can then all pile into the hearse for the trip to the cemetary as I plan to enjoy the air-comfort ride of the U-Haul trailer I demand be towed behind. With the attendant widespread publicity that this should receive, I am confident that the meme about never having seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul will be laid to rest about as quickly as I.
If someone wants to play Angela Via's "Catch Me if You Can" as the hearse pulls away from the curb, who I am I to object? (After all, I'll be dead.)
At the end of any graveside ceremony, I would hope they would give consideration to Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go."
I sang "Highway To Hell" when my band played at a jewish wedding, so I guess that will be my song for death too!
PS. It was requested by the groom.
Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings"!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adagio_for_Strings
Hmm, guess I shouldn't sound so eager.
I hated "Celebration" when they played it at every single wedding, including my own, that I went to in the 1980's, but it is one of two songs I've always wanted played at my funeral:
Kind and Generous, Natalie Merchant
Celebration, Kool and the Gang
Great thread...mine:
Ani DiFranco's version of Amazing Grace, off Living in Clip
And,
One Of These Days, Neil Young, Harvest
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