Funeral Song Choices

Choosing the perfect funeral song choice for your loved one can be a very daunting task. With so many thousands of songs out there, how do you know that you have chosen the right one?!

So the correct answer is there is no ‘category’ for which song your loved one should have. Inevitably, it depends on the type of service you want to give them or the type of service they wanted.

• Do you want the song to resemble how you are feeling about the loss of them?
• Do you want the song to remind you of them (for example, their favourite Karaoke song!)
• Do you want it to remind you of the personality they had?
• Did they have a favourite instrument or artist?

We have now had the pleasure of working alongside many family members to support them through one of the most difficult times of their lives and supported them with this decision. People relate their loved one’s funeral to sadness, a day that should be filled with tears and silence, a day where one should not smile or laugh. Here at Eternal Pages we try to remind people that although there will be tears and sadness, this is a celebration of the life of their loved one and incorporating their personality into the service will enable them to have a send off that’s worthy of them and the life they have spent where they were so loved. Traditionally, funeral songs were classical and hymns however in more recent times, funeral songs have altered and many people have opted for pop ballads, their favourite songs and more cheerful songs.

We have had families choose songs about the way they are feeling about their loss, hymns to represent their devotion to their religion, songs played by their home country (such as bagpipes) to families that wanted to represent their loved ones personality and  humour as they played one foot in the grave as they were being lowered into the ground. 

Below is a list of some of the common funeral songs that we hear or songs relating to feelings that may help you may decide which song to incorporate into your loved ones service in memory of them and the life they lived;

Common Songs

• Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Eva Cassidy
• Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Wilder
• Time to Say Goodbye - Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
• My Way - Frank Sinatra
• We'll Meet Again - Vera Lynn
• Time After Time - Eva Cassidy
• Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfukel
• Fields of Gold - Sting
• I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston 
• Jealous Of The Angels - Donna Taggart
• Dancing in The Sky - Dani and Lizzy

Uplifting Songs

• Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life - Eric Idle
• Three Little Birds - Bob Marley
• Simply The Best - Tina Turner
• Don't Worry, Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
• I've Had the Time of my Life - Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley
• What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
• Bring Me Sunshine - Morecambe and Wise
• Spirit In The Sky - Norman Greenbaum/Gareth Gates
• Memories - Maroon 5

Other Relatable Songs

• Supermarket Flowers - Ed Sheeran
• Visiting Hours - Ed Sheeran
• You Raise Me Up - West Life
• When September Ends - Green Day
• I'll Be Missing You - Faith Evans and Puff Daddy
• The Living Years - Mike and The Mechanics
• See You Again - Wiz Khalifa
• Courtney's Song - James Blunt
• Fix You - Coldplay
• Hero - Mariah Carey
• When God Made You My Mother - Riley Roth
• How Do I Say Goodbye - Dean Lewis
• In The Arms Of An Angel – Sarah McLachlan
• Gone Too Soon – Simple Plan
• I’ll See You Again – Westlife
• Scars In Heaven – Casting Crowns
• Tears In Heaven – Eric Clapton
• Halo – Beyonce
• Wherever You Will Go – The Calling
• If I Would Have Known - Kyle Hume
• Dance With my Father Again - Luther Vandross

A song choice can change the whole atmosphere of your loved ones service and allow yourselves to feel a range of different emotions in a place where there will be no judgement whether that be sadness or joy and bring you peace at such a difficult time. 

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