Kent Live News
Songs chosen for funerals this year include humor
By Neil Shaw
April 8, 2024
According to the latest data from SunLife’s 2024 Cost of Dying report, a third of funerals now include a song personally selected by or for the deceased, with choices ranging from Burn Baby Burn to Going Underground. One funeral held for a metalhead with a strange sense of humor had Die MF Die as her send-off track.
The funeral’s organizer told SunLife that mourners ‘all wore red (her favorite color) and took shots of sambuca (her favorite drink) as she went into the ground.’
This year’s report reveals that while only 25% of people speak to someone about the song they want at their funeral, those who do have a pretty good sense of humor about death.
Here are some of the songs that were played at funerals this year:
Dark humour
Shutdown – Skepta
Back in Black – AC/DC
Livin’ on the Edge – Aerosmith
Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
Burn Baby Burn – Ash
Die MF Die – Dope
Bat out of Hell – Meatloaf
Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
Silly Thing – Sex Pistols
Going Underground – The Jam
Lightening the mood
Busy Bee – Arthur Askey
I Wish I Was in Glasgow – Billy Connelly
Hakuna Matata – Pumbaa and Timon
The Match of the Day theme
The Test Match Cricket theme
Rockin All Over the World – Status Quo
Zorba the Greek – Kostas Papadopoulos
Club Tropicana – Wham
Three Little Birds – Bob Marley & the Wailers
Bye Bye baby – Bay City Rollers
This year’s ‘top ten’ was pretty similar to previous years, with Frank Sinatra’s My Way coming in at number 1 again, ‘Time to Say Goodbye,’ ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’ and’ Wind Beneath My Wings‘ all making an appearance in the top 10 for the fourth year running.
Given that most people organizing a funeral say they didn’t know what the deceased wanted, there is a strong chance that they are not getting the musical send-off they would have wanted.
The ‘most wanted’ funeral songs and the ‘most played’ differ. Despite being either number 1 or 2 since SunLife started tracking the funeral song chart in 2019, Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ has never been the most wanted. That accolade goes to You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers this year. Last year, it was ‘Spirit in the Sky,’ and the year before, it was ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.’
The most played ‘send-off’ music at funerals is a hymn—‘Abide with Me’—but less than one in seven (13%) people want a hymn at their funeral; ‘Abide with Me’ didn’t even make the top ten, and a hymn has never been number one in the ‘most wanted’ list.
With the average funeral now costing £4,141 and the average total cost of dying (the funeral plus professional fees and send-off/wake costs) reaching £9,658, knowing exactly what type of funeral loved ones want can not only ensure they get a personal send-off. Still, it can also help prevent overspending and keep costs lower.
SunLife offers a fun funeral songs generator quiz to encourage families to open up discussions about funeral wishes in a light-hearted way.
Most PLAYED funeral songs in the UK in 2024
My Way – Frank Sinatra
Time To Say Goodbye – Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli
You’ll Never Walk Alone- Gerry and the Pacemakers
Angels – Robbie Williams
Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Eva Cassidy/Judy Garland
Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life – Monty Python
I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
You Raise Me Up – Westlife
Most WANTED funeral songs in the UK in 2023
You’ll Never Walk Alone- Gerry and the Pacemakers
My Way – Frank Sinatra
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Eva Cassidy/Judy Garland/Issey Miyake
Time To Say Goodbye – Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli
The White Rose of Athens – Nana Mouskouri
Angels – Robbie Williams
Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life – Monty Python
Champagne Supernova – Oasis
Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
