Thankfully, I haven’t been to a funeral in about 5 years. Nor have I ever attended a service where anything other than choir or organ music was heard. In Europe, however, apparently it’s all the rage to play your favorite contemporary pop hits prior to your eulogy and then again as you’re being carried out of the church and put into a hearse. I can think of many songs that would be dismally appropriate for a funeral. ‘Asleep‘ by the Smiths. ‘The Next Life‘ by Suede. ‘Fiddler’s Green‘ even – but fucking Highway to Hell? Oh, it gets worse.
“Music can be very personal, indeed it often helps create a sense of identity. Wanting to share your most treasured musical gem with those you’re leaving behind is the perfect way to sign off and leave a lasting impression.”
That quote makes perfect sense, so I am forced to assume that there have been a rash of deaths recently among German headbangers and English teenage girls. Robbie William’s Angels is the number one choice among Brits, while Germans prefer AC/DC and Metallica. The Italians and Spaniards opt for classical music, while Norway’s funeral marches are often fueled by Viva Las Vegas. Jesus, take me now. And then pump There Goes The Fear into the church. Any song that begins with the line “Out of here” definitely suits.
I am curious, dear readers – What song would you want played at your funeral?
Green Day’s “Time of your Life”
Another turning point; a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist; directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test
and don’t ask why.
It’s not a question but a lesson learned in time.
It’s something unpredictable
but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs
and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf
In good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it’s worth, it was worth all the while.
It’s something unpredictable but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
I’ll have the time of my life feeding you into a wood-chipper.
Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie.
The shock of hearing it played at my funeral would probably kill my parents, saving them the grief of outliving me.
Well, at first the obvious (at least for me) springs to mind: Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life”, or the more melancholy Beatle’s “Within You and Without You”. I even flirted with the humorous, Wham!’s “Wake me up”. But at the end of the day, I think a reasonable choice for me would be Dizzy Gillespie singing “Sunny Side of the Street”. Amen!
yes, Green Days “Time of your life” ( and am i the only person who first heard this song on the day Chris Farley died???)
and my old time favorite plan was “Dark side of the Moon”
and maybe Hole’s “Malibu”