Let me ask you a question (if you’ve never attended a funeral, memorial service, just use your imagination): “What would a funeral be like if there was no music?” You might cheekily answer “boring!”; but for sure the event would be less emotive, less powerful, for everyone there. While there are traditional funeral songs; hymns like Ava Maria, The Old Rugged Cross, and Amazing Grace; today these old standbys are being replaced by more recently written music which speaks more directly to us, living here in the 21st century. So, what are some of the most popular modern funeral songs being heard by service attendees? Let’s take a look:
- “Bright Eyes”
- “Dancing with the Angels”
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- “Satisfied Mind”
- “Wind beneath my Wings”
- “Farewell My Friend”
- “You’ll Never Walk Alone”
- “What a Wonderful World”
When it comes to instructive, light-hearted songs, two of the most popular are “Don’t Worry. Be Happy” and the incomparable, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”, from Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
For Many Music is an Essential Part of Life
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” Friedrich Nietzsche said that, and I couldn’t agree more with his opinion. Music, for many of us, provides us with a refuge when the storms of life become too fierce. For others, like Albert Einstein, it’s even more intrinsic to who they are: “I live my daydreams in music,” he wrote. “I see my life in terms of music.”
When planning a funeral or memorial service for a loved one, follow Albert’s lead: take time to view their life in terms of music – and (with the help of your funeral director) bring some of this “background” music into the service.
Are you mourning a music lover? Would you like to honor a loved one’s musical talent? If so, you might also like to read “Hittin’ the High Note: Urn Garden’s Music Collection”.
