Complete List of Songs for a Funeral or Memorial Service

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Best Funeral Songs – How To Choose?

Music is a fantastic addition to a funeral or memorial service and can play a meaningful part. Songs are an amazing way of soothing a wounded heart and sometimes even a weary body and a tedious mind. That’s why songs play a big part of the funeral service. You can add music anywhere in the funeral program. And you don’t have to be stuck with just one song – you can have a variety of musical selections all the way through the funeral process. You can find songs in “The Best Funeral Songs” list of many websites.

Selecting the best funeral songs however, is not as easy as choosing Goodbye My Lover for a deceased spouse, Dance with My Father Again for your dad and A Song for Mama for your mom. In fact, it is quite a predicament. In a Christian funeral, the person in charge of selecting the songs for someone’s funeral, which is usually a family member or a close friend, should work together with the church or its representative. You see, there are song selections that might not be appropriate in the Christian sense. Funeral services are where we recall the life of and salute the person who passed away. Yes, that is true but only in the context that that life exalted is realized into the account of the Father from whom he came to be and will go ascend with, and toward the account of Jesus. There goes a major pitfall into having a “decent” Christian funeral. Thomas G. Long, the author of “Accompany Them with Singing - The Christian Funeral “[2009] wrote about this.

He said that a funeral wants to praise or glorify the gospel. Ironically, at a funeral, what life the deceased has lived and how he lived it is the strongest counterpart to the gospel. Joe’s funeral can effortlessly turn out to be a monotonous programmed called the ‘Joe Show.’ However, with planning, Joe’s life story need not be a challenge to the gospel at all. In every funeral, the telling of the story of the departed is encouraged and the deceased to be remembered heartily yearned for. But the gospel reminds us of one thing – Joe’s story doesn’t end there but with God. The funeral is not entirely about Joe’s friends marching off to church to be with Joe’s memory, but about Joe going to be with God.

I saw a forum discussion where there was an ongoing debate about who should be the authority in songs choice when it comes to funerals. One party insisted that what should be played are Joe’s favorites, what fits Joe best, songs requested by Joe’s family, or what songs Joe requested himself. They said it is Joe’s funeral anyway. It is a celebration of his previous life and what he was as a person. However, on the other hand, the other party argues that Christian funeral rites are not the personal property of the main participants but primarily the rites of the church and the church has the right not to allow a piece of music or anything else to be occurring at such services if they are directly against teachings. It is symbolic to not having to forget the supremacy of God’s commandments over personal fancies.

With this, a compromise should come in handy. The best funeral songs are those that are acceptable to the Christian way (check the lyrics) and satisfactory to the family of and even the deceased (ask close friends and relatives about this).

Visit funeral service websites, blogs and forums for the best funeral songs and a wide selection of it that would remarkably fit your loved one’s funeral.

Below you will find a lengthy list of songs appropriate for a funeral or memorial service. If the song is underlined, it links directly to the page that features information about that song. Links have been provided for you on the left of places where you can find the sheet music, CDs or individual songs.

