We’ve had this thread before. I’m sticking by the songs I put last time:
“China Roses” by Enya. Particularly because of the lines
A new moon leads me to
Woods of dreams and I follow
A new world waits for me
My dream, my way
I like this song because it sounds so beautiful and magical, and it shows the part of me that’s always been a daydreamer, believing in fairies and moonlight and magic and what not. Also, this used to be my .sig file years ago, and I kind of want it to work like that. A signature on my life, if you will.
“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day. Cause, yeah, that’s how my sense of humor works.
Solsbury Hill. I’d like it to begin sparely - piano, clarinet, and voice. On the second verse, add acoustic guitar and trapset. On the third verse, add congas and electric guitar. That would make a good memorial.
I can’t remember the exact track right now, but there is a short track on the Firefly/Serenity soundtrack that was, I think for a funeral scene. I’ve asked a composer friend to use that as inspiration for a piece I want to commision. He’s brilliant, and so far I’ve liked everything he has composed for our church, and as he’s just beginning to sell his work for publication I want to get this arranged before he becomes too popular and raises his prices!
Then there is the hymn This is My Song from Finlandia, and a few other hymns I want. The playlist for the wake will be livelier!
My sister died at 32 years old and gave me specific requests for her funeral once she knew her death was imminent. Two of the songs she picked were Sunset by Roxy Music and Love is the Answer by England Dan and John Ford Coley.
It was a beautiful service.
Apropos of nothing this Thanksgiving, my mom informed me that she would like “One Toke Over The Line” by Brewer and Shipley played at her memorial, and that my Dad would like “Drop Kick Me Jesus, through the Goalposts of Life” by Bobby Bare.
It made for an awkward few minutes between the main course and dinner.
“Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead” from the Wizard of Oz. An instrumental version, please, and played at a funereal pace, so that the realization will break upon the mourners slowly.
I came in here to say that, but I actually find it a very hopeful song - “Realize the Sun don’t go down / It’s just an illusion caused by the world spinning round…”. You can either take it as having religious meaning (Death is not the end etc) or, as I prefer to think, you can take it in a much more secular but still philisophical way. At a funeral it would mean something like “I know you’re sad now, but this is all part of life, it happens, and one day you will be happy again”.
Nobody has mentioned “Don’t let the sun go down on me”? I’m kinda surprised.
[sub]Now I’m picturing Elton John singing “Don’t let your son…” Wow, my mind is in the gutter tonight.[/sub]
I was at a funeral for a 50- something woman and there was a power point presentation at the end of the service, showing various high points of her life. The music: My Way, by Frank Sinatra.
