Earlier in the year,
Co-op Funeralcare released their 2023 Funeral Music Chart, something which they have now been compiling for over 20 years.
In this most recent top ten, we see a lot of the usual suspects such as ‘My Way’ and ‘We’ll Meet Again’, but for the first time in over seven years we see two hymns entering back into the chart. This is presumed to be due to the recent royal funerals that have influenced a return to tradition.
Also, proving just how passionate football fans can be, we have ‘You'll Never Walk Alone’ by Gerry and The Peacemakers in at number seven, a song that is synonymous with Liverpool FC.
Here’s the top 10 in full:
1. Time to Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli
2. My Way by Frank Sinatra
3. Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran
4. Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler
5. We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn
6. Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Eva Cassidy
7. You'll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and The Peacemakers
8. All Things Bright and Beautiful - Hymn
9. Abide With Me - Hymn
10. Dancing In The Sky by Dani and Lizzy
Breaking down the top funeral songs by genre, we can see four modern pop songs in the overall top ten. Co-op delved deeper and provided us with this countdown of the top ten modern pop songs to be played at a funeral:
1. Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran
2. Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler
3. Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Eva Cassidy
4. Dancing In The Sky by Dani and Lizzy
5. Angels by Robbie Williams
6. Simply The Best by Tina Turner
7. You Raise Me Up by Westlife
8. Dancing Queen by ABBA
9. Flying Without Wings by Westlife
10. Angel by Sarah McLachlan
With the re-entry of hymns into the overall top ten, it’s also worth looking at what a top ten would look like if we exclusively look at hymns. Interestingly, Co-op Funeralcare note that ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’ and 'The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended' have been requested more frequently since they were performed at the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II.
1. All Things Bright and Beautiful
2. Abide With Me
3. The Lord Is My Shepherd
4. Amazing Grace
5. How Great Thou Art
6. Jerusalem
7. Morning Has Broken
8. The Old Rugged Cross
9. Here I am Lord
10. The Day Thou Gavest Lord is Ended
For the full article, please visit the Co-op Funeralcare
here.
For more articles on what music can be layed at a funeral, tack a look at the Media section of our blog
here.