  1. "Affirmation" performed by Savage Garden
  2. "All My Tears" performed by Julie Miller or Emmylou Harris
  3. "Always look on the Bright Side of Life" performed by Eric Idle
  4. "Amigos Para Sempre" (Friends for Life) performed by Sara Brightman and Placido Domingo
  5. "An Original Man (A Song For Keith)" performed by the Yardbirds
  6. "And When She Danced" performed by Marilyn Martin and David Foster
  7. "Angel" performed by Sarah McLachlan
  8. "Angels" performed by Mary McLaughlin
  9. "Angels Among Us" performed by Alabama
  10. "Angels in Waiting" performed by Tammy Cochran
  11. "Angel's Son" performed by Sevendust
  12. "Annie's Song" performed by John Denver
  13. "Another Soldier's Coming Home" performed by Janet Paschal
  14. "As Tears Go By" performed by the Rolling Stones
  15. "Baby Girl Window" performed by Robbie Williams
  16. "Baby Mine" performed by Bette Midler
  17. "Back Home Again" performed by John Denver
  18. "Back in His Arms Again" performed by Mark Schultz
  19. "Beautiful" performed by Jennifer Paige
  20. "Bless the Broken Road" performed by Rascal Flatts
  21. "Blessed" performed by Elton John
  22. "Blowing in the Wind" performed by Bob Dylan
  23. "Brickyard Road" performed by Johnny Van Zant
  24. "Bring on the Rain" performed by Jo Dee Messina with Tim McGraw
  25. "Bury Me" performed by Dwight Yoakam
  26. "Can You Hear Me When I Talk to You" performed by Ashley Gearing
  27. "Candle in the Wind" performed by Elton John
  28. "Can't Cry Hard Enough" performed by the Williams Brothers
  29. "Can't Be Really Gone" performed by Tim McGraw
  30. "Circle of Life" performed by Elton John (from the The Lion King Soundtrack)
  31. "Circus" performed by Eric Clapton
  32. "Colors of the Wind" performed by Judy Kuhn or Vanessa Williams (from the Pocahontas Soundtrack)
  33. "Cry a River" performed by Amy Grant
  34. "Dance with my Father" performed by Luther Vandross
  35. "Dante's Prayer" performed by Loreena McKennit
  36. "Dear John" performed by Styx
  37. "Deliver Me" performed by Sarah Brightman
  38. "Do You Believe in Shame?" performed by Duran Duran
  39. "Don't Cry a Tear" performed by Lyle Lovett
  40. "Don't Dream it's Over" performed by Crowded House or Sixpence None The Richer
  41. "Dust in the Wind" performed by Kansas
  42. "Even Now" performed by Linda Eder
  43. "Even the Darkness is Light to Him" performed by Michael Card
  44. "Every Breath You Take" performed by The Police
  45. "Everything I Own" performed by Bread
  46. "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" performed by Ella Fitzgerald
  47. "Fame (I Want to Live Forever)" performed by Irene Cara
  48. "Fire and Rain" performed by James Taylor
  49. "Fields of Gold" performed by Sting or Eva Cassidy
  50. "Fill Your Heart" performed by David Bowie or Tiny Tim
  51. "Fly" performed by Celine Dion
  52. "For the Good Times" performed by Kris Kristofferson
  53. "Forever and Ever, Amen" performed by George Strait
  54. "Forever Young" performed by Alphaville
  55. "Forever Young" performed by Rod Stewart or Bob Dylan
  56. "Friends" performed by Michael W. Smith
  57. "From a Distance" performed by Bette Midler
  58. "From a Distance" performed by Richard Clayderman, Cliff Richard, or Bette Midler
  59. "Glory Baby" performed by Watermark
  60. "Go On" performed by Jack Johnson
  61. "Go Rest High on That Mountain" performed by Vince Gill
  62. "Gone Away" performed by The Offspring
  63. "Gone Too Soon" performed by Babyface or Michael Jackson
  64. "Goodbye" performed by Patty Griffin
  65. "Goodbye for Now" performed by Kathy Troccoli
  66. "Goodbye My Friend" performed by Linda Rondstat
  67. "Goodbye's the Saddest Word" performed by Celine Dion
  68. "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother" performed by The Hollies
  69. "He Will Carry You" performed by Scott Wesley Brown
  70. "Heaven" performed by Hayley Westenra
  71. "Heaven Was Needing a Hero" performed by Jo Dee Messina
  72. "Here Without You" performed by 3 Doors Down
  73. "Here You Me" performed by Jimmy Eat World
  74. "Hero" performed by Mariah Carey
  75. "He's My Son" performed by Mark Schultz
  76. "History of Us" performed by Indigo Girls
  77. "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" performed by Steve Wariner
  78. "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" performed by Patty Loveless
  79. "Hurt" performed by Johnny Cash or Nine Inch Nails
  80. "I Believe" performed by Diamond Rio
  81. "I Can Only Imagine" performed by Mercy Me
  82. "I Don't Know How to Say Goodbye" performed by Linda Eder
