How to Choose Perfect Funeral Music

“Your life deserves a soundtrack.”

Pandora’s ad campaign is as true for your funeral as it is for your life. One of the many MP3 platforms which offers a personalized music experience, Pandora is one tool you can use to create a soundtrack for your memorial service. Along with other software, such as iTunes, Amazon Music, Napster, SoundCloud, Spotify and Google Music, Pandora encourages users to download songs for personal use, through either a monthly subscription or a minimal cost-per-song. Other ways to record a funeral playlist include albums, cassette tapes or compact discs (CDs). Or, you could hire a musician to play original music or covers. No matter how you choose to score your memorial, now is the time to consider the content.

What to Play at Your Funeral

People often ask us which music to select for their loved one’s service. And we are always happy to offer suggestions. But musical tastes differ greatly. While one person prefers classical or contemporary, another will choose Hip-Hop, Rap, R&B or Jazz. So, why not use your life celebration to share your musical personality with family and friends?

5 Tips for Selecting Memorial Music

1. Remember the Deceased. What was their favorite song? Today, it’s perfectly acceptable to opt for songs that have significance to the person who died rather than standard funeral fare.
2. Set the Tone. As you consider which songs to select, bear in mind that these will set the tone of the celebration, be it formal and somber or upbeat and celebratory. If you prefer an upbeat service, select songs that move rather than music that is more reflective in nature. For instance, playing Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young” will electrify the atmosphere, while the hymn, “Nearer, My God, To Thee” will encourage emotions be kept close to the vest.
3. Ask. This is the perfect opportunity to consult with the deceased’s family and friends or others who knew the person well. This is one of the reasons we encourage pre-planning. Who better to choose music than the person whose life you are celebrating?
4. Check the music library. If you have access to the person’s MP3 player or CD collection, use it for insight into the type of music that was most meaningful to them.
5. Listen to the whole song. This is especially important if you choose music with lyrics. Listen, so the lyrics won’t surprise you. In case the lyrics aren’t easy to understand, you may even want to read the words by looking up the song online.

Popular Funeral Songs

In the not so distant past, mortuary directors provided a list of acceptable funeral songs from which to choose. So, if you are bound and determined to stick with the classics, you might consider the following songs, which the Telegraph determined in May 2017 to be the top 10 funeral songs, worldwide:

1. My Way
2. Angels
3. Time to Say Goodbye
4. You Raise Me Up
5. Over the Rainbow
6. Wind Beneath My Wings
7. Simply the Best
8. You’ll Never Walk Alone
9. I Will Always Love You
10. Angel

About Foothill Funeral & Cremation

With a beautiful showroom and offices located at 402 West Baseline in Glendora, we proudly serves the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. With years of experience in the mortuary industry, we have worked hard to build a reputation of quality, sincerity and trust. We would be honored to help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or drop by our showroom.