The Guardian
Pop music replaces hymns at two-thirds of funerals, Co-op survey finds
Frank Sinatra’s My Way remains funeral favourite for seventh year running, with Always Look on the Bright Side at number 13
October 14, 2012
Pop music has replaced hymns at two-thirds of British funerals, a survey from Co-operative Funeralcare has found. Pop was the number one request at more than 30,000 funerals over the past 12 months, and only 4% of mourners requested classical music.
My Way by Frank Sinatra remained the favourite for a record seventh year running, requested at 15% of funerals. It was last usurped in 2002, by Bette Midler‘s Wind Beneath My Wings.
Adele entered the funeral music charts at number 22 with Someone Like You.
In 2005, hymns accounted for 41% of funeral music requests, but in the past 12 months the figure has fallen to 30%.
The Co-op surveyed 250 of its 900 funeral homes across Britain, which together carried out some 30,000 funerals in the past 12 months. The most popular hymn was Abide with Me, and the top classical piece was Elgar’s Nimrod.
Many funerals reflected a more humorous approach to death. Eric Idle‘s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life featured at number 13 in the popular music chart.
A quarter of funeral homes refused to play a piece of music on the grounds of taste, usually because clergy felt the choice was inappropriate. These included John Lennon’s Imagine, with the line”š “Imagine there’s no heaven ”¦”
Top Pop Funeral Songs
1. My Way ~ Frank Sinatra
2. Time to Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli
3. Wind Beneath My Wings ~ Bette Midler
4. Over the Rainbow ~ Eva Cassidy
5. Angels ~ Robbie Williams
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