...it's been covered before.

http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/funeral-tango

Sorry.

Angels by Robbie Williams

for “I’m On My Way To A Better Place” by Chairmen Of The Board to be played on the occasion of me handing in the old dinner pail. Love the way the General shifts gear. 79p at i-tunes. Go on. You’re worth it.

so it could either be Broken by the Fannies or Wake Up In New York by Craig Armstrong.

by Faith No More.

Not really. I've thought about it and feel that it's pretty bad form to ruin a good song for everyone else by having it at your funeral, so maybe just go for something that's such a standard that a) it's got too many associations to be hijacked by some dead git's mawkish last wishes and that b) it's not the sort of thing anyone would go out of their way to play because it's too ubiquitous anyway.

As for what that should be though... No idea.

Bette Midler

I often ponder this question, morbid as i am. I would want a tearjerker and then a blinder as the coffin leaves to send people out in a sort of celebrating my life kind of mood as they head out on the lash.

It will change a lot but at the moment it is Fairytale of New York - Pogues (possibly my favorite ever song - Hope i die at Xmas or that might be a bit out of place!) and then Bright Side of the Road - Van Morrison

R Kelly

Chimney Singing Crow?

...my father used to beat me when I was younger and he says he will kill me if I don't have sex with a hippo. The hippo is HIV positive and is also my grandmother.

I like to think that the hippo watches over me when I sing

this one's for you granny

I BELIEEEEEEEVE I CAN FLY

'There Is A Light That never Goes Out' The Smiths.
Despite the double suicide messages.

'Live Forever' Oasis.
Despite the fact that I obviously haven't.

While I understand the significance of hymns at funerals, I find the singing at funerals too painful and struggle to imagine that it provides comfort. The notion of taking grief stricken people and asking them to sing seems inhumane. The actual sound of people trying to sing while so distressed seems to add to the trauma of the ceremony. I've told my loved ones that no one will be put through it at my cremation. It'll be Travels by the Pat Metheny Group for my final journey/cul de sac, depending on your belief.

... the version by The Pixes on Bossanova

Always makes me smile to think of the pall bearers trying to march solomnly up the aise with that going on. Do you think Ian Brown would have Monkeys Gone to Heaven?

this blog while listening to the Collings and Herrin podcast (an old one, I'm trying to catch up!) and Andrew Collins just mentioned Five-Centres! Weird, maybe I should start thinking about music for my funeral!!

by Mose Allison: 'Don't give me your misgivings / No to be or not to be / Cos I got no trouble livin' / It's just dying that bothers me'.

A friend of mine passed away at only 49.

We went to the local crematorium for the funeral. There were no hymns sung. On entry there was a Northern Soul song playing. After a speech from the minister he asked us to listen to a bit of music...another Northern Soul song. Minister read again....this time from the bible....I recognised the words....it was almost word perfect to The Byrds song "Turn Turn Turn"(I had no idea the lyrics from this song came from the Bible). He then asked us to listen to another Northern Soul song. There was a final prayer and we were led out to "Here I Go Again" by Archie Bell and The Drells(another Northern Soul song).

My friend was a Northern Soul fan who travelled from Central Scotland to Wigan Casino on a Friday night once a month. I think the Casino opened at midnight and they danced till 8am. This would be very late '70's/early '80's.

The 3 songs played at the service were the same last 3 songs that were always played before closing. I can't remember what they were but I'm sure someone will know. Not that it matters.

RIP Jack.

...so Faretheewell by Fred Neil

Followed by the title of the thread And When I Die by Laura Nyro because people will cry but feel strangely happy about it (I hope).

When a good friend died it was Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra. It seemed appropriate.

...by the Feat - my lifetime favourite song and most life affirming.

...since that first thread. Wrapped in Grey by XTC. Where's that will?

We´ve had this before an so I´m changing my vote.
Mine is..Bury Me Deep in Love - by The Triffids
...or something with Bagpipes

that reminds everybody of me for walking in, probably "English Rose" by the Jam, and something special for me and mine instead of a hymn, probably "If the World Ends" by Guillemots. I'd then like Calon Lan singing, and walking out to "No-ones Ever Gonna Love You" by Band Of Horses at the end for my wife and kids.

The Beatles "Goodnight" would be quite touching. I'd probably have something more cheery on afterwards though, so not to milk it too much.

...like 'Come On Up To The House' by Tom Waits. I've always thought of that as my perfect funeral song. And maybe a Johnny Cash song that ISN'T Hurt, like The Man Comes Around perhaps.

by Terry Jacks. My wife has plans to play this monstrosity at my funeral on the grounds that given a choice death and that song, death seems the attractive option. More realistic is that like for many sad football fans they will be the anthem (in my case you'll never walk alone).

I might go for Spirit's 'Nature's Way' or Joey Ramone's 'Wonderful World'. To see the grief-stricken mourners out of the chapel, the Scissor Sisters' 'Don't Feel Like Dancing' might be fun...

I want to leave them all weeping, so it has to be this :-

followed by :-

That should slay them!!

As it happens me and Mrs Mac were discussing this yesterday as we drove home from a family funeral .

Hers would be Hazel O Connor Writing on the Wall

Mine , Mah Na Mah Na leading into Run for Home Lindisfarne .

We'll Meet Again by Johnny Cash too cheesey?

Who's Got A Match by Biffy Clyro too crass at a crematorium?

I have real world experience of this one. We played it at my Dad's funeral a few weeks ago in the strangest crematorium in the world in Cork City - it's in a retired munitions store on an island in the harbour and it's styled like a boutique hotel: all blue glass and uplighters and suede upholstery. I was sort of hoping for a little buzz of recognition-meets-amusement when we played the Goons as we left the chapel but, to be honest, nobody was listening - they were already heading for the cold buffet at the pub on the mainland. Bastards.

I want Rainy Day Dream Away followed by the whole of side 3 of Electric Ladyland (1983 etc) and end up with Still Raining still Dreaming...hahahahahaaaaargh....oh and everyone gets a hash brownie 30 minutes before the service starts.....

In my bleaker moments I'd go for Dirt In The Ground by Tom Waits ("We're all gonna be just...")

But on balance I'd prefer its exact opposite: Take It With Me by Tom Waits ("There ain't no good thing ever dies/I'm gonna take it with me when I go")

This would be followed by Prefab Sprout's One Of The Broken. Lovely message, achingly beautiful melody, but mostly to have Paddy McAloon's voice echoing round the church with the words: "Hi, this is God here..."

Dress Sexy For My Funeral by Smog?

That's what my mate wants..

Dylan's "Death is not the End" by Mike Scott, or "Death Don't Have No Mercy" by the Grateful Dead.

by Jimmy Webb, effectively about reincarnation. The final verse:
I'll fly a starship
Across the universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But something will remain
I'll be back again.

Oh my word.

...I want a papier mâché coffin, from ARKA in Brighton, painted to resemble Thunderbird 2. As the button is pressed to roll me into the furnace, I want wellwishers to do the leaning palm trees thing and the appropriate theme tune to pipe up. Very loudly.

There are other instructions too but the Thunderbirds stuff is most important.

We'll open up with Vienna by Ultravox (my favourite song), followed by Comfortably Numb (2nd favourite).

And then we'll finish off with Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings (the most beautiful piece of music ever written, bar none, no argument). If that doesn't get 'em weeping, nothing will...

in this thread.

A close friend of mine went, too young, a while back. At which point I realised a few things. As mentioned earlier, making people sing while crying is not fair on them, whatever the song; an organist who goes on blithely for about a minute after the MC (or whatever the religious chap is) gives them the nod to stop, is the sort of priceless moment you never forget; and, if you don't make the plans yourself, the artistic judgement required of the recently bereaved is unlikely to match whatever you picture now, and will include some grating incongruities.

Currently I think mine at some point would feature the Flaming Lips' "Do You Realise", for the line about "everyone you know, someday, will die" .
I was about to write "...just to watch everyone's faces as the meaning sank in and they all looked around at each other" but that would be silly.

By The Soft Boys

'hallelujah', but the john cale version. they'll be weeping in the aisles (if they weren't already).

`Cobwebs and Strange` by The Who
`Louie Louie` by Iggy and the Stooges for that bit when I am pushed along the rolling thing into the crematorium...

...at my friend's dad's cremation which was a secular humanist affair. Throughout the service there was a smattering of Tom Jones and Glen Campbell and a bit of classical. But the 'killer' track (sorry) was as the coffin went through the curtains My Way came blasting out of the speakers. " And now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain..." Genius. It brought the house down.

I'm thinking Without You by Nilsson for mine!

As you get nearer that fateful moment in time the song that I always fancy is Peggy Lee singing Lieber & Stoller's 'Is that all there is' - have a listen and see if you find it truly sums our lot on this wonderful planet.
Unfortunately friends who've I have played it to say that it's F*****G depressing!

My beautiful late wife requested, and had played, Madonna singing 'Holiday' as the mourners left the church- "it's time for the good times, forget about the bad times" - she had a great sense of humour - or knew something we didn't!

Me? - I'm going out with Warren Zevon's 'Keep Me In Your Heart For A While' which I THINK he wrote when he was dying with lung cancer - a beautiful song and guaranteed to bring a tear or two I suspect.

Also off the same album - Please Stay.

I played it over and over again when I bough The Wind shortly after he died.

I changed a couple of tracks since the first thread:-
It's only a matter of time - Los Lobos
Feels like home - Randy Newman - saddest sing I have heard all year.

....for me, and has already been decided.
Sandy Denny "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" (and who indeed does know? Me 55? Imagine!)
CSN&Y "Find The Cost Of Freedom"
THEN, when they carry out my coffin (or stick me in the furnace), Right Said Fred by Bernard Cribbins.....All together now "Right said Fred, both of us together, one on each end and steady as we go".....Oh, and no black ties thank you!