Songs for a Funeral
 

Music is an incredibly important part of my life, it always has been. I'm young, married, and childless right now, so I don't have a will. But I *do* have a CD with songs for my funeral on it. The wife says it's the height of morbity, I think it's just common sense for me. I update it occasionaly, mostly to add a new track or two, but not often.

It's incredibly personal, prehaps one of the most intimate and thought provoking things I've done, so I won't be sharing the complete track list, but I will give a few snipets:

Last Stop:This Town by the eels.
Boss DJ by sublime
and I'm currently in a debate to add the Firefly theme song...if it was over 60 seconds, it would make it in a heart beat, but as it is...

Anyway, guess I'm just curious as to if anyone else has done this or not. If it's not to morbid for you, I'd highly suggest it as an excercise, if nothing else.

There is another thread just like this one.
Anyway:

Theme from terminator 2.

tom waits - i dont wanna grow up
some explosions in the sky
some dirty three
calexico - not even stevie nicks...
low - sunflower
neutral milk hotel - in an aeroplane over the sea
rjd2 - ghostwriter
the entirety of jim o'rourke - eureka
and the last track of jim o'rourke - im happy and im singing and a 1 2 3 4
wilco - ashes of american flags

something like that..

I've always told people I wanted Bob Dylan's Desolation Row played at my funeral

I think that The Beatles "Blackbird" is the perfect song for a funeral.

There is always Highway to Hell or Knocking on Heaven's Door depending on the person being buried of course

for my more serious answer, definitely a jazz tune(s) - A New Orleans style wake is my idea of a grand exit.

Radiohead - Bullet Proof (i wish i was...)

Radiohead - Street Spirit (fade out)

They Might Be Giants - Dead

The Mars Volta - Televators

Townes Van Zandt - Waiting 'Round to Die

The Beatles - Good Night

Sufjan Stevens - Oh God, Where Are You Now?

The Smiths - Rubber Ring

Porcupine Tree - Heartattack in a Layby

Porcupine Tree - Collapse the Light into Earth

Opeth - Black Rose Immortal (THAT would make a BAD FUCKING ASS funeral)

Modest Mouse - The Stars are Projectors

Modest Mouse - The Cold Part

Interpol - Say Hello to the Angels

Interpol - Hands Away

Hopesfall - Escape Pods for Intangibles

Glassjaw - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence

Glassjaw - Must've Run All Day

Glassjaw - When One Eight Becomes Two Zeroes

Glassjaw - Convectuoso

Gillian Welch - I'm Not Afraid to Die

Gillian Welch - Revelator

Gillian Welch - I Dream a Highway

Chevelle - One Lonely Visitor

Bright Eyes - Don't Know When But a Day is Gonna Come (that's a pretty anticlimactic song for a funeral though, based on lyrics)

Blindside - Silence

Belle & Sebastian - Fuck this Shit (a very pretty instrumental)

At the Drive-In - Hourglass

At the Drive-In - Non-Zero Possibility

At the Drive-In - Napoleon Solo


I think all these songs would set a unique and different feel but at the same time be appropriate.

I have always liked the thought of being burried to the song "The Likes of You Again" by Flogging Molly. Always loved that tune.

I'd say Opeth - Still day beneath the sun would be an excellent choice!

I want Mozart's Requiem played at my funeral.

See you later alligator

Days by the KINKS

"Thank you for the days
Those sacred days
those endless days
you gave me
I'm thinking of the days
I won't forget a single day believe me
and though you're gone
You're with me every single day believe me.........

And Scattered by the KINKS off their last original material release "Phobia"

The Man Who Sold the World - Nirvana
Hurt - Johnny Cash
Tonight, Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
Beautiful World - Rage Against the Machine

Walking on sunshine, Katrina and the waves

Flock of Seagulls - Sailing Away

I don't want any songs played at my funeral. I want there to be utter silence during the funeral itself. I will have spent my entire life dealing with noise...I'd like some quiet, in my death.

