Funeral music and words

Many people now express a preference for personal favourites or contemporary songs to be played as funeral music.

Often the music chosen by the family – or specified by the person to be played at their funeral – is light-hearted, sometimes even humorous. People are increasingly choosing:

I think initially people didn’t want to step out of the traditional thing, but when you say ‘you can have whatever you want’, they say ‘well he liked this and he liked that, he liked a bit of rock and roll’.

• Songs they associate with the person (including pop songs or other classic favourites such as ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra).
• Music which reflects the person’s hobbies.
• Live music; such as bagpipes, Spanish guitars and jazz bands.

Find out more about music choices in our funeral music survey.

Funeral speeches

Eulogies at funerals are very popular. In the past eulogies were delivered by the religious officiant in the church or chapel. However, our funeral trends research shows that one third of funerals now involve some form of personal input from the people present.

Family, friends and work colleagues often speak about the person’s life, read poems they may have written, or read out a letter written by the deceased themselves.

Our eulogy guide can give you advice on how to write a eulogy and what to include.

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