  83. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" performed by Mark Chesnutt
  84. "I Have a Dream" performed by ABBA
  85. "I Hope You Dance" performed by Lee Ann Womack
  86. "I Miss My Friend" performed by Darryl Worley
  87. "I Miss You a Little" performed by John Michael Montgomery
  88. "I Sure Miss You" performed by the Crabb Family
  89. "I Will" performed by The Beatles
  90. "I Will Always Love You" performed by Whitney Houston or Dolly Parton
  91. "I Will Remember" performed by Toto
  92. "I Will Remember You" performed by Sarah McLachlan
  93. "I Will Remember You" performed by Amy Grant
  94. "I Would've Loved You Anyway" performed by Trisha Yearwood
  95. "If I Had Only Known" performed by Reba McEntire
  96. "If Tomorrow Never Comes" performed by Ronan Keating
  97. "If You're Reading This" performed by Tim McGraw
  98. "I'll be Missing You" performed by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans
  99. "I'll be Seeing You" performed by Bing Crosby, Barry Manilow, Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, Liza Minnelli, Anne Murray, or many others
  100. "I'll Remember" performed by Madonna
  101. "I'll See You Again" performed by Frank Sinatra
  102. "I'm Already There" performed by Lonestar
  103. "I'm Movin' On" performed by Rascal Flatts
  104. "Imagine" performed by John Lennon
  105. "In My Life" performed by the Beatles or Bette Midler
  106. "In This Life" performed by Colin Raye or Bette Midler
  107. "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" performed by Boyz II Men
  108. "Into the Mystic" performed by Van Morrison
  109. "Into the West" performed by Annie Lennox
  110. "I've Had the Time of My Life" performed by Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley
  111. "Jesus Loves Me" performed by Various Artists
  112. "Jesus Loves the Little Children" performed by Various Artists
  113. "Keep Me In Your Heart" performed by Warren Zevon
  114. "Knocking on Heaven's Door" performed by Bob Dylan
  115. "Landslide" performed by Fleetwood Mac or the Dixie Chicks
  116. "Let Him Fly" performed by Linda Eder
  117. "Let it Be" performed by the Beatles
  118. "Live Like You Were Dying" performed by Tim McGraw
  119. "Life is Eternal" performed by Carly Simon
  120. "Life Without You" performed by Stevie Ray Vaughan
  121. "Like a River" performed by Carly Simon
  122. "Little Willow" performed by Paul McCartney
  123. "Look on Down From the Bridge" performed by Mazzy Star
  124. "Looking Through Your Eyes" performed by LeAnn Rimes
  125. "Love is Stronger than Death" performed by The The
  126. "Love, Me" performed by Colin Raye
  127. "Lullabye (Goodnight, my Angel)" performed by Billy Joel
  128. "Maori Farewell" performed by Bing Crosby
  129. "May It Be" performed by Enya
  130. "Memories" performed by Elvis Presley
  131. "Memories" (The Way We Were) performed by Barbara Streisand
  132. "Memory" performed by Elaine Page or Barbra Streisand From Cats
  133. "Morning Bird" performed by The Sleepy Jackson
  134. "My Angel" performed by Kellie Pickler
  135. "My Heart Will Go On" performed by Celine Dion
  136. "My Immortal" performed by Evanescence
  137. "My Last Breath" performed by Evanescence
  138. "My Little Girl" performed by Tim McGraw
  139. "My One True Friend" performed by Bette Midler
  140. "My Way" performed by Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley
  141. "Never Can Say Goodbye" performed by Gloria Gaynor
  142. "Never Gone" performed by Backstreet Boys
  143. "Never Without You" performed by Ringo Starr
  144. "New Star in the Sky" performed by Air
  145. "No One But You (Only the Good Die Young)" performed by Queen
  146. "Not a Day Goes By" performed by Lonestar
  147. "Nothing Compares 2 U" performed by Sinead O'Connor
  148. "Oh Very Young" performed by Cat Stevens
  149. "Old and Wise" performed by Alan Parsons Project
  150. "One Moment More" performed by Mindy Smith
  151. "One More Day" performed by Diamond Rio
  152. "One Sweet Day" performed by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
  153. "Only Time" performed by Enya
  154. "Our Love Never Ends" performed by Sydney Forest
  155. "Over the Rainbow" performed by Judy Garland
  156. "Passing Through" performed by Mark Erelli
  157. "Passing Through" performed by Ronan Tynan
  158. "Please Celebrate Me Home" performed by Kenny Loggins
  159. "Precious Child" performed by Karen Taylor-Good
  160. "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" performed by Doris Day
  161. "Raging Sea" performed by Michael W. Smith
  162. "Reach for the Stars" performed by S Club 7
