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Songs to die for: Top ten funeral songs revealed

Stephanie Ayako Karaki Harris
·Contributor
Updated
Ed Sheeran at Miller Park on October, 24 2018, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Photo by Daniel DeSlover/Sipa USA)
Ed Sheeran appeared for the first time on the list. (PA)

The top ten most popular songs played at funerals have been announced today.

The list, which first launched in 2002, saw Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ top of the funeral pops, followed by Andrea Bocelli and Eva Cassidy.

The two new songs to enter the charts are Ed Sheeran’s “Supermarket Flowers”, an ode to his grandmother who passed while he was writing his award-winning album ‘÷’ (Divide), and Westlife’s version of “You Raise Me Up”.

For the first time, no traditional hymns have made the cut, showing a shift towards more pop songs - previous strong contenders were ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ and ‘Abide with me’.

New requests include George Ezra, Wiz Khalifa, Freya Ridings and Stormzy.

The research revealed a trend in more people keeping music in the family, as a third (32%) of people say they would consider asking a relative to do the honour of performing.

Funeral Music Chart 2019 (Position compared to 2016)

  1. My Way - Frank Sinatra (Non-mover)

  2. Time To Say Goodbye - Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman (Non-mover)

  3. Over The Rainbow - Eva Cassidy (Non-mover)

  4. Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler (Non-mover)

  5. Angels - Robbie Williams (Re-entry)

  6. Supermarket Flowers - Ed Sheeran (New entry)

  7. Unforgettable - Nat King Cole (Up 3 places)

  8. You Raise Me Up - Westlife (New entry)

  9. We’ll Meet Again - Vera Lynn (Down 3 places)

  10. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - Eric Idle (Down 2 places)

The survey was carried out by Co-op Funeralcare, who asked their funeral directors and arrangers across the UK what the musical requests were.

David Collingwood, director of funerals at the Co-op said: “We all live such unique lives and funerals should completely reflect that.

“Each element of a funeral is a very personal decision which is why the music choice plays such an important and impactful role.

“We’re always encouraging people to be more open about their funeral wishes, making it clear to their loved ones what they would want for themselves when the time comes.

“Even knowing what song someone would have wanted can bring such comfort at an incredibly hard time.”

Co-op Funeralcare are the UK’s leading funeral provider and conduct up to 100,000 services a year.