Songs chosen for funerals this year include Going Underground

A third of funerals now include a song personally selected by or for the deceased, with choices ranging from Burn Baby Burn to Going Underground, according to the latest data from SunLife’s 2024 Cost of Dying report. One funeral held for a metalhead with ‘a strange sense of humour’ had Die MF Die as her send-off track.

The funeral’s organiser told SunLife that mourners ‘all wore red (her favourite colour) and took shots of sambuca (her favourite drink) as she went into the ground.’

This year’s report reveals that while only 25% of people actually speak to someone about the song they wanted at their funeral, those that do have a pretty good sense of humour when it comes to death.

Here are some of the songs that were played at funerals this year:

Dark humour Shutdown - Skepta Back in Black – AC/DC Livin’ on the Edge – Aerosmith Back to Black – Amy Winehouse Burn Baby Burn – Ash Die MF Die – Dope Bat out of Hell – Meatloaf Nothing Else Matters – Metallica Silly Thing – Sex Pistols Going Underground – The Jam

Lightening the mood Busy Bee – Arthur Askey I Wish I Was in Glasgow – Billy Connelly Hakuna Matata – Pumbaa and Timon The Match of the Day theme The Test Match Cricket theme Rockin All Over the World – Status Quo Zorba the Greek – Kostas Papadopoulos Club Tropicana – Wham Three Little Birds – Bob Marley & the Wailers Bye Bye baby – Bay City Rollers

This year’s ‘top ten’ was fairly similar to previous years, with Frank Sinatra’s My Way coming in at number 1 again, and ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ and Wind Beneath My Wings all making an appearance in the top 10 for the fourth year running.

Given that most people organising a funeral say they didn’t know what the deceased wanted, there is a strong chance that most people are not getting musical send off they actually would have wanted.

The ‘most wanted’ funeral songs and the ‘most played’ are not the same. Despite being either number 1 or 2 since SunLife started tracking the funeral song chart in 2019, Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ has never been the most wanted. This year, that accolade goes to You’ll Never Walk Alone’ by Gerry and the Pacemakers, last year it was ‘Spirit in the Sky’, and the year before it was ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’.

The most played ‘send-off’ music played at funerals is actually a hymn – ‘Abide with Me’ – but in reality, less than one in seven (13%) people want a hymn at their own funeral; ‘Abide with Me’ didn’t even make the top ten and a hymn has never been number 1 in the ‘most wanted’’ list.

With the average funeral now costing £4,141 and the average total cost of dying (the funeral plus professional fees and send-off/wake costs) reaching £9,658, knowing exactly what type of funeral loved ones want can not only ensure they get a personal send-off, but can also help prevent overspending and keep costs lower.

SunLife offers a fun funeral songs generator quiz to encourage families to open up discussions about funeral wishes in a light-hearted way.

Most PLAYED funeral songs in the UK 2024	Most WANTED funeral songs in the UK 2023
My Way – Frank Sinatra	You'll Never Walk Alone- Gerry and the Pacemakers
Time To Say Goodbye - Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli	My Way – Frank Sinatra
You'll Never Walk Alone- Gerry and the Pacemakers	(Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
Angels – Robbie Williams	Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Eva Cassidy/Judy Garland/Issey Miyake
Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Eva Cassidy/Judy Garland	Time To Say Goodbye – Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli
Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler	The White Rose of Athens – Nana Mouskouri
Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life – Monty Python	Angels – Robbie Williams
I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston	Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life – Monty Python
My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion	Champagne Supernova – Oasis
You Raise Me Up – Westlife	Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol