I bet you remember the song that was playing when you had your first dance.
You reminisce every time you hear that tune from your graduation party.
A stranger humming on the street instantly makes you think of your first date with your partner.
Music has a way of immediately bringing back such wonderful memories… and at the same time, healing the mind and body. Music imprints upon our souls from birth to death.
When planning a funeral service, the last thing many people think about is the funeral playlist. However, it often sets the tone for your funeral, wake, or memorial. When choosing your Funeral music, there are a few things to consider.
Choosing a Theme
Consider your life. How would you like to be remembered?
Would you prefer for your family and friends to remember those times of celebration you’ve shared? Would you like to express the love you have for them with a more heartfelt remembrance?
How would you like to be remembered?
From your personal wishes, the selection of a theme can help to centre the funeral music. Let’s consider for a moment that your wishes are to use the funeral playlist to express love and appreciation for your family. Choose tunes that mean something to you. Here are a few examples:
For your wife: “When a Man Loves a Woman,” by Percy Sledge
For your children: “My Wish,” by Rascal Flatts
For your friends: “You Can’t Make Old Friends,” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
Consider the Setting
Whether you have chosen a more intimate funeral service, or a more informal event such as a Wake, or a Memorial (which could be a combination of the two), consider the setting when choosing your musical selection.
During an intimate, formal service with only close family and friends, it may be more appropriate to play traditional funeral music such as “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli or Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”.
A Wake or Memorial service that is open to anyone who knew you could warrant a variety of music – including a few of your personal favourites.
Tools to Create Funeral Playlists
There are resources that make it easy to create the perfect Funeral playlist with a few clicks, easing the stress of your preparations.
Spotify
A free tool allowing users to select from millions of songs by creators from all over the globe. There’s no doubt that Spotify has the exact songs you’re looking for to be remembered in a specific way.
YouTube
While YouTube does play advertisements between (and sometimes during) their videos, use a Free YouTube to mp3 converter application to download those songs to your phone or laptop (and avoid all the ads).
iTunes
If you have an iPhone or iPad, purchase each selected song on iTunes and use your account to formulate a memorable Funeral playlist.
Other Tips
When considering the details for your memorial service, funeral, or wake; one popular method of crafting the perfect playlist is to create a musical life story. Include important melodic memories from your childhood, your teenage years, your wedding song, and selections from your adulthood – helping each person in attendance to memorialize you in his or her own personal way.
Individualize the music with special dedications. Approach each close family member with an option to include a special dedication. It could be a song that the two of you listened to one night before the drive-in movie started in the early ’60s, a song that played around the bonfire five years ago, or even the song that was playing on the ride home from the hospital after the birth of your first child.
No matter which funeral music you select for the services, as long as it comes from the heart… it will be perfect.
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