Ever thought of giving your funeral a personalised pop by specifying your send-off song?
Well now you can ... go out with a bang ... or perhaps just a memorable guitar solo!
I hope you laugh and cry when you read this post. Start with my Tips for choosing a playlist for your funeral.
While my personal favourite is Somewhere over the Rainbow, I've included something for everyone, whether you're on a Highway To Hell with ACDC or Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door with Bob Dylan.
You are sure to find inspiration either from the Classical Music Funeral Songs, Upbeat Funeral Songs or Less Conventional Funeral Songs. But if none of these strike a chord, then check out the Top 50 Hits—Really (Inspiring?) Funeral Songs. This list includes real songs that Australian's have actually included in their Will and it's sure to give you a laugh!
Once you've found that song that you're happy to be remembered by—the soundtrack of your life—how do you communicate it to your loved ones?
An easy way is to put the soundtrack of your life in your legal Will!
You can use Legal Zebra’s online Will Kit to create a personalised Legal Will and plan what will essentially be one of the biggest parties in your honour—your funeral (right down to the music).
The Australia Legal Will Kit by Legal Zebra is the first and only will kit (I know of) that gives you an easy point-and-click option to choose a song you’d like played at your funeral.
When you're ready to make your Will (and include that special song), grab a 50% discount coupon at the end of this post. You'll need to share your special song to claim the special offer. So, read on for help choosing the soundtrack of your life ... and to see just how easy it is to include your song (or playlist) in your Will.
Wait, hold up a minute, you’re telling me I can write a Will online, and choose a song for my funeral at the same time?
Uh … yeah! The Australian Legal Will Kit offers a painless and affordable way to make a binding legal Will (valid in all States and Territories of Australia) in just a few minutes!
Of course, with the Legal Zebra Will Kit you can cover all the serious business—like dividing up your assets, appointing guardians for your children, etc—but why not go one step further and set the right tone for your send off?
As you draft your Will with our online system, just point and click on the artwork of the song you'd like played at your funeral (just like a digital jukebox), or choose your own, and Legal Zebra will magically include that wish in your Will.
In the image below, you can see how to choose Who Wants To Live Forever performed by Queen and how the song choice magically appears in the Legal Wil:
Click here to download a sample of Queen Elizabeth's Legal Will. As shown above, she aptly chose Who Wants To Live Forever performed by Queen.
Here are some suggestions to help you choose that perfect parting song to include in your Will:
Remember, just because a funeral is a sad occasion, doesn’t mean you have to select sad songs.
Perhaps Led Zeppelin’s In My Time of Dying, the band’s take on a traditional gospel song, always provoked a level of ethereal introspection when you listened to it. Sure, it’s not one of the most common of funeral songs out there but it surely is something that will help carry your personality and interests to the very last encounter with your loved ones, on this plane at least.
Have you told your family that you want to be celebrated with a backyard barbecue rather than mourned in a dark church? Be sure to make your wishes known and that they reflect your life. And consider what songs would best accompany the environment of your funeral.
Here are some funeral songs suggestions by genre...
These are often chosen for sentimental value and/or tradition.
Classical music standards such as Vivaldi “Four Seasons” or Beethoven “Moonlight Sonata” are proven to relieve stress and tension on the listener. Think of it as a way to impart otherworldly peace and reassurance that everything will be right as rain in your absence.
These are popular funeral songs for the peaceful and loving sentiments they conjure.
Franz Schubert “Ava Maria”
Luciano Pavarotti “Nessum Dorma”
Vera Lynn “We’ll Meet Again”
Beethoven “Moonlight Sonata”
Vivaldi “The Four Seasons”
These are often chosen for light-heartedness and nostalgia.
For something a bit more upbeat, consider Bob Dylan’s Knockin On Heavens Door or what about Redemption Song by Bob Marley? Or even Queen's Who Wants to Live Forever.
If you really want to share your sense of humour with your loved ones, you might go for Another One Bites the Dust or perhaps Etta James’ soulful classic At Last.
Queen “Who Wants to Live Forever”
Etta James “At Last”
AC/DC "Highway to Hell"
Mike & The Mechanics "The living Years"
These are typically chosen to reflect one’s own personality and interests!
TLC “Waterfalls”
Johnny Cash “Ain’t No Grave”
Audioslave “I Am the Highway”
Bone Thugs N Harmony “Crossroads”
So, it’s OK to think outside the (pine) box when choosing my funeral song?
Absolutely! While sad funeral songs may be the most common, we think it’s all in the delivery.
Funeral services will always entail a lot of grief but they do not have to be, dare we say it, lifeless.
You can have control over the type of funeral service you receive and put some levity into the mood by selecting your send-off song.
Still stuck for inspiration? See what others have put in their Will.
This is a list of over 50 songs that Australians have actually said they want played at their funeral:
(Warning, if you're Australian and the last one on the list doesn't give you a chuckle, perhaps you need to have your humour checked!)
