Posted on 04/07/2013 6:44:40 PM PDT by Steelfish
Funeral Music: The Songs Which Leave All Others In Their Wake
By Thomas H Green 04 Apr 2013 It was not so long ago that music played at a funeral would be sedate, reflective and sombre, perhaps a hymn or two and a soothing piece of classical music. Times have changed. Nowadays, rather than pews full of lowered heads as Debussy’s Clair de lune raises the odd tear, it’s quite possible the send-off for the departed may involve Eric Idle advising us to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, from Monty Python’s thoroughly irreligious Life of Brian.
Such changes are reflected in one of the more curious music charts in existence, the Co-operative Funeralcare’s Top 30 of music played at funerals. It consists largely of emotive, often uplifting ballads such as Bette Midler singing Wind Beneath My Wings; Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli’s Time To Say Goodbye; and Robbie Williams’s Angels. As Wayne Hector, the successful songwriter behind hits for everyone from JLS to Susan Boyle, explains of his own Top 30 entry, Westlife’s Flying Without Wings, “At a funeral you want a certain amount of joy, a song about hope rather than a sad song. As much as you’re lamenting someone’s passing, you’re celebrating their life. Songs such as this talk to the aspects that connect all humans.”
The list is only produced every two or three years so it takes a while for new songs to make an appearance. Right now, however, there’s one song that’s shooting up the chart, Jenn Bostic’s Jealous of the Angels.
“It’s comfortably the most requested new song at funerals,” says Co-operative operations director David Collingwood. “It’s massively up-and-coming in our chart.”
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Westlife? That’s likely a funeral soundtrack for women under 35 who have died questionably untimely deaths.
At my cousin’s recent funeral they sang “When they ring those golden bells for you and me”, which I thought was very appropriate.
At my Mother’s funeral I asked that her favorite song be sung. Is was “Beautiful Dreamer” and the words seemed so appropriate for Mother. Our Cousin has a great tenor voice and he really outdid himself singing it.
Ping
Vince Gill/Alison Krauss/Ricky Skaggs -
Go Rest High On That Mountain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwFiWCUkk4M
Into the West, of course.
Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings
Learning to Fly Pink Floyd (minus Roger Waters)
Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd
Hghway to Hell AC|DC (Just a thought !!!)
I was going to have the organist play “All Those Endearing Young Charms” at my wife’s funeral, but I couldn’t have handled it. It’s an Irish thing.
Old and Wise - Alan Parsons Project
She’s dancing with the angels by Monk & Neagel.
At my daughter’s funeral two of her friends who had beautiful voices were asked to sing - one chose Dolly Parton’s Let Her Fly, the other one chose Celine Deon’s I’m Your Angel. While we were putting the program together we received a call from a young Black man who sang regularly with the choir at one of the larger churches in our city and although he had had limited contact with my daughter, seemed very saddened by her sudden death and asked if he could sing a tribute to her during the service. He had an awesome baritone voice and chose Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Very moving service.
When The River Meets The Sea - John Denver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuqxa6TM2i8
When the mountain touches the valley
All the clouds are taught to fly
As our souls will leave this land most peacefully
Though our minds be filled with questions
In our hearts we’ll understand
When the river meets the sea
Like a flower that has blossomed
In the dry & barren sand
We are born & born again most gracefully
Thus the winds of time will take us
With a sure and steady hand
When the river meets the sea
Patience, my brother and patience, my son
In that sweet and final hour
Truth and justice will be done
Like a baby when it is sleeping
In its loving mother’s arms
What a newborn baby dreams is a mystery
But his life will find a purpose
And in time he’ll understand
When the river meets the sea
When the river meets the almighty sea!!
I lived in the UK for a time and found their funerals to be slightly different than ones in the US. We buried two friends.
The funerals were held, mostly, at the funeral parlor instead of a church. In one instance, the body came back to the family home to ‘be with them’. (In the old days, even in the US, they would lay in ‘the parlor’ for the family to grieve). The deceased (and family of them) had secular music selections played on the sound system before the service. One of our friends chose “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”.
At graveside, the casket was lowered into the ground for all to see and each who were attending (in order) grabbed dirt and threw it into the hole on top of the casket. (Quite sobering, really.)
Then there was a wake at a local pub. Everyone would get ripped in remembrance.....knocking back pints of ‘bitter’.
Quite different than what I grew up with.
I went to a funeral yesterday and the last song played was “The Aggie War Hymn.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.