These enduring melodies broke through cultural and language barriers
Recorded in 1997 as the love theme to the movie 'Titanic,' Celine Dion's sad, beautiful, and powerful 'My Heart Will Go On' is regarded by many as the ultimate ballad about eternal love, and a firm favorite when it's time to say goodbye.
In 1963, British band Gerry and the Pacemakers covered 'You'll Never Walk Alone,' a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'Carousel.' It's essentially a song about maintaining hope and strength through adversity, and is as popular in funeral homes as it is on the terraces of numerous soccer clubs around the world.
'Angels' was included on Robbie Williams' debut solo album, recorded after he departed popular British boy band Take That. In a 2005 poll, Britons voted 'Angels' the song they most wanted played at their funeral.
One of the great classics from the modern music era, 'My Way' was first sung by Frank Sinatra in 1969. The ultimate tribute to a life fully lived, the track remains a perennial funeral music favorite.
Irish boy band Boyzone covered 'No Matter What' from the 1996 musical 'Whistle Down the Wind' and took it to the top of the UK charts in 1998. The ballad also featured on the US edition of the soundtrack to the film 'Notting Hill' (1999). The lyrics reflect the Christian theme of the musical.
This powerful piano ballad was taken from Adele's third studio album '25' (2015). The song is all about a breakup, the lyrics discussing themes of nostalgia and regret. Its haunting melody has struck a chord with many, who choose it to bid farewell to a loved one.
Sam Smith's 2013 release 'Lay Me Down' was accompanied by a video depicting the singer standing in a church in front of the deceased's coffin. The song has since been embraced by many mourners as a profound and heartfelt way to say goodbye.
Mid-tempo in rhythm, 'Diamonds' is all about a message of love directed at someone special. The video's evocative imagery incorporates four worldly environments that represent the elements of earth, air, water, and fire. The use of diamonds and stars suggests a sparkling afterlife, an image many mourners like to think awaits their dearly departed.
Some of you may remember Scottish folk rock band the Waterboys, who originally recorded 'How Long Will I Love You' in 1990. A paean to unconditional love, Ellie Goulding took her version to a different level, performing it as the official song for the UK's 'Children in Need' charity appeal in 2013. It's especially poignant when saying goodbye to toddlers.
American rapper Wiz Khalifa penned this song for the soundtrack of the 2015 film 'Furious 7' as a tribute to Paul Walker, who had died in an auto wreck in 2013. The poignant subject matter makes it an obvious track to play at funerals.
Judy Garland's beautiful rendition of 'Over the Rainbow' from 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939) is often used at funerals. But so too is Eva Cassidy's version and, more recently, that sang by Ariana Grande.
Andrea Bocelli originally made famous 'Time to Say Goodbye,' but the song was dramatically heightened when the famed Italian tenor released a version as a duet with English soprano Sarah Brightman. The composition has been described as a musical piece of theater, and is regularly chosen as a funeral song for its moving lyrics.
Surprisingly perhaps, classical music appears to be underrepresented at funeral services. An exception is 'Nimrod,' the ninth and best-known variation of English composer Edward Elgar's 'Enigma Variations,' from 1899.
Recorded in 1988 by singer and actress Bette Midler for the soundtrack to the film 'Beaches,' 'Wind Beneath My Wings' is among the most popular songs played at funerals in the UK, according to the Co-Op funeral music chart.
Ed Sheeran's 2017 single 'Supermarket Flowers' is about his late grandmother. He later revealed to MTV that the song is supposed to "really make you cry." It has since found its way onto many a funeral service playlist.
Nat King Cole recorded his evergreen classic back in 1951. Delivered in a soft velvet voice, this is one of Cole's signature tunes, and its title speaks volumes.
English singer Vera Lynn was known as the "Forces' Sweetheart" for her recordings and performances made during the Second World War. Cut in 1939, 'We'll Meet Again' resonated with soldiers going off to fight as well as their families and sweethearts. And so it does today, with those mourning the loss of a loved one and hoping to be one day reunited with their dearly departed.
'Dancing Queen' is sometimes chosen for its sense of exhilaration. It's an ode to dancing and played during services as an upbeat celebration of life itself.
