Music is a language that everyone speaks – and that is powerful. Families often share special songs with their loved ones.
We’ve put together a featured list of some of the best funeral songs and funeral music to help you assemble a funeral playlist. If you’re a funeral home or a funeral service business, please ensure that you have an up-to-date music performance license before playing copyrighted music in front of a live audience, or during a live-streamed or recorded service.
Please note that this list is subjective, and personal music choices differ across cultures and upbringings. If you have additional songs that you think would be great to add to this list, please send us a chat and let us know.
With that said, here is our full list of the best funeral songs and funeral music.
Traditional Funeral Songs and Funeral Music
Here are 100 of the best traditional songs for funerals, not ranked in any particular order. What else would you add to this list? Let us know by chatting in.
1) Amazing Grace – Traditional
2) Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
3) His Eye is on the Sparrow – Mahalia Jackson
4) My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
5) Precious Lord, Take My Hand – Mahalia Jackson
6) You Raise Me Up – Josh Groban
7) I’ll Fly Away – Albert E. Brumley
8) The Rose – Bette Midler
9) As – Stevie Wonder
10) Angels – Robbie Williams
11) Going Up Yonder – Walter Hawkins
12) Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers
13) Oh Happy Day – Edwin Hawkins Singers
14) Candle in the Wind – Elton John
15) Total Praise – Richard Smallwood
16) Time to Say Goodbye – Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
17) Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – Traditional
18) Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel
19) Lean on Me – Bill Withers
20) Tears in Heaven – Eric Clapton
21) Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
22) Ave Maria – Franz Schubert
23) You Are Not Alone – Michael Jackson
24) Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
25) I’ll Be There – The Jackson 5
26) I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
27) Victory is Mine – Dorothy Norwood
28) Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Monty Python
29) Soon and Very Soon – Andraé Crouch
30) Danny Boy – Traditional
31) Order My Steps – GMWA Women of Worship
32) The Prayer – Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli
33) Take Me to the King – Tamela Mann
34) When I Survey the Wondrous Cross – Traditional
35) I Need You to Survive – Hezekiah Walker and The Love Fellowship Choir
36) In the Arms of an Angel – Sarah McLachlan
37) We Fall Down – Donnie McClurkin
38) What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
39) Stand – Donnie McClurkin
40) Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles
41) We Shall Overcome – Traditional
42) I’ll Be Missing You – Puff Daddy and Faith Evans
43) Lift Every Voice and Sing – James Weldon Johnson
44) Nearer My God to Thee – Traditional
45) I Am Not Forgotten – Israel Houghton
46) How Great Thou Art – Traditional
47) You’ll Never Walk Alone – Mahalia Jackson
48) The Sound of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel
49) He Has His Hands On You – Marvin Sapp
50) Auld Lang Syne – Traditional
51) Bridge Over Troubled Water – Aretha Franklin
52) Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
53) Morning Has Broken – Cat Stevens
54) A Time for Us – Nino Rota
55) Let It Be – The Beatles
56) Broken Halos – Chris Stapleton
57) Never Would Have Made It – Marvin Sapp
58) Don’t Cry for Me Argentina – Julie Covington
59) Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
60) Old Rugged Cross – Traditional
61) Hold On – Yolanda Adams
62) The Way We Were – Barbra Streisand
63) You’ll Never Walk Alone – Gerry & The Pacemakers
64) His Strength is Perfect – Cece Winans
65) He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother – The Hollies
66) We’ll Meet Again – Vera Lynn
67) Keep On Movin’ – Soul II Soul
68) Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley
69) Oh How He Loves You and Me – Edwin Hawkins Singers
70) God Bless America – Irving Berlin
71) Memory – Barbra Streisand
72) Be Grateful – Walter Hawkins
73) Angels Among Us – Alabama
74) Amazing Grace – Aretha Franklin
75) My Way – Frank Sinatra
76) Stand By Me – Ben E. King
77) Hold On – Mighty Clouds of Joy
78) I Smile – Kirk Franklin
79) Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
80) The Dance – Garth Brooks
81) You Are My Friend – Patti LaBelle
82) When the Saints Go Marching In – Traditional
83) On Eagle’s Wings – Michael Joncas
84) Angel – Sarah McLachlan
85) Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve
86) Ave Maria – Andrea Bocelli
87) The Lord is My Shepherd – Traditional
88) The Long and Winding Road – The Beatles
89) There You’ll Be – Faith Hill
90) Into the West – Annie Lennox
91) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan
92) I Will Remember You – Sarah McLachlan
93) You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
94) I’m Already There – Lonestar
95) When You Believe – Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey
96) Fields of Gold – Sting
97) He Stopped Loving Her Today – George Jones
98) If I Die Young – The Band Perry
99) Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) – Billy Joel
100) Always On My Mind – Ane Brun
As mentioned, this list is only a starting point. If there are more songs that should be added the list feel free to chat with us on our website and let us know what other songs we should include as a resource for grieving families and funeral directors.
Our Team’s Selections For Funeral Music
We recently polled our team at Gather to ask what they’d want to be played at their own funerals. Here’s the list of results that we compiled.
1) Dancing in the Sky – Beverly Ann
2) Home – Aron Wright
3) Living Legend – Club Danger
4) Be Still – The Fray
5) I Shall Believe – Sheryl Crow
6) To Build a Home – The Cinematic Orchestra, Patrick Watson
7) Supermarket Flowers – Ed Sheeran
8) Future Days (Acoustic) – Eddie Vedder
9) Heart – Rainbow Kitten Surprise
10) See You Again – Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth
11) See You Again – Beth
12) These Are Days – 10,000 Maniacs
13) Wonderwall – Zella Day
14) Lay Me Down – Sam Smith
15) I Will Always Return – Bryan Adams
16) The Story – Brandi Carlile
17) Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root
18) When We Were Young – Adele
19) Amazing Grace (Chains Are Gone) – Pentatonix
20) Do You Remember – Jack Johnson
21) In Christ Alone – Christina Grimmie
22) When I Get Where I’m Going – Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton
23) I Will Follow You Into the Dark – Death Cab for Cutie
25) Proof of Your Love – King & Country
26) Home – Edith Whiskers
27) My Best Friend – Tim McGraw
28) Work Song – Hozier
29) Biscuits – Kacey Musgraves
30) Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
31) Waves – Imagine Dragons
32) I Lived – OneRepublic
33) 7 Years Old – Lukas Graham
34) Excavate – Macklemore, Saint Claire
35) Gonna Fly Now – Bill Conti
36) Solsbury Hill – Peter Gabriel
37) Unforgettable – Nat King Cole
38) Yet – Nathan Morris
Gather’s Commitment to Families and Funeral Directors
For families who are grieving the loss of their loved ones, we hope that this resource helps offer you some peace of mind during this difficult time.
We created this piece to serve as a resource for everyone in the deathcare space. We’d love to honor your loved one by adding new songs to this playlist. If you have ideas, please feel free to reach out to us at marketing@gather.app.
Gather is a case management software for funeral homes and crematories that is built to simplify collaboration with families and make the family experience even more meaningful. If you have questions about our platform, please book a demo today.
