Contemporary music, from pop songs to film and show tunes, is now almost as likely to be chosen for a funeral in Britain as traditional religious pieces are, according to a study released on Thursday.
One of the country’s largest funeral providers found more than 40% of ceremonies involved modern music, reflecting the changing — and increasingly secular — tone of British society.
Topping the list of modern songs was crooner Frank Sinatra’s signature tune My Way, followed by Bette Midler’s rendition of Wind beneath My Wings and Robbie Williams’s Angels.
Next on the list were Celine Dion’s weepie My Heart Will Go on and the rousing Simply the Best by Tina Turner.
The top three hymns remained unchanged with The Lord Is My Shepherd at number one, followed by Abide with Me and All Things Bright and Beautiful.
Classical tunes, meanwhile, accounted for less than 5% of funeral music: Nimrod from Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations was the firm favourite, followed by Franz Schubert’s Ave Maria and Largo from George Handel’s opera Xerxes.
“Funeral music provides us with an invaluable insight into the influences at work in [British] society,” said Ian Mackie, of Cooperative Funeralcare, who reviewed music at 80 000 funerals handled by its 600 branches in the year to July.
“Tradition is still very much evident in favourite hymns while we have a growing number of people who feel that modern themes are entirely appropriate.
“Many now mix the two in funeral ceremonies and it’s clear that they are being influenced by the television programmes or films they watch.”
Sometimes, however, the music is unusual: last year, requests were received for several television soaps, Buster Poindexter’s Hot, Hot, Hot and novelty tunes such as The Birdy Song and The Laughing Policeman.
One person even requested the sound of trains shunting in sidings. — AFP