What song would you want played at your funeral?

[somemightsay]

Hey, I know it's a bit morbid. But you'll have to confront these things sooner or later anyway. So what's yours?


Mine

Nick Heyward-All I Want You to Know

[RichmondVA]

Pink Floyd's "Free Four." I actually have this in my burial instructions.

[Antoninus]

I would have to say "Poopship Destroyer" by Ween. Do I really have to explain?

[DogStarMan]

The Sex Pistols - "I Did It My Way"

[c-lando]

MC5 - "Kick Out the Jams"

[monkey neck]

Na na na na, Na na na na, hey hey hey....

[butter_of_69]

2, I think, would be appropriate to tick off Andrea's religious family:

Faithless - "God is a DJ"
Cake - "Satan is My Motor"

[DogStarMan]

Ah, so you want to be forever remembered as the guy who pissed off his in-laws at the funeral...I can respect that.

[butter_of_69]

Seeing as I didn't even have dancing at my wedding, any secular music would be considered disrespectful, I think. But it's not their frickin' funeral anyway.

[DogStarMan]

Well, in that case, you should go all out. Get the mortician to embalm you with an erect penis sticking out of your trousers. Maybe have him paint it blue with a racing stripe or something. I just realized I've had entirely too much coffee.

[IPrayForSound]

You could always have "American Jesus" by Bad Religion played.

I think I'll go for "Good Riddance" by Green Day. The lyrics don't work so well, but the title speaks volumes. That, and enough people think it's a beautiful song that I wouldn't piss anyone off.

[roqzilla]

"Surfin' Bird" The Trashmen

[postfeminist]

"in my life" by the beatles.... it would be a real tearjerker and i love to make people cry.

actually, now that i think about it, either the beatles or johnny cash version would be fine w/ me.

on the flip side, i would also want "a case of no way out" by quasi also.

[AmericanScience]

In My Life is a beautiful pick.

Unless I was offed by the cops, then I'd play "Fuck Da Police"

[kickinitlive]

"the big rock candy mountain" from the o brother, where art thou soundtrack.

[mike]

"Old and Wise" by the Alan Parsons Project.

[mattsledge]

"Beer", by The Asylum Street Spankers.

[Candyass]

Princess and the Pony by Sean Na Na

"Shake your ass around my casket"

[JohnnyRoyale]

I'll go with "Imagine", the hands-down best song ever (in my little mind).

But... since I'm originally from WV and my family will probably be drunk at my funeral, they'll probably opt for "Freebird" or something along those lines.
I'll be dead anyhow, so I won't hear too much grief

[bond]

skee-lo.

or maybe, at the end of the service, where everyone walks out, someone hits the jukebox and it starts playing 'judy is a punk'

[Ol-One-Eye]

Bob Marley: "Three Little Birds" :)

[matt]

I See a Darkness - Bonnie "Prince" Billy

[marshallnesta]

man in the box by alice in chains would be pretty tastless. for me , cowboy song by thin lizzy would be so sweet. no particular reason.

[shivui]

end - the cure

[postfeminist]

Candyass said:
Princess and the Pony by Sean Na Na

Word! But hey, we've had this conversation before. :)

[tobedawg]

Mine would be The Smiths - "Cemetary Gates":D

[CtJester]

For real: 'Perfect Circle' - REM

For S&Gs: 'The Electric Slide' as long as the paul bearers are doing it while carrying my carcass.

-ct '...you can feel it, IT'S ELECTRIC, boogie-oogie-oogie' jester

[booch79]

I'd have to go with Many Rivers to Cross by Jimmy Cliff

[Candyass]

Originally posted by booch79
I'd have to go with Many Rivers to Cross by Jimmy Cliff

Someone has been watching High Fidelity :)
Wasn't that one of Jack Black's character's funeral songs??? Really though, that is a good one!!

[Nullifidian]

Nothing - Depeche Mode
-----------------
Sitting target
Sitting praying
God is saying
Nothing

[UKreviewer]

I have a 5 song funeral playlist, which I have had planned for sometime. Sick really considering that I'm 20.

Badly Drawn Boy - A Minor Incident (to get the tears going)

REM - Country Feedback

Oasis - Live Forever

Radiohead - Just

The Stone Roses - This Is The One (best song of all time)

[stick figure]

"Not Dark Yet" - Bob Dylan

[rachel-toronto]

jupiter crash - the cure

yeah, yeah that was it
that was the jupiter crash
drawn too close and gone in a flash
just a few bruises in the region of the splash...

:-(
r.

[bluewilco]

"Dress Sexy at my Funeral" - Smog

C'mon, that's all I want the ladies to do--my memorial service better be fun, I don't want anyone crying or anything. I had a good run.