The Samples---Nothing Lasts For Long

probably some weird neo-classical like amber asylum.

and tonight, tonight by the smashing pumpkins :)

time is never time at all. you can never ever leave, without leaving a piece of youth..

that quote will always stay with me

This would be my funeral mix, I know it seems a little weird:

2pac - Pour out a Little Liquor

Nas - Hate Me Now

Pantera - Yesterday Don't Mean Shit

Pearl Jam - Black

Queen - Another One Bites the Dust

Staind - Epiphany

Three 6 Mafia - Is Anyone Out There?

Bone Thugs N Harmony - Crossroads

Lupillo Rivera - Tragos Amargos

Oasis - Champagne Supernova

Outkast - So Fresh So Clean

Metallica - Fade to Black

Guns N Roses - November Rain

Memphis Bleek - They'll Never Play Me

Lord Zeppelin - Kashmir

Method Man - Judgement Day

Zamfir - Lonely Shepherd

Paranoid by TYPE O NEGATIVE

The Great Gig In The Sky - Pink Floyd

One's enough. I don't think my relatives would hang around for much more than that.

I never thought about dieing....but I'm only 21...should I be thinking of dieing?

to busy with my GF and my 5 year old Daughter:D

i have to add fahre's requiem here :P or perhaps mozarts..

I was at a funeral once where an old mans wife passed on. They were married for 40-50ish years, higschool sweethearts.

He played the song he wrote for her to win her over back before they were dating in highschool. It was quite moving.

LOL another one bites the dust lol
I was thinking some thing like
I'll be missing you, you know from Puff daddy maybe that would be cool hummmm I dont know what else I would want,hehehe maybe some thing that would bother ppl when they heard it.

Just two rules in my books. Do not play "I will remeber you" by Sarah McLachlan. And do not play "I hope you had the time of your life(good riddance)" by Greeday. These songs are sooo overplayed. Every funeral, every graduation I hear these. Me no likey anymore.

10,000 Miles by Mary Chapin Carpenter
2 songs from the Devil's Own Soundtrack

TAPS

"Here Comes the Bride" always preceeds someone dying right?

Only their spirit and hope die after Here Comes the Bride. The body is forced to remain intact in a kind of "living hell".

Pink Floyd - Great Gig in the Sky

From your lips to God's ears Vermin... that's funny stuff.

Having been to way more than my fair share of funerals, I'd have to say Taps by a lone bugler, or Amazing Grace by a lone bagpiper are the best, and most appropriate, and never overdone.

Well, for mine, all my friends know that I am a big Sisters of Mercy fan, so just through one of their CDs on and let it go at that. Kevin Gilbert's "Song for a Dead Friend" is a great one if you want everyone there to have a nervous break down right on the spot though. That song HURTS...

The soundtrack from The Lion King.

anything by the Bay City Rollers, or KC and the Sunshine Band.

i'm thinking, thats the way i like it (KC+Sunshine Band) when they're all entering the church or wherever they hold it (hope its not in a church, maybe i should specify that)...

then, i only want to be with you (Bay City Rollers) when they're all leaving to see my body go down the chute on its way to being cremated.

after that, there will be get down tonight (KC again) as they leave.

fun all round.

anything by Eric Whitacre.

As I just mentioned in the braces/cremation thread, my little sister's boyfriend works for his family's funeral home.

She told me he once went driving around in one of their hearses with the windows down blasting "Another One Bites the Dust".

I hadn't yet met him at the time, but I instantly approved of him right then and there.

Vincent (Starry Starry Night) by Don McClean. A good aquaintence of mine took his own life, and his father sang this song at the funeral. It was easily the most emotional moment I have ever witness or will likely witness again.

Other good songs include:
John Frusciante - Song to Sing When I'm Lonely
Slowreader - Anesthetic For The Amputee
Postal Service - There's Never Enough Time
and, of course
Kansas - Dust In The Wind

What do you bet someone from the crowd yells out "YOU'RE MY BOY, BLUE!"