Music is an essential part of any funeral or memorial service. Which music to play can be a very difficult decision. As we went through songs in our quest for some of the best music for this purpose, we tried to classify the music based on relationships. When we were finished we found that there were several songs that didn't quite fit into any category.
The songs listed below are songs that are generic enough that they could be played at any funeral. While they still convey the sentiment of love and loss, they don't aim at one particular type of relationship.
For your convenience, we have included links to the sheet music on Sheetmusicplus.com as well as the CD on Amazon.com whenever available. If you are looking to purchase the mp3 or would like to listen to a sample, then click on either the Amazon, Rhapsody, or iTunes links.
Rhapsody provides both music subscriptions as well as individual mp3s for sale in WMA format and iTunes only provides MPEG-4 audio files for sale. However, Amazon does offer mp3s that are compatible with both Windows Media Player and iTunes. For more information about where to purchase music online, we provide it on our Music Downloads page or our Music Subscriptions page.
NEW! Listen to a sample of selections listed below from Amazon by clicking the play button
on the box above.
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano most famous for her performance in Phantom of the Opera on stage. The song "Deliver Me" is a love song that talks about the influence one person can have on another.
Significant Verse:
All of my life I was in hiding.
Wishing there was someone just like you.
Now that you're here, now that I've found you,
I know that you're the one to pull me through.
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James Taylor wrote this song. Although he has given different versions regarding what it is about, it is not about the death of his girlfriend in a plane crash, as is often rumored. Instead, the lyric "Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground" refers to a band Taylor was in called Flying Machine. The song does mention a woman named Suzanne, but other than that the song basically talks about the highs and lows experienced in life.
Chorus:
I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again
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This Offspring song is about lead singer Dexter Holland's girlfriend dying in a car accident and his emotional response to it. However, the lyrics are generic enough that it could be played at any funeral.
Chorus:
And it feels, and it feels like
Heaven's so far away
And it feels, yeah it feels like
The world has grown cold
Now that you've gone away
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Sheetmusicplus
Patty Griffin sings this song about the loss of a loved one. In the lyrics, the singer remembers back to that day when the person passed away and realizes that "it takes while / For someone to really disappear."
Chorus:
And I wonder where you are
And if the pain ends when you die
And I wonder if there was
Some better way to say goodbye
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Performed by Kathy Troccoli, this song is very melodic and slow. The lyrics are very sweet and poignant, but generic enough to be appropriate at almost any funeral. The song talks about how difficult it will be to let the person go and refers to the time when they will be together again. One of the best lines in the song is "How can it be that the world would go on / When something has died within me" or "I can't imagine my life without you / You held a place all your own"
Chorus:
But there will be a time
When I'll see your face
And I'll hear your voice
And there we will laugh again
And there will come a day
When I'll hold you close
No More tears to cry
'Cause we'll have forever
But I'll say Goodbye for now
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Although there are other songs by the same name, the one referenced here is sung by both Linda Rondstat and Karla Bonoff (who also wrote the song). The two versions sound remarkably similar. The lyrics of this song are meaningful while generic enough to fit almost anyone, especially when it says, "Life's so fragile and love's so pure / We can't hold on but we try / We watch how quickly it disappears / And we never know why."
Chorus:
So goodbye my friend
I know I'll never see you again
But the time together through all the years
Will take away these tears
It's okay now
Goodbye my friend
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This song by Jimmy Eat World is about Mykel and Carli Allen, two women who ran the Weezer fan club. The women had died in a car accident driving back from a Weezer concert. The two women would often look for up and coming bands and would give them a place to stay. The line, "There's no one in town I know, you gave us some place to go" refers to a time when the band Jimmy Eat World stayed with Mykel and Carli when they were in town to do a concert. Other than that, the lyrics are generic enough to be used an almost any funeral or memorial service.
Significant Verse:
What would you think of me now?
So lucky
So strong
So proud
Never said thank you for that
Now I'll never have a chance
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This classic song is a favorite of many people. Few could ever sing it as beautifully as Mariah Carey does--although some have tried. There are several songs with the same title with different lyrics. We've given this song a prominent place on this page because of the line in they lyrics that says "You can find love / If you search within yourself / And the emptiness you felt / Will disappear."
Chorus:
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you
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Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails, wrote this song after losing his girlfriend. It was originally performed by Nine Inch Nails. However, the song became more popular after it was recorded by Johnny Cash in 2002, one of Cash's final releases before his death. The video, which is breathtaking in it's raw emotional nature and simplicity, was named the best video of the year by the Grammy Awards and Country Music Awards. The song is generic enough that it could work for any type of funeral.
Significant Verse:
But I remember everything
What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
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"I Will Remember" is performed by Toto. The song was written by Steve Lukather about the former drummer of Toto. The song speaks about friendship, sadness and things that have changed but how he will always remember the love the two shared. This is a very beautiful song and would be good at almost any funeral.
Chorus:
Even when love has come and gone and our hearts have moved along
I will remember.
There was a time we had the trust
And that always was enough
I will remember. I will remember you.
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Reba McEntire sings this song. The song talks about what she would have done had she known that she was going to lose the person she loved. The song is perfect for a funeral of someone young, but would work for almost any type of funeral.
Significant Verse:
If I had only known
I'd never hear your voice again
I'd memorize each thing you ever said
And on those lonely nights
I could think of them once more
Keep your words alive inside my head
If I had only known
I'd never hear your voice again
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Prince wrote this song for the band The Family. It received little attention until it was recorded in 1990 by Sinead O'Connor. The song has been placed on numerous lists for the best songs, including lists for the best love songs and the best break up songs.
Significant Verse:
Since you took your love away
Since you been gone I can do whatever I want
I can see whomever I choose
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant
But nothing, I said nothing can take away these blues
'Cause nothing compares, nothing compares to you
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Enya performed this song as part of the soundtrack for Sweet November. (I recommend the movie--but be prepared with Kleenex.) It's one of two songs on the soundtrack that I highly recommend. The other song is "Wherever You Are" by Celeste Prince which has never been released as a single and is unavailable except on the Sweet November CD. Anyone who likes Enya will love "Only Time."
Chorus:
Who can say where the road goes,
Where the day flows, only time?
And who can say if your love grows,
As your hearth chose, only time?
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"Shine Your Light" was performed by Robbie Robertson and featured on the soundtrack for the movie Ladder 49, a movie about a fire fighter facing death. The lyrics make this song perfect for anyone who could be seen as a hero to others. As the lyrics say "Don't wanna be a hero / Just an everyday man / Trying to do the job the very best he can."
Chorus:
Shine your light down on me
Lift me up so I can see
Shine your light when you're gone
Give me the strength
To carry on, carry on
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"Time to Say Goodbye" is an Italian operatic pop song sung by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. It was enormously popular in Europe and has been featured as part of several major sporting events including the 2000 World Series. The song is almost entirely in Italian, except for the title line. Below is the English translation of the chorus.
Chorus:
Time to say goodbye.
Places that I've never seen or experienced with you.
Now I shall, I'll sail with you upon ships across the seas,
seas that exist no more,
It's time to say goodbye.
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Paul McCartney wrote this song (although it is credited as McCartney/Lennon). According to The Guinness Book of World Records, it is the most covered pop song of all times. Over 3,000 versions have been recorded. Still, nothing beats McCartney's version of it. It was the first song that was recorded by a Beatle without the others--McCartney was accompanied solely by a string orchestra. The Beatles performed this on their third live Ed Sullivan Show appearance and on their last tour. While the song is basically generic, it does make references to a female who has left.
Significant Verse:
Yesterday,
All my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though they're here to stay,
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
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