Memorial and Funeral Songs

Choosing a song for a funeral or memorial is one of the few decisions in those days that can feel good to get right. It helps to decide first which job the song is doing: comforting the room, carrying a slideshow of photos, or saying something true about the person. The best choice is almost always a song they loved, even if the lyrics are not about loss at all.

I write for Ditty City, where we make personalized songs, including songs in memory of someone. I mention it once, near the end. Everything else here is about songs you can play today.

Songs for the service

These are the songs most often played during a funeral or memorial service itself.

• "Amazing Grace," words by John Newton (published 1779). The hymn people of many faiths and none still know by heart.
• "Hallelujah," Leonard Cohen (1984). Spare and searching. Many families use a cover version they prefer.
• "Time to Say Goodbye," Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman (1996). Soaring, and right for a large service.
• "My Way," Frank Sinatra (1969). For someone who lived on their own terms and would want the room to smile.
• **"Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World," Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (from his 1993 album Facing Future).** Gentle ukulele and hope, often chosen to close.

Check with the venue before you decide. Some places of worship ask for religious music only, and some crematoriums have time limits.

Songs for a mom

• "Supermarket Flowers," Ed Sheeran (2017). Written about his grandmother, sung from a child's side, and painfully exact about the small tasks after a death.
• "Hallelujah," Leonard Cohen (1984). Quiet enough to sit under a reading.

Our memorial song for mom guide covers how to choose with your siblings.

Songs for a dad

• "Dance with My Father," Luther Vandross (2003). About a father's love remembered. Many families choose it.
• "Go Rest High on That Mountain," Vince Gill (1995). A country song written about loss, with a calm, hopeful chorus.
• "My Way," Frank Sinatra (1969). For the dad who did everything his way.

The memorial song for dad guide has more on putting his own words into the day.

Songs for a slideshow

A slideshow needs songs with a steady tempo, no sudden loud parts, and a length that matches the photos. Five to eight minutes of photos usually needs two songs.

• "See You Again," Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth (2015). About friendship and loss, and familiar to younger guests.
• "The Dance," Garth Brooks (1990). About being glad for the time you had, even knowing how it ended.
• "I Can Only Imagine," MercyMe (2001). For a family of faith.
• "Tears in Heaven," Eric Clapton (1992). Written after the death of his young son. Best kept for the loss of a child or a young person.
• "Who You'd Be Today," Kenny Chesney (2005). About someone who died young and the life they would have had.

The funeral slideshow songs guide covers timing the photos to the music, and celebration of life songs covers gatherings that are meant to feel lighter.

A song written about them

Every song above was written about somebody else. For the service that is usually right, because familiar music comforts a room. Afterward, some families want something that could only be about the person they lost: their name, the garden, the jokes, the way they said goodbye on the phone.

At Ditty City you can answer a few questions about them and we write and record a song in their memory, which you hear as a free sample before deciding. A Quick Ditty is about 60 seconds for $9, a Little Ditty about 2 minutes for $29, and a Big Ditty about 4 minutes for $49. Families play it at the gathering afterward or share it with relatives who could not come. There is no rush, and it can wait until you are ready.

Every guide in this hub

The guides below cover memorial songs by relationship and by part of the day.