25 Moving Funeral Music Ideas | Distinct Cremations (2024)

For many years, hymns and classical overtures have been the music traditionally played at a funeral. Barber's Adagio for Strings is one of the most popular, as is the classic hymn Abide with Me.

But in recent times, more contemporary music has risen sharply in popularity and now there is no norm with regards to funeral music, especially as people opt for more intimate, personal and simple funerals or direct cremations.

You can have anything from Led Zeppelin to Britney Spears. Elvis Presley to Beyonce. The choice is completely yours and your family's. To help you choose, below are 25 examples of popular funeral music.

For anyone who's been to a funeral, whether it's a burial or cremation, you're likely to know or have heard some of the songs on the list. Many of us share our favourites and many of us have similar songs we'd like to have played at our funeral.

Here at Distinct Cremations, we are part of the Westerleigh Group who own 40 crematoriums across the UK and cater for over 70,000 families a year.

That means we can tap into our dataset to determine the most popular funeral songs up and down the UK:

1. Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Eva Cassidy
   One of the most famous songs of all time, Eva Cassidy's version is maybe the most loved and is the perfect funeral song
2. Time To Say Goodbye – Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman
   Bocelli and Brightman's Time to Say Goodbye has been one of the most popular funeral songs since it was recorded in 1995
3. A Day Without Rain - Enya
   A Day Without Rain is synonymous with the end of life, and was played over much of the radio and television coverage of the 9/11 attacks
4. A Morning At (In) Cornwall - James Last
   This beautiful flute composition perfectly portrays a morning in Cornwall and is a mainstay at funerals in the Cornish community
5. Wild Beneath My Wings- Bette Midler
   Like Time to Say Goodbye, Bette Midler's Wild Beneath My Wings has been a fixture at funerals across the world since its release in 1982
6. Supermarket Flowers - Ed Sheeran
   Sheeran's 2017 song about his late grandmother is a touching number and also the most recent song on this list
7. Fields of Gold - Eva Cassidy
   Eva Cassidy's second feature in this top 10, her beautiful cadence and tempo makes her music a perfect choice for a funeral
8. Nimrod - Elgar
   Nimrod is a classic downbeat composition which is always played at the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Day
9. You'll Never Walk Alone - Gerry & The Pacemakers
   You''ll Never Walk Alone is played at every single game at Anfield before kick off, and is the perfect funeral song for Liverpool FC supporters
10. What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
    Half uplifting, half tearjerker, Louis Amstrong's 1967 megahit is a pop standard and a perfect accompaniment for any funeral

For centuries, classical music has been the norm at funerals and with hundreds of years worth of music to choose from, the music library is vast.

It's not to understand why, there's little that can move us emotionally quite the way that classical music can. Whether we're looking for something uplifting or downbeat, classical is the perfect musical accompaniment for a funeral.

1. Jerusalem – Sir Hurbert Parry.
   A classic British hymn, Jerusalem is a favourite at many prom nights and at England cricket matches
2. 1812 Overture (conclusion) – Tchaikovsky
   The most famous piece by the great Russian composer, the song is a common accompaniment to fireworks across the world
3. Adagio for Strings - Barber
   Adagio for Strings is an emotional tune which has often been the cause of leaving "rarely leaving a dry eye" in the house
4. Greensleeves – Mantovani
   A traditional English folk song, Greensleeves is also the standard chime for many ice cream vans in the UK
5. Nimrod - Elgar
   Nimrod is a common song to be played at funerals, and is always played at the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Day

The beauty about funerals in the modern age is that they can be personalised in whatever way you and your family like. Therefore, the song and hymns that are played at a funeral don't have to fit any standard, they can be whatever you choose.

Whether that's Wiz Khalifa, Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams or something very leftfield like The Prodigy, your funeral music choice is completely yours.

1. Supermarket Flowers - Ed Sheeran
   Sheeran's 2017 song about his late grandmother has already become one of the most played songs at a funeral
2. See you again - Wiz Khalifa
   A tribute to the late Paul Walker, Khalifa's 2015 emotional megahit is one of the most streamed songs of all time
3. Someone Like You - Adele
   Adele is known for her solemn, heart wrenching, tearjerkers, and 2011's Someone Like You is no exception
4. Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
   The American rock bands 2005 hit was a symbolic song after Hurricane Katrina and was dedicated to the victims of 9/11
5. Shallow - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
   The power ballad from 2018's film A Star is Born is a song about heartache which ends with an intense climax

Funeral music doesn't always have to be downbeat. For some, there is no better way to say goodbye than doing so with a big smile on your face.

And there are plenty of songs out there that can do that. Here is a selection of the most popular uplifting funeral exit music.

1. Three Little Birds - Bob Marley and the Wailers
   Bob Marley's megahit from 1980 has been an anthem for over 40 years, and will continue to be so for decades to come
2. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - Monty Python
   Monty Python's cheery upbeat tune from 1979 is a jig that can't help but bring a smile to your face
3. Don't Worry. Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
   The song will be relevant "as long as humans speak English and play music" one critic said at the time. And he's probably right
4. My Way - Frank Sinatra
   One of the most popular funeral songs of all time, the iconic song is popularly associated with nostalgia and individuality
5. I've Had The Time of my Life - Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
   A song with huge emotional depth, this 1987 song is half-tearjerker, half-uplifter, and is a perfect funeral music choice

Have a chat with us

Get a free guide

Funeral hymns

Funeral poems

Funeral readings

Based on 712 reviews

Not found what you're looking for?