[vicious]

i've got an entire playlist, too.

"sleepwalk" by just about anyone

"bulletproof" radiohead

"out here" peter mulvey

summer's kiss/faded - afghan whigs

brother woodrow/closing prayer - whigs

[theunlikelabel]

Memorial Song - Patti Smith

[LadyJo]

Broad Majestic Shannon - The Pogues

[Steele]

I would have to have two songs played:
First, "The Day I Tried To Live" by Soundgarden, just cuz i think it would be funny.
Second, "Merchandise" by Fugazi, to commemorate all those years I've worked in the dreaded retail workforce.

But I'm sure that won't happen.

[marshallnesta]

dying to live- edgar winter.

[Huxley]

ive actually seen this done, and it was pretty cool. My best friend who im like pratically a brother with, his uncle died a while back, and they played don't follow by alice in chains. It fit his life so well. I think I would want something of Laynes when i die too, like "river of deceit" or "rain when i die." Although I really love hearing Hemmorhage by fuel on a piano, it makes it sound like its raining notes and its very meloncholy.

[destroyer]

"Far ,Far Away" by Slade, maybe "Against the Wind" by Bob Seger, or "Deuce" by KISS. "Devils Bite" by Todd Rundgren...ummm, "Before They Make Me Run" by the Rolling Stones. Gee, this is fun.

[trintdog]

the theme song from Dukes of Hazzard...and I want a mechanical bull at my wake

[spycygrl]

Trint: You're my kinda dead guy.

I want AC/DC's BACK IN BLACK played at my funeral. Preferably LIVE by AC/DC or, if they have already passed, a good AC/DC cover band. Maybe Whole Lotta Rosies (an all-girl AC/DC cover band out here in LA).

Above should be accompanied by shots of Jack Daniels and a large black velvet painting of me which will roll down from the rafters as flashpots go off on either side. No one should cry, but everyone should feel free to bang their head.

XoX--Cin

[somemightsay]

OK, I finally decided on the tracks for the "Funeral Hymns" compilation. Thanks to all that helped out.



1. Afghan Whigs - Brother Woodrow / Closing Prayer (vicious)
2. Asylum Street Spankers - Beer (mattsledge)
3. Badly Drawn Boy - A Minor Incident (UKreviewer)
4. Bob Marley - 3 Little Birds (Ol-One-Eye)
5. Bonnie Prince Billy - I See a Darkness (matt)
6. Bob Dylan - Not Dark Yet (stick figure)
7. Fugazi - Merchandise (Steele)
8. Elliot Smith - Needle in a Haystack (myself)
9. MC5 - Kick Out the Jams (c-lando)
10. Sean Na Na - Princess and the Pony (Candyass)
11. Nick Hayward - All I Want You to Know (myself)
12. Soggy Bottom Boys - Big Rock Candy Mountain (kickinitlive)
13. Pink Floyd - Free Four (RichmondVA)
14. REM - Perfect Circle (ctJester)
15. Sex Pistols - My Way (DogStarMan)
16. The Smiths - Cemetery Gates (tobedawg)
17. Thin Lizzy - Cowboy Song (marshallnesta)
18. Peter Mulvey - Out Here (vicious)
19. Smog - Dress Sexy at My Funeral (bluewilco)
20. Alan Parsons Project - Old and Wise (Mike)

[Huxley]

Originally posted by somemightsay
OK, I finally decided on the tracks for the "Funeral Hymns" compilation. Thanks to all that helped out.



1. Afghan Whigs - Brother Woodrow / Closing Prayer (vicious)
2. Asylum Street Spankers - Beer (mattsledge)
3. Badly Drawn Boy - A Minor Incident (UKreviewer)
4. Bob Marley - 3 Little Birds (Ol-One-Eye)
5. Bonnie Prince Billy - I See a Darkness (matt)
6. Bob Dylan - Not Dark Yet (stick figure)
7. Fugazi - Merchandise (Steele)
8. Elliot Smith - Needle in a Haystack (myself)
9. MC5 - Kick Out the Jams (c-lando)
10. Sean Na Na - Princess and the Pony (Candyass)
11. Nick Hayward - All I Want You to Know (myself)
12. Soggy Bottom Boys - Big Rock Candy Mountain (kickinitlive)
13. Pink Floyd - Free Four (RichmondVA)
14. REM - Perfect Circle (ctJester)
15. Sex Pistols - My Way (DogStarMan)
16. The Smiths - Cemetery Gates (tobedawg)
17. Thin Lizzy - Cowboy Song (marshallnesta)
18. Peter Mulvey - Out Here (vicious)
19. Smog - Dress Sexy at My Funeral (bluewilco)
20. Alan Parsons Project - Old and Wise (Mike)

you should just make your wake have a musical theme to it

[marshallnesta]

i just finished listening to the new(er) oasis album for the umpteenth time and can't belive this never occured to me. " stop cryin your heart out" is great for this. reallyawescome, be happy that i'm dead kind of music.

