If you pick which music you listen to every day of your life, why stop there? NME reported yesterday that fewer than a third of British funerals feature traditional hymns as a soundtrack to the event, according to Co-operative Funeralcare; pop music filled in at nearly every other ceremony (with classical taking a tiny 1/25th of the pie).
Although the same study found that funeral directors will often refuse musical requests due to lyrical content, plenty of off-beat and trendy tunes made the list of the top selections for swan songs. Frank Sinatra (pictured) and “My Way” held the No. 1 spot for the seventh time; Titanic theme “My Heart Will Go On” took No. 9; the Monty Python ditty “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” came in at 13. Newcomer to the list Adele didn’t quite crack the top 20: her “Someone Like You” is No. 22. (Gawker astutely points out that “Someone Like You,” a song about replacing a loved one with someone just as good, is extremely inappropriate for a funeral.)
(MORE: Listen to Adele’s Full Bond Theme, ‘Skyfall’)
We’re just shocked that the ultimate tear-jerker pop song didn’t make the list. After seeing Liam Neeson cry in Love Actually, how could any conscientious last-wishes list not include the Bay City Rollers’ “Bye, Bye, Baby”?
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Other than that obvious choice, which pop song would you like played at your hypothetical funeral?