We’ve had to sort the songs for a relative’s funeral. He loved music, but didn’t leave any specific instructions, so we’ve had to wing it based on what we think he would have liked.
This prompted a bit of a conversation amongst family and friends about what each of us would like to check out to (and to put it in writing!)
I’m going to The Beautiful South’s “Dream a little dream of me” and Green Day’s “Good riddance”.
These were also the first and last dances at our wedding.
Erik Satie - Vexations
I really want Disco Inferno at my cremation
If this doesn't get played at my funeral I'll have some haunting to do...
sympathy for the devil
Helvegen by Wardruna and also I Hate People by the Anti Nowhere League.
My mum wants the Cartman from South Park version of Come sail away.
I need to revisit my thinking on this playlist:
unloveable - the smiths
Dead slate Pacific - john vanderslice
voice in your head - s**t present
The last music I heard and said "I want that at my funeral" was this
Benny Goodman Orchestra "Sing, Sing, Sing" Gene Krupa - Drums, from "Hollywood Hotel" film (1937)
Dunno why, it just speaks to me.
Been looking through my facebook posts to remind myself of the name and came across funeral notices for some folks from here (DeeJay and MarsdenMan). Crying now.
Fire by Arthur Brown.
Queen - Who wants to live for ever followed by The show must go on
Father in law died a couple of years ago and a few months before we lost him we asked what music he wanted and despite him being a massive music fan he said we had to pick the songs that reminded us of him.
Queen - Who wants to live for ever followed by The show must go on
Oh well in that case Pink Floyd - A New Machine Part 1.
Nothing morose, so probably Birdie Song with a stipulation that everyone has to do the dance.
PInk Floyd - Time
The Killers - All these things that I have done
Should I stay or should I go by The Clash
David Lee Roth - Just Like Paradise:
And.....
AC/DC - Highway to Hell...
Carry On Cremating by Half Man Half Biscuit.
Here's where the story ends.
Sundays.
Seems fitting enough, not too morose or clichéd
Well I'd like an orchestra and chorus to play the entirety Mozart's Requiem but I don't suppose I'm going to get that, so I'll settle for Bird in Hand by Lee Scratch Perry.
No deep reason other than I loved it the first time I heard it when I was 12, and I still love it today:
For me, I'd quite like Meet On The Ledge by Fairport Convention (with Sandy Denny) and We Used To Know by Jethro Tull.
They both just speak to me.
It was pretty much the only explicit instruction left to us from my dad, Rod Stewart Mandolin Wind. Haven't listened to it since.
Redford - Sufjan Stevens, maybe for me.
A friend of mine that died young of a bad lifestyle of booze and fags had:
Cigarettes and alcohol - Oasis
Rehab - Amy winehouse
Bad moon rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
People were trying not to s****
Edit - FFS - that was a synonym for laugh
MY Julie we had " Wild mountain thyme" sung accapella by 3 friends
I want disco Inferno - "burn baby burn"
Adam & The Ants 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' - I want everyone doing the tapping along to the drums thing with their hands whilst it's playing!
4'33" by John Cage
I'd like Beauty and the Beast by Stevie Nicks. Heard it once when I was about 19 and loved it ever since. I like the way it rises and falls throughout, and then, right at the end, just kind of breathlessly fades away. There's a metaphor there somewhere.
Appreciate it's not everyone's cup of tea, but, heh, it's my funeral, so suck it up. Sit there for 6 minutes, fidgeting annoyingly, and pay some respect, dammit...
I think I'd like to go out to:
Enjoy yourself - it's later than you think
Thank You for the Days is on my list (the Kirsty McColl version) as is Heaven by Talking Heads. The latter partly because some stupid people would mutter "ooh I didn't know he believed..." without realising it's just a song about David Byrne's autistic spectrum. Then it's a toss up between Into my Arms or King of Rock and Roll (hot dog, jumping frog - Albuquerque)
A friend's funeral started with My Guitar Gently Weeps which has always moved me since. At my mom's I chose a song she liked - Songs of the Auvergne - which still gets me a bit teary, as does Calon Lan which Mrs BigJohn chose at her mum's funeral. In fact she paid for a Welsh operatic tenor to come up from London to sing it which was magnificent.
my old man had disturbed the sound of silence as we all walked in - which i thought was odd as id never thought of it as a funeral song .
A good friend at work at the same song earlier this year as his coffin lowering song and it hit like a tonne of bricks when it came on as i wasnt expecting it
Dad also had Jean Ferrat La Montagne - which i can relate to specifically for him . Country boy went to the city longed for the County once again as that's what he knew and before he knew it he was at the end of the game.
I think what I want played depends on when I go. but if genetics skips a generation and I make it to the grand old age - The young and the restless or running at the dark by tidelines
And
The latter was my ring tone for a while and it actually went off at my very left field aunt's funeral. She would have found it hilarious but my mother was not amused.
the dead south - now thats a good shout .... not sure my family would feel the same
My mum picked Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms for my dad's funeral. Not sure any of the mourners would be impressed with my musical tastes. Some mid-90s jungle rocking the crematorium.
I'm old school so would probably go for this
Worst thing is that I'm old enough to be actually seriously thinking about this
I’m a massive fan of the roses. So it’s coming into Adored and the final act will be to I am the resurrection.
A mate had the early TDF theme tune from Chanel 4. His wife actually picked it as he wasn't expecting to drop dead.
A relative had 'Girl on Fire'.
MIL picked this really weird song for FIL that they liked in the 60's. Took me an age to find a copy. It was horrible, but her wishes had to be followed.
For smiles I'd have Can't you hear me Knockin - The Rolling Stones or Burning Love by Elvis for the lyrics ...
Lord Almighty
I feel my temperature rising
Higher higher
It's burning through to my soul
Girl, girl, girl, girl
You're gonna set me on fire
My brain is flaming
I don't know which way to go
[Chorus]
Your kisses lift me higher
Like a sweet song of a choir
You light my morning sky
With burning love
[Verse 2]
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I feel my temperature rising
Help me, I'm flaming
I must be a hundred and nine
Burning, burning, burning
And nothing can cool me
I just might turn into smoke
But I feel fine.
But more seriously either Lucky Man by the Verve or Lucky Man by Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
Deadhead - Devin Townsend
Laid to rest - Lamb of God
Tamphex