[Guidedbymonkeys]

Wilco/Billy Bragg - California Stars

[The Sheck]

Originally posted by Guidedbymonkeys
Wilco/Billy Bragg - California Stars

WORD!!!!!!

Best song ever.

Maybe not really, but at this moment...

Best song ever.

[dcXhc]

Eleven Great Songs for a Hipster Funeral
Traditionally, funerals are mournful occasions full of loathed, besuited relatives affectedly mopping bucketloads of false tears into buffet napkins as "A Day In The Life" (or, if the deceased was of a young-ish age, "Everybody Hurts") lilts weepingly in the background. However, as a new generation of achingly cool hipsters find themselves snuffing off this mortal candle, and now that black is more of a grinningly "zeitgeist" fashion statement than it's ever been, there's no better time than this here now to think of the grooviest ways to see off our knowingly arch, cool-consultant kith and kin. So, whether you're a grieving "loved one" in search of ideas for the big final send-off, or a will-scribbling hipster just getting to grips with your own mortality, this indispensably wanky guide to a wickedly "yeah" musical epitaph is for you. Pay proper attention and your funeral could be up there with the next CMJ or All Tomorrow's Parties.

And remember, death is soooo the new life.

Nico's "These Days"
An ideal addition to the hipster-funeral wishlist -- a griefsome, wandering string-backed ballad with suitably arch deadpan vocals and nostalgia-incensed lyrics that are every bit the defining essence of "hip". Perfect for those who wish to summarize their lives as rambling accidents, lovelorn adventures, or to project their own passing as little more than a nostalgic blip in the grand nothingness of existence itself. The Jackson Browne connotations might upset those who favour Nico's Lou Reed/John Cale-backed hip cachet, but nevertheless, the quotient of wistful deadpan "cool" is just about up to scratch.
Railroad Jerk's "Forty Minutes"
A firm grasp of irony is a standard-fit feature within the brain-sacks of contemporary hipsters the globe over, and this grimly funny suicide-note is a perfectly sardonic send-off to the living, breathing world. Just picture it: all those sobbing face-screens, the running eyeliner of weepily drunken aunts, the coffin being lowered (or surrounded by fire, according to taste), then suddenly Marcellus Hall's dark intonation guffs from the morgue loudspeaker: "In forty minutes or so I'll be dead, so long to all my beloved friends, my records go to my former lovers, my boa constrictor goes to my ex-wife..." What better way to cackle yourself into the ground than by perpetrating such a darkly comic send-off? Also, a wondrous song with which to piss off those annoying, far-from-hip relatives who made your passing that much more comfortable. A worthy epitaph to indie-rock suicides into the bargain.

Shuggie Otis's "Aht Uh Mi Hed"
If dark, self-loathing humor isn't your bag of spanners, why not try adding this little gem to the funereal hiplist? A dreamily funky, coolly summery meditation from one of the high priests of obscure hipness, this will send you or your loved one off in a barrage of hazy, psychedelic color. Not only that, but as eulogies go, this trendy little musi-pellet actually helps to project life, somewhat optimistically, as a dreamy, limitless playground of the imagination. There may be a few lyrical hurdles to overcome if the snuffer in question's passing were due to an over-indulgence of spazz-needles or drug-pipes, but other than that, highly recommended for mournsome get-togethers of all but the most snootily depressive moribund clique-hound.

Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues"
While the murderous gun-toting prison jams of much gangsta-rap are, of course, out of bounds to the vast majority of cool kids, this murderous criminal meditation on the futility of life is all any self-dissecting hipster needs to fill that particular thematic void. There are few better ways to encapsulate the minor irritations of being alive than by portraying life as the dank cell of grim hopelessness that it is, and few musical selections are likely to get that across better than this. All human emotion is here, not least in the terrifying, yet humorous jeers that follow the lyric "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die". Only those not hip shall weep to this one.

Nina Simone's "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
Remember, music by dead people always makes for the most empathetic pay-off in terms of funeral music selections. John Lennon, Nick Drake, Notorious B.I.G., Edith Piaf, etcetera, are all marked territory in terms of deathly relevant final-song choices. Nina Simone, as the most recent addition to the ever-hip "dead musician" canon (at time of writing, anyway), is surely most ripe for the picking, so why not get in while the going's good, n'est ce pas? This morbidly soulful slow jam will help reiterate any hipster's disfranchisement or "outsider" status within the modern world; its achingly empathetic chorus has "redemption" written all over it. A good choice with which to cast regret aside in greeting the bleak-as-fuck ever-after.

