Funeral Songs
What are the best songs for a funeral or memorial service?
If you have found your way to this page, then you are probably involved with planning a funeral or memorial service. If the service is for someone who was close to you, then there’s a good chance you are making lots of decisions right now… and many of those decisions involve matters more important than what music to play at the service. Nonetheless, the music does have importance. Think of it as a way to connect the departed with the people who attend the service. Or more importantly, think of it as a way to help the healing process begin for everyone.
Choosing the right songs for the service will be a bit of a balancing act. You will want to select songs that are symbolic of the departed, but at the same time balance your personal preferences with those of family members and others. Unlike days past, there really are no “set” rules about what type of music is most appropriate – it used to be only hymns and traditional funeral songs, but today it’s more about what the departed would have liked or what the family of that person thinks would be most appropriate. If the service is in a religious institution however, do make sure your song selections conform with any restrictions they may have. To help you with these decisions, we have put together some guidelines to think about when planning music for the funeral service:
- Select songs that are soothing and provide happy memories of the deceased.
- Ask family members and friends if they can think of any songs that might be appropriate for the service.
- Silence during the service is okay – you don’t need to have music playing the entire time. Moments of silence help people reflect on the life of the deceased.
- If you choose songs that are less traditional, it might help if you explain why those songs were chosen.
- If you cannot decide which songs to choose or if you have too many choices, consider using instrumental versions of the songs. You can also play songs at times other than during the actual service – i.e. during the visitation or when people are arriving/leaving.
- Don’t worry about copyright infringement as most funeral homes have licenses that allow them to play copyrighted music.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help – your minister, funeral director or organist has lots of experience and they should be more than willing to help you make the right decisions.
Choose a category below to find the best funeral songs on this site
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Religious Traditional Celebration Coming to Terms Irish Funeral
Country Music Classical Music Jazz Music Generic Funeral Other
Sad Songs About Death or Dying