The top 10 funeral songs. Is yours on the list?

By NICKY CHAMP

I’m not intending to be flippant or macabre on a Monday morning: the topic of funeral songs somehow came up in the Mamamia editorial office and as we went around the room, almost everyone already knew which song/s they wanted played at their funeral.

We may not have our lives completely mapped out but our exit to this world? Well, check.

I’ve been fortunate not to have attended many funerals but the point where I always lose it and burst into tears is at the song section of the memorial service.

The strains of anything from a classical rendition of Bitter Sweet Symphony to How Much is that Doggie in the Window (yes, this really happened) cause that lump in my throat to rise and tears threaten to spill. It’s a final gesture that is both sad and uplifting at the same time.

The UK Telegraph recently published a list of the top 10 funeral songs, with Frank Sinatra My Way taking out the top spot.

Tedstar11 a commenter on the post said,”I quite like the idea of Bee Gees Stayin Alive,” and several comments suggested Monty Python’s anthem from The Life of Brian: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.

The Telegraph’s Top 10:

1. Frank Sinatra – My Way
2. Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli – Time to Say Goodbye
3. Bette Midler – Wind Beneath My Wings
4. Eva Cassidy – Over The Rainbow
5. Robbie Williams – Angels
6. Westlife – You Raise Me Up
7. Gerry & the Pacemakers – You’ll Never Walk Alone
8. Vera Lynn – We’ll Meet Again
9. Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On
10. Nat King Cole – Unforgettable

Locally, Green Day’s Time of Your Life has overtaken Frank Sinatra’s My Way as the song most people would like to have played at their funeral according to a new survey by Australian organisation Include A Charity.

As for me? It has to be Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles.

What song do you want played at your funeral and while we’re at it, buried, created, embalmed or …?