Kraftwerk's "The Robots"
Believe it or not, Kraftwerk are actually an incredibly popular choice on funeral parlor jukeboxes the world over, with "The Model" being the most-playlisted funeral tune of their catalogue. This particular ditty isn't the most popular, and therefore far hipper, helping to frame the dead hipster's view of the world as a dehumanized den of automated, machine-like longing. A perfect selection if the hipster in question was either stuck in a dead-end job (no pun intended) prior to their mortal see-ya, or if the deadster were partial to the odd whisper of electroclash/retro-IDM chic. Either way, a killer (again, no pun intended) choice.

Henryk Górecki's "Symphony no.3: Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs (Sostenuto Tranquillo Ma Cantabille)"
If hipsters can't show off their all-encompassing musical pretentiousness in death, when can they do it? This 28-minute precursor to all crescendo-happy "post-rock" ever will surely seal the memory of the decomposing cool-hound as a paragon of ahead-of-his-time musical contextualisation, while gluing the bladder-strained mourners to their seats for the full duration. More importantly, the emotive devastation that comes from hearing this symphony in its entirety is sure to elevate the decaying cred-monkey's status to near-immortal levels of intellect and virtue. Perfect for adding a much-needed air of meaningful, transcendent tragedy to what is, in essence, a statistical daily occurrence.

Talking Heads' "(Nothing But) Flowers"
If Górecki's emotive grinding is too much to handle, or if the hipster in question was an amiable, uppity sort, this optimistic meditation on a post-everything society is a worthy addition to the dead one's CD-R mix of choice (though hardcore hipsters may want to plan ahead and fork out for a special one-off pressing on ten-inch vinyl). The payoff line, "And as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention", strikes a nice balance between banality and meaning, making for something of a wickedly funky, coolly ironic goodbye to existence. Indeed, though the Brazilian stylistic inflections might seem contrived as fuck to the more jaded members of the global hipster fraternity, there's no debating Talking Heads' eternally ample quotient of nerdy cool. And that's the point.

Plaid's "Ralome"
As any 21st century hipster is glaringly aware, instrumentals speak far more truth than the lyric-based songs of last year, especially those with IDM / glitch-techno inflections ("What, you've never been to Sonar?"). After all, aren't "songs" with lyrics and "real" instruments little more than a bid for boring old mainstream acceptance? Cast the beliefs of the old-school, song-loving living into doubt with this delightfully obscure gem; it paints a soundscape of skittering ambient yearning that's not only timeless, but juicily obscure and even a little mischievous in its headfuckiness. Ailing, near-dead hipsters may want to ensure beforehand that the in-morgue/funeral parlor PA has surround-sound specifications, so as to accentuate the subtle, glitchy drum'n'bass inflections in full stereo. Also, the unproven fact that clean-guitar laments are very much the musical template through which death is most often honoured, help make this a welcome addition to the goodbye-cruel-world musi-musings of pretty much any hipster (barring the near-extinct sub-species of electro-skeptics, however).

Can's "Halleluwah"
Honor the funky, hip-as-hell swagger of the deceased with a 19-minute groove that's bound to rip the place apart in a flurry of swaying, nihilistically cool head-nods. Perfect for putting those sultry sneers back on the sobbing chins of attendant cohorts of cool, while at the same time transforming your ceremony into the swingingest harlem of party-hearty, all-knowing hip in town. Fun for any hipster whose life's work can only be celebrated via undulating, broody grooves that stretch out into seeming infinity. Funeralize this jam, and mourning will definitely have broken.

Mark Hollis's "The Colour Of Spring"
By the time you read this, there's every chance that Mark Hollis may have come out the other side of "hip" -- but by then, of course, referencing him as a last-wish musical choice will be a decidedly "retro" act. This skeletal meditation is an ideal funeral inclusion for hipsters whose "artistic" temperaments dictate their hip cachet, or to those broody introspective clique-drones to whom Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis was a light-hearted romp. A near-perfect accentuation of the unending loneliness of being, an implosively reclusive study of the human condition, whispered via a bleakly emotive, decidedly hushed piano refrain that's soooo the essence of less-is-more. What burning/burial/memorial of any moody hipster would be complete without it?

http://www.splendidezine.com/departments/tdlt/tdlt6203.html

[matt]

I'm going to be the DJ at my own funeral. I've got a list of songs, too, that one day I will sit down with a recorder and make a 3 hour (+/-) show. It's in my will that this will be played and if I die before it is made or completed, then a straight mix of those songs will be played.