Danish pop-soul band Lukas Graham recorded '7 Years' in 2015. Front man Lukas Forchhammer has described the songs as summarizing his life so far and what he hopes to achieve in the future. But it followed his father's death in 2013 and, as one critic pointed out, the lyrics also remind listeners of how quickly life goes by and of youth suddenly becoming replaced by retirement-melancholia.
Written by Puff Daddy in 1997 in the wake of his friend Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace's murder, 'I'll Be Missing You' samples the Police's 1983 hit song 'Every Breath You Take.' Biggie's widow, Faith Evans, also features on the track. It's a song that has been embraced by others left in similar circumstances.
A heartbroken Eric Clapton put pen to paper in 1991 with cowriter Will Jennings and recorded this tribute to his four-year old son Connor, who tragically died in a fall that year. 'Tears in Heaven' serves as a moving tribute to any youngster taken too soon.
Elton John famously performed a rewritten version of 'Candle in the Wind' at the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997 (though it's recently been revealed by several media outlets that Buckingham Palace was opposed to him singing the song at the service). John composed the track in honor of Marilyn Monroe and, with its additional royal connection, 'Candle in the Wind' has long been the music of choice at funeral services.
Evanescence vocalist Amy Lee talks about 'My Immortal' as "a spirit staying with you after its death and haunting you until you actually wish that the spirit were gone because it won't leave you alone." Despite having to be careful of what you wish for, this song has its admirers when it's time to say farewell.
Written for the soundtrack of the 1973 Western 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid' (in which he has a minor role), Bob Dylan's immortal 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' is played over the scene where a lawman dies in front of his wife. A thoughtful composition that suggests most people have the right to knock on the door when the time comes.
A huge hit for the folk rock duo in January 1970, 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' is a much requested song at funerals for its beautiful and inspired lyrics that suggest that even when you're emotionally exhausted and alone, there is a higher force that loves and cares for you.
Recorded for the 1992 film 'The Bodyguard,' Whitney Houston's breathtaking rendition of 'I Will Always Love You' says it all. Her haunting delivery has echoed around many a chapel and church as loved ones are sent on their way.
'The Way We Were' actually chronicles the melancholic relationship between the two main characters in the 1973 film of the same name, which stars Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The song's lyrics speak of smiles and happiness, but also of pain and regret. Life in a nutshell, really.
When the order of service is departing this world on a all-smiling high, Bobby McFerrin's catchy cappella 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' is the song requested by many.
Jazz great Louis Armstrong's wonderfully mellow statement of life's beautiful and unique appeal was a massive global hit. And despite the heartbreak and pain that is all too often experienced, the song's lyrics remind the listener that time spent on earth is totally worth appreciating.
Sources: (MTV) (BBC) (Today) (Coop)
See also: Spectacular gravesites of famous people
A popular choice throughout Europe, Queen's 'The Show Must Go On' chronicles front man Freddie Mercury's struggle with HIV/AIDS, although the diagnosis had yet to be made public when the band recorded it. Mercury died six weeks later from complications from the disease.
Not all music chosen for funerals is melancholic and introspective. Eric Idle's 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' from the Monty Python film 'Life of Brian' (1979) is cheerful, upbeat, and a popular singalong among those paying their last respects.
George Harrison was the first of the Beatles to enjoy solo success, with this celebration of the Hindu god Krishna and a call to abandon sectarianism. The message resonates with many, and is often voiced at multi-faith funerals.
Music usually accompanies a final farewell. Traditional funeral hymns have been performed for centuries at services, but it's often the memorial song that captures the imagination. Indeed, the relationship between funerals and music is incredibly powerful and can offer a sense of peace—and even a touch of lightheartedness—at a very difficult and emotional time. But what are the songs that truly set the mood for our memories, those compositions that best honor the dearly departed?
Click through this playlist of funeral music favorites.
The most requested music for funerals
Saying goodbye in song
MUSIC Songs
Music usually accompanies a final farewell. Traditional funeral hymns have been performed for centuries at services, but it's often the memorial song that captures the imagination. Indeed, the relationship between funerals and music is incredibly powerful and can offer a sense of peace—and even a touch of lightheartedness—at a very difficult and emotional time. But what are the songs that truly set the mood for our memories, those compositions that best honor the dearly departed?
Click through this playlist of funeral music favorites.