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40 most beautiful funeral songs
Choosing music for a funeral is one of the kindest things you can do for the people in the room. The right song lets everyone feel the same thing at the same time. Here are forty of the most-loved funeral songs in the UK, organised by what they're good for, with a short note on each so you can pick quickly.
Modern songs that feel like a goodbye
The most-played funeral songs in the UK right now, gentle, singable, and instantly recognisable.
Wind Beneath My Wings, Bette Midler
The most-requested funeral song in the UK. Best for a parent or close friend.
Tears in Heaven, Eric Clapton
Written after the loss of his son, quiet, devastating, hopeful.
Time to Say Goodbye, Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli
The classical-crossover choice. Works beautifully at the end of a service.
Supermarket Flowers, Ed Sheeran
Written for his grandmother. Modern, gentle, and very British.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
Soft ukulele version, light, hopeful, never heavy.
See You Again, Charlie Puth & Wiz Khalifa
The youngest generation's funeral song. Best for a friend or sibling.
Fix You, Coldplay
Builds slowly, works well during a slideshow or tribute video.
Angels, Robbie Williams
A staple of UK funerals for over twenty years.
You Raise Me Up, Westlife / Josh Groban
Easy to sing along to, good for a congregation.
Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley / Leonard Cohen
Often debated, but widely accepted as a funeral song when sung gently.
Hymns and traditional funeral songs
If you'd like a more traditional service, these are the funeral hymns chosen most often in UK churches and crematoria.
Abide With Me, Traditional
The classic English funeral hymn. Almost everyone over fifty knows the tune.
The Lord's My Shepherd (Crimond), Traditional
Psalm 23, gentle and familiar.
Amazing Grace, Traditional
Works as a hymn, a bagpipe piece, or a solo voice.
How Great Thou Art, Traditional
Strong, hopeful, easy to sing.
Morning Has Broken, Cat Stevens / Traditional
Lighter than most hymns, good for a celebration of life.
Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, Traditional
The prayer of St Francis, set to music.
I Vow to Thee, My Country, Holst
Often chosen for veterans and ex-service personnel.
Be Still, My Soul, Traditional (Sibelius)
Quiet, reflective. Good as a reflection piece.
Jerusalem, Parry
For a service that should feel proud and English.
Nearer, My God, to Thee, Traditional
Old, simple, deeply comforting.
Funeral songs for mum
The most-searched memorial songs for a mother. Pick one she loved, or one that describes how she made you feel.
Mama, Spice Girls
A surprising favourite, works well at a celebration of life.
In My Life, The Beatles
Simple, honest, and short enough to fit any service.
Songbird, Eva Cassidy / Fleetwood Mac
If your mum sang around the house, this is the one.
Three Little Birds, Bob Marley
For a mum who told you everything was going to be alright.
Mother of Mine, Neil Reid
Older generation classic, quietly devastating.
You'll Never Walk Alone, Gerry & the Pacemakers
For a Liverpool mum, or any mum who held the family together.
What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
The most-requested 'celebration of life' song in the UK.
Bring Him Home, Les Misérables
If she loved theatre, this never fails.
Funeral songs for dad
Songs that capture the men we lose, strong, quiet, often without saying very much.
My Way, Frank Sinatra
The most-played funeral song for fathers in the UK.
Dance with My Father, Luther Vandross
Painfully on the nose, in the best way.
The Living Years, Mike + The Mechanics
About a son who didn't say enough while he could. Brings the room together.
Bring Him Home, Les Misérables
Works for a dad lost too young.
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, The Hollies
For a father who carried everyone.
Let It Be, The Beatles
Always works. Always.
When none of these feel right
A song written just for them, Harmonic Farewell
Sometimes a famous song almost fits, the chorus is wrong, or the voice doesn't sound like them, or it was someone else's song first. A bespoke memorial song uses their name, their story, their little phrases. It only ever belongs to your family.
When a famous song isn't quite them
Almost every family we work with started by looking at a list like this one. Most of them found something that worked. Some didn't, because the person they lost was too personal for a song, someone else had written, for someone different. If that's you, we write original memorial songs from your own words: their name, the little things they used to say, the way they made everyone feel.