[miloguidosmom]

I've mostly been listening to The Church/Steve Kilbey lately, so bear that in mind.

If I actually want something fairly appropriate for a funeral I would choose one or more of the following:

One Day -- The Church
This Is It -- The Church
Time to Say Goodbye -- Steve Kilbey
Until the End -- Halogen
...and I've always liked Funeral For a Friend by Elton John

Just because I like it:

Invisible -- The Church

If I want to really confuse/tick off everyone there:

Anaesthesia -- The Church (nice little drug song)
Traitor -- The Refo:mation ("...says she won't forget, but she'll never remember if she is dismembered" Followed by this positively diabolical laugh)
The Great Machine -- The Church
Soul Sample -- Steve Kilbey
I Believe -- REM
Life's Little Luxuries -- Steve Kilbey
Witch Hunt -- The Church
Chaos -- The Church

[coreyhemp]

I've had 3 friends die in the past 2 years, 2 of them being best friends, so I have put some thought into this. Here's a little comp so far. I want to make it a little funny too, so maybe some Tenacious D or Dr Demento. I'd also like to throw in some gangsta rap. Some I aint never gonna die type shit.

1. Beatles – In My Life
2. Dave Matthews – Two Step
3. Pennywise – Bro Hym
4. Hootie and Blowfish – I’m going home
5. Flaming Lips – Do You realize
6. Live – Lightning Crashes
7. Pink Floyd – Goodbye Blue Sky
8. Pink Floyd – Goodbye Cruel World
9. Johnny Cash – Hurt
10. John Lennon – Imagine
11. REM – everybody hurts

I need more though

[DaysWithoutEnd]

'Satisfied Mind' as performed by Jeff Buckley

One thing's for certain, when it comes my time, I'll leave this world with a satisfied mind.

[Rafe]

When I get shoved in the Oven, it has to be PIL - Public Image

[norton]

My wife has made my son promise her that his band will play Peter Gabriel's "I Grieve" at her funeral.

Personally, I'm looking for John Prine's "Please Don't Bury Me" at mine.

[David D Day]

Cold Blows the Wind - Ween - The Mollusk

[Buzzstein]

1. Eels - Last Stop This Town
2. John Prine - Please Don't Bury Me
3. Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
4. Cake - Sheep Go To Heaven
5. Elders, The - Men of Erin
6. Enigma - Return To Innocence
7. Incubus - Wish You Were Here
8. Tool - Parabol
9. Tool - Parabola
10. Live - Lightning Crashes
11. Shaun Davey - The Parting Glass

[littlemitten]

() off of () by sigur ros...that joke never gets old..~

[RedWoods]

I recently had a cousin die and Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root was played at the very end, it was amazed at how powerful the song was in that context.

[SteelTown Boy]

The Last Ride-Todd Rundgren

[postfeminist]

i love the resurrection [no pun intended] of this thread.

[Uncle Perv]

Jesus, etc. - Wilco, or maybe REM's song You Are The Everything.

pf - verry punny. :)

[Brooklyn_Ennui]

Love Will Tear Us Apart...........
Joy Division

[Fourthisto]

OK, on the fun side of my funeral (.... whoa) I would pick the Dandies' "Every Day Should be a Holiday"..... whereas the melodramatic Moby song "When its Cold I'd Like to Die" would be nice and weepy, and then hit everyone with "Where you end and I begin" by Radiohead to leave them nice and confused....

[coreyhemp]

Nat King Cole - What a Wonderful World.

[Buzzstein]

Originally posted by coreyhemp
Nat King Cole - What a Wonderful World.

I didn't know Nat King Cole did a version of that. But I guess a lot of people have covered that song.

[RedWoods]

Gloria by U2

[Buzzstein]

Originally posted by Buzzstein

11. Shaun Davey - The Parting Glass

This song is mislabeled in Winamp. This particular version that I have is from the Waking Ned Divine soundtrack and it is actually sung by Liam O' Maonlai. Although Shaun Davey is the producer on the track.

[drworm8]

OPM-Heaven Is a Halfpipe

Oh, yessireee......

[Foofur]

"Don't Change Your Plans" Ben Folds

He couldn't have put it better in that tune.

[florence_yall]

It would have to be "Ghost" by Neutral Milk Hotel. With the instrumental coda included, of course.

[supra-genius]

A couple might be

She Floated Away : Husker Du
Faraway So Close : U2
Protection : Massive Attack

and I want Amazing Grace squeezed out on the bagpipes as the close of the service.