BetteBack January 20, 2000: Music To Die For…

Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland)
January 20, 2000 | Houston, Simon

A TOP funeral firm are urging teenagers to pick the music they would like to have played at their funerals.

Bosses at the Co-op want to know what will be popular in years to come – after releasing their own survey of the top 10 funeral tunes in the UK last year.

Young people can click on to the firm’s website and select their favourite song at www.funeral-services.co.uk until the end of the month.

The Co-op’s Ben Jason said: “People are increasingly choosing songs which say more about their life.

“We thought this year we would give everybody a chance to vote for the song or hymn they would like at their own funeral.”

Popular music is fast taking over from hymns as the tunes being chosen to say a final goodbye to a loved one.

Top funeral track last year was Celine Dion‘s hit My Heart Will Go On from the movie Titanic.

It is the latest in a long list of accolades for the record-breaking film starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslett.

The song ousted last year’s No 1, Candle in the Wind, a version of which was sung by Elton John at Princess Diana’s funeral, but the song still managed second slot.

Bette Midler‘s Wind Beneath My Wings – also from a movie soundtrack – came third, while M People‘s Search For The Hero, was fourth.

Frank Sinatra has two in the top 10 – My Way at No5 and Strangers In The Night at No9.

His death the year before may well have influenced such selections just as football has helped You’ll Never Walk Alone into the top 10.

But some Internet surfers reckon the Co-op’s funeral poll is a little morbid.

Robert McGowan, from Paisley, said yesterday: “It’s not the kind of question people want to answer when they visit a website.

“They would generally visit a site like that because they have recently suffered a bereavement.

“For the Co-op to trivialise death like this is an outrage.

“TOP 10 FUNERAL SONGS

1 My Heart Will Go On Celine Dion

2 Candle In The Wind Elton John

3 Wind Beneath My Wings Bette Midler

4 Search For The Hero M People

5 My Way Frank Sinatra

6 You’ll Never Walk Alone Gerry and the Pacemakers

7 Please Release Me Engelbert Humperdinck

8 Memories Elaine Paige

9 Strangers In The Night Frank Sinatra

10 Bright Eyes Art Garfunkel