'Live Forever,' - Billy Joe Shaver

If it were my funeral, it would all have to be happy music and there would have to be some Pogues.

In general, though, this seems a natural choice:

Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize - we're floating in space -
Do You Realize - that happiness makes you cry
Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

Do You Realize - Oh - Oh - Oh
Do You Realize - that everyone you know
Someday will die -

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

No, wait--that should be pre-funeral.

And I'm surprised no one in the article said "Angels" by Sarah McLachlan...

You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there

I'd want "No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)" by Queen ("Who Wants To Live Forever" and "The Show Must Go On" are good choices too) and "Seasons of Love" from Rent.

Steppenwolf's "The Pusher," just because I'd want the whole room to cringe at each "GOD DAMN!"

I was asked by the family to choose a piece for George's memorial and picked "Pilgrim" by Steve Earle. The lyric is very poignant, and the reference to 'boys' ("Ain't no need to cry for me, boys") was particularly apt, as George left two teenage sons.

It was played at the end of the memorial, and just about everyone was in tears by the last verse. But it was exactly right for the occasion.

Unfortunately, although it's a song we both loved, I find myself unable to listen to it now without falling apart.

For my own funeral, I want "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead".

Social Distortion - The story of my life

Annie Lennox, "Into the West", because it always makes me cry, and I want everyone to really be bawling at my funeral.

And also I'm a geek.

John Prine's Please Don't Bury Me. (1. I'd want people to laugh. 2. I hope to be cremated, or fed to the fishes.)

Because I answered this question in serious mode on MeFi by explaining why I'd leave it up to those who planned my funeral to choose the song, all I can do here is deliberately try to come up with the most offensively inappropriate music I can.

Of course the final choice rests on the means of my demise. If I die...

...in a car accident, play "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochran.
...in a house fire, play "I'm on Fire" by Bruce Springsteen.
....because an overpass falls on me, play "Tunnel of Love" by Bruce Springsteen.
...via sucide, play "Hang on to Your Life" by Guess Who.
...of diabetes, play "Sugar Time".
...of heatstroke, play "Cruel Summer".
...in a stampede, play "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone" by Paula Cole.

Into the West is a good one.

Seasons of Love is another one.

If It Be Your Will. . .by Leonard Cohen. . .is one I would probably pick .. it's short, to the point.

Hey thanks, goml! All my Social D is on cassette. (That makes me feel so old.)

I'd probably pick Wind Beneath My Wings because it's an inside joke between the Rossi Sisters. We tend to use "You're the wind beneath my wings," instead of "Oh my god, you effing bitch!"

In all seriousness and seriosity? Moonlight Serenade by the Glenn Miller orchestra. fucking love that.

I love goml's suggestion too. jrossi4r...need some more Social D? I can prolly ysi some for ya!

As for me...I'll have to give it some thought. I liked Belishi's 500lb Bumblebee (if I recall correctly).

That would be sweet, richat. Thanks!

Weird to see this link today. We just had the memorial service for my best friend (and ex) last Saturday. We didn't have music - partly because we were outside but mostly because there were so many other things to do for the memorial I didn't have enough time to put together a mix.

There was one song though, which was her favorite when we first started going out and that was James' Laid and that is the one song which I associate with Mel the most. That being said, I've been listening to Pink Floyd's "Wish you were here" a whole lot ever since she died.

o_b - that's another song that would probably make me cry at someone's funeral...the swell right before the verse...

(I'm truly sorry for your loss)

Thanks muddgirl. "Wish You Were Here" is definitely the song I play when I just feel like there's crying to be done, and there's a lot left to do I think.

What's the music budget for my funeral? I'm going to avoid choral works unless we can afford a top-notch choir.

If we can swing it: Verdi's Requiem mass. Otherwise we can settle for the Marcia funebre from Beethoven's Third.

This is my music & funeral story, which I think, weirdly enough, that I actually posted once on Mefi like a year or two ago. Anyway.

About 10 years ago my good friend Rick died. His memorial service was heartbreaking and sweet: his family had brought a boombox along to play some of his favorite songs; there were pictures everywhere & so on. His father got up to say a few words and then he said, "I'm going to play Rick's favorite song. I know it was his favorite song, because whenever we were watching TV or listening to the radio together, he would yell PLAY FREEBIRD! So here it is: Freebird, Rick's favorite song."

It was all we the mourners & Rick's siblings could do not to even glance at each other, because if we had it would have all been over. We sat there in silence, listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and it was both totally hilarious and totally sad, all at once. But I have always known that Rick would have lain on the ground pissing himself laughing at that scenario, so I hope he was there.

"Your Funeral...My Trial" by Nick Cave, although that doesn't quite work. So It'd have to be "Yakety Sax" (you know, the Benny Hill song) over and over and over.
And ideally there'd be some Rube Goldbergian way to get me in the hole.

I've always loved "Wind Beneath My Wings" as referenced to my Mom.
For my husband (God Forbid), I'd have them play Carly Simon's "You Are the Love of My Life".
And while I'm not religious, I've always loved "Ave Maria" and "Amazing Grace".
Other than that, a big party in my honor! I don't want a funeral, as I want to be cremated as cheaply as possible, but I'd like my loved ones to celebrate my life.

I might just record a song called "Don't Fuck my Corpse When I'm Gone" to the tune of "Don't Forget me When I'm Gone" by Glass Tiger. And then label it as "funeral music" on the CD and ask that it not be played until after my death and then it should be played at the end of the funeral.

Actually I think Paranoid Android would be a good funeral song. Or maybe Waking the Witch by Kate Bush.

Thought of the perfect one. Halo by Depeche Mode. Played loudly. Yeah, I'll take that. Everyone will be expecting Amazing Grace or that Vince Gill song about the mountain, and they will listen closely to the lyrics and be like "WTF?" And then spend the rest of the day trying to understand.

Or maybe just have a TV showing pictures of me, which they sometimes do at funerals anymore... and then have a good Robot Chicken episode suddenly come on.

A whole bunch of stuff by Galaxie 500, especially "Melt Away" and "Flowers."

Sweet, gentle, droning stuff.

(While I'm on the topic . . . My Bloody Valentine would be great for my funeral too.)

Some of you are making me cry right now.

Just thought I'd share.

I might just record a song called "Don't Fuck my Corpse When I'm Gone" to the tune of "Don't Forget me When I'm Gone" by Glass Tiger.

*me brushes off dustbunnies, wipes tears out of eyes, returns to chair, hugs weretable*

For the last 15-20 years I've wanted 'Sweet Jane' (the VU version) to be played at my funeral. Not that it's a funeral-type song, but I still insist on it. Some Nick Cave would be good, too.

*snivles along with jason's_planet*

"Angel" by Sarah McLachlan would be great:

Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight

*scuries over to put CD on*

"Into the West" would be nice, too:

Lay down your sweet and weary head,
Night is falling, you have come to journey's end.
Sleep now, and dream of the ones who came before,
They are calling from across a distant shore.
Why do you weep? What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see, all of your fears will pass away.
Sail for miles, you're only sleeping.

When the mister's dad died last year his favourite blues CDs were played at his memorial and everyone commented positively on it.

Morbid thinking: if the mister passes before me I want Funeral Blues/Song IX (WH Auden) read at his memorial. Yeah, it's poetry, not a song, but there you go.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

*snivles some more*