  163. "Really Gonna Miss You" performed by William Smokey Robinson
  164. "Remember Me This Way" performed by Jordan Hill (from the Casper Soundtrack)
  165. "Right Here Waiting for You" performed by Richard Marx
  166. "Sailing" performed by Rod Stewart
  167. "Shine On" performed by JET
  168. "Shine Your Light" performed by Robbie Robertson
  169. "Ships of Heaven" performed by Blackhawk
  170. "Silent Lucidity" performed by Queensryche
  171. "Since I Lost You" performed by Genesis
  172. "Slipped Away" performed by Avril Lavigne
  173. "Smile" performed by Nat King Cole
  174. "Smile" performed by Lonestar
  175. "Somewhere" performed by Barbara Streisand (From West Side Story)
  176. "Somewhere Down the Road" performed by Amy Grant or Faith Hill
  177. "Somewhere my Love" (Lara's Theme) performed by Richard Clayderman
  178. "Tears in Heaven" performed by Eric Clapton or Will Jennings
  179. "Tell me I was Dreaming" performed by Travis Tritt
  180. "Ten Ft Tall" performed by Pete Murray
  181. "Thank You" performed by Ray Boltz
  182. "The Dance" performed by Garth Brooks
  183. "The End" performed by The Doors
  184. "The End of the End" performed by Paul McCartney
  185. "The Flame" performed by Cheap Trick
  186. "The Gift You Are" performed by John Denver
  187. "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" performed by Reba McEntire
  188. "The Last Words You Said" performed by Sarah Brightman
  189. "The Prayer" performed by Celine Dion, Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli, or Anthony Callea
  190. "The Rose" performed by Bette Midler
  191. "The Way We Were" performed by Barbra Streisand
  192. "The Wings That Fly Us Home" performed by John Denver
  193. "There You'll Be" performed by Faith Hill
  194. "They Can't Take That Away From Me" performed by Ella Fitzgerald
  195. "This Woman's Work" performed by Kate Bush
  196. "Through the Years" performed by Kenny Rogers
  197. "Time to Say Goodbye" (Con Te Partiro) performed by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
  198. "To Where You Are" performed by Josh Groban, Lorraine Shannon, or Kristy Starling
  199. "Trust His Heart" performed by Bobby Mason
  200. "Try Not to Breathe" performed by R.E.M.
  201. "Try To Remember" performed by Jerry Orbach
  202. "Visitor From Heaven" performed by Twila Paris
  203. "Walking In The Air" performed by Aled Jones
  204. "Wasn't it Good" performed by Tina Arena
  205. "We'll Meet Again" performed by Vera Lynn, Johnny Cash, Rosemary Clooney, or many others
  206. "What a Wonderful World" performed by Louis Armstrong
  207. "What Hurts The Most" performed by Rascal Flatts
  208. "When All is Said and Done" performed by Geoff Moore
  209. "When I Get to Where I'm Going" performed by Brad Paisley & Dolly Parton
  210. "When I Reach the Place I'm Goin'" performed by Wynonna or Patty Loveless
  211. "When Will I See You Again?" performed by The Three Degrees
  212. "Wherever You Are" performed by Celeste Prince
  213. "Who Wants to Live Forever" performed by Queen
  214. "Who'd You Be Today" performed by Kenny Chesney
  215. "Wind and Sail" performed by Icehouse
  216. "Wind Beneath My Wings" performed by Bette Midler or Colleen Hewitt
  217. "Winter Light" performed by Sarah Brightman
  218. "Wish You Were Here" performed by Mark Wills
  219. "Wishing You were Somehow Here Again" from Phantom of the Opera
  220. "With Hope" performed by Steven Curtis Chapman
  221. "Without You" performed by Dixie Chicks
  222. "Yesterday" performed by the Beatles
  223. "You're Missing" performed by Bruce Springsteen
  224. "You'll Be in My Heart" performed by Phil Collins (from the Tarzan Soundtrack)
  225. "You'll Never Walk Alone" performed by Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, Olivia Newton-John, Michael Crawford, Johnny Cash, or many others
  226. "You're Gone" performed by Diamond Rio
  227. "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" performed by Kenny Loggins



Best Funeral Songs line


Click on any of the following links below to find the:


Main Funeral Songs Page
Best Generic Funeral Songs
Best Songs for a Friend's Funeral
Best Songs for a Spouse's Funeral
Best Songs for a Parent's Funeral
Best Songs for a Child's Funeral
Best Songs for a Sibling's Funeral
Best Religious Songs for a Funeral
Best Traditional Funeral Songs
Best Celebration Songs Suitable for a Funeral
Best Coming to Terms Songs for a Funeral
Best Classical Music for a Funeral
Best Jazz Music for a Funeral
Best Country Music for a Funeral
Other Funeral Songs Not Included in Lists Above

Best Funeral Songs line