Funeral Songs

The Most-Requested Songs for a Memorial Service

If you need a short list today, start here. These are the songs funeral directors and church musicians are asked for again and again, with the moment each one suits best.

1. Amazing Grace (hymn; Judy Collins, Aretha Franklin, or bagpipes): entrance or a hymn everyone sings
2. How Great Thou Art (hymn; Carrie Underwood, Elvis Presley, George Beverly Shea): reflection or congregational hymn
3. Time to Say Goodbye (Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman): entrance or closing
4. My Way (Frank Sinatra): exit, for someone who lived on their own terms
5. Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole): slideshow or closing
6. Go Rest High on That Mountain (Vince Gill): reflection or graveside
7. I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe): reflection at a Christian service
8. Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton): reflection or slideshow
9. Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler): tribute to a mother, wife or mentor
10. Supermarket Flowers (Ed Sheeran): slideshow for a mother
11. The Dance (Garth Brooks): slideshow or reflection
12. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, k.d. lang): reflection; check the verses first, it is not a hymn
13. What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong): exit at a celebration of life
14. Unforgettable (Nat King Cole): entrance or slideshow
15. I'll Fly Away (Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch, or sung together): exit at a hopeful Christian service

Most services use three to five pieces of music in total, so pick one or two from this list and fill the rest from the sections below.

Funeral Hymns

Hymns work best when the room can sing them, so choose ones the family and congregation already know. Print the words in the program for a congregational hymn; people who rarely go to church will still join in.

Amazing Grace

The hymn families name first more than any other. John Newton, a former slave-ship captain who became an Anglican priest, wrote the words, published in Olney Hymns in 1779; the tune most people know, "New Britain," was paired with them in 1835. It suits nearly every Christian service and is often played on bagpipes at the graveside for police officers, firefighters and veterans. Well-loved recordings include Judy Collins (1970), Aretha Franklin (1972) and the Chris Tomlin version, "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)."

Traditional Protestant Hymns

• How Great Thou Art: a hymn of praise, good for the middle of the service
• It Is Well with My Soul (Horatio Spafford, 1873): written after Spafford lost his four daughters at sea; deeply comforting
• Abide with Me (Henry Francis Lyte, 1847): an evening hymn about God's presence at the end of life
• The Old Rugged Cross (George Bennard, 1912): a favorite in Methodist and Baptist churches
• In the Garden (C. Austin Miles, 1912): gentle, often chosen for grandmothers
• Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Thomas Chisholm and William Runyan, 1923)
• Be Still, My Soul: sung to Sibelius's Finlandia
• Nearer, My God, to Thee (Sarah Flower Adams, 1841)
• Shall We Gather at the River (Robert Lowry, 1864): a good closing hymn
• Blessed Assurance (Fanny Crosby, 1873)
• The Lord's My Shepherd: Psalm 23 sung to the tune "Crimond," common at Scottish and Presbyterian funerals

Catholic Funeral Hymns

A Catholic funeral Mass has set places for music: the entrance, the responsorial psalm, the preparation of the gifts, Communion, and the song of farewell. Your parish music director will know what is allowed; secular songs are usually kept for the vigil or the reception.

• On Eagle's Wings (Michael Joncas, 1979): the most-requested Catholic funeral hymn
• Be Not Afraid (Bob Dufford)
• Here I Am, Lord (Dan Schutte)
• I Am the Bread of Life (Suzanne Toolan): often sung at Communion
• Ave Maria (Franz Schubert): a soloist piece, often during Communion or at the end
• Song of Farewell: sung at the final commendation, usually chosen by the parish

Gospel and Contemporary Christian Songs

These carry a strong sense of hope and homecoming. Gospel songs suit a soloist or choir; contemporary worship songs suit churches that already sing them on Sundays.

• Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Thomas A. Dorsey; Mahalia Jackson's recording is the classic)
• His Eye Is on the Sparrow (Ethel Waters, Mahalia Jackson, Lauryn Hill and Tanya Blount)
• I'll Fly Away (Albert E. Brumley, 1929): upbeat, good for a recessional
• Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (spiritual)
• Soon and Very Soon (Andraé Crouch)
• I Won't Complain (Rev. Paul Jones)
• Goodness of God (Bethel Music, Jenn Johnson)
• 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) (Matt Redman)
• In Christ Alone (Keith Getty and Stuart Townend)
• I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe)

Country Funeral Songs

Country music has more songs about loss and faith than any other genre, which is why it shows up at so many funerals, especially in the South and Midwest.

• Go Rest High on That Mountain (Vince Gill)
• The Dance (Garth Brooks)
• If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away (Justin Moore)
• Who You'd Be Today (Kenny Chesney)
• Believe (Brooks & Dunn)
• Holes in the Floor of Heaven (Steve Wariner)
• How Can I Help You Say Goodbye (Patty Loveless)
• Live Like You Were Dying (Tim McGraw)
• I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton)
• Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground (Willie Nelson)
• Drink a Beer (Luke Bryan): for a friend, often at a casual celebration of life
• I Hope You Dance (Lee Ann Womack)

Classic and Pop Songs for a Funeral

Non-religious services, and many religious ones, use a familiar song the person loved. The best choice is usually the song people already link with them, even if it is not a "funeral song."

• Time to Say Goodbye (Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman)
• My Way (Frank Sinatra)
• Unforgettable (Nat King Cole)
• Smile (Nat King Cole)
• I'll Be Seeing You (Billie Holiday)
• What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
• Over the Rainbow (Eva Cassidy) or the Israel Kamakawiwoʻole medley
• Fields of Gold (Eva Cassidy or Sting)
• Bridge over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)
• Let It Be (The Beatles)
• In My Life (The Beatles)
• Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton)
• Angel (Sarah McLachlan)
• You Raise Me Up (Josh Groban)
• Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)
• See You Again (Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth)
• Supermarket Flowers (Ed Sheeran)
• Somewhere Only We Know (Keane)
• Forever Young (Rod Stewart, or Bob Dylan's original)

Songs for a Mom, Dad or Grandparent

A song about the relationship often lands harder than a general one. These are good for the slideshow or a moment of reflection after the eulogy.

Songs for a Mother

• Supermarket Flowers (Ed Sheeran): written after his grandmother died, sung from his mother's point of view
• Mama Liked the Roses (Elvis Presley)
• A Song for Mama (Boyz II Men)
• How Can I Help You Say Goodbye (Patty Loveless)
• The Best Day (Taylor Swift)
• Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)
• In the Garden (hymn), a mother's favorite in many families

Songs for a Father

• Dance with My Father (Luther Vandross)
• The Living Years (Mike + The Mechanics)
• My Old Man (Zac Brown Band)
• Daddy's Hands (Holly Dunn)
• Butterfly Kisses (Bob Carlisle), often chosen by daughters
• Go Rest High on That Mountain (Vince Gill)
• My Way (Frank Sinatra)

Songs for a Grandparent

• Slipped Away (Avril Lavigne), written for her grandfather
• Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days) (The Judds)
• Grandma's Hands (Bill Withers)
• In Color (Jamey Johnson)
• Unforgettable (Nat King Cole), for grandparents who loved the standards

If you are also choosing readings, our funeral poems for mom and funeral poems for dad pair well with these songs.

Instrumental and Classical Funeral Music

Instrumental music is ideal for the prelude while guests arrive, for the slideshow when you want the photos to speak, and for any moment when lyrics would compete with the room.

• Nimrod from the Enigma Variations (Edward Elgar, 1899)
• Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber, 1936)
• Canon in D (Johann Pachelbel)
• Air on the G String (Johann Sebastian Bach, from Orchestral Suite No. 3)
• Clair de lune (Claude Debussy)
• Gymnopédie No. 1 (Erik Satie)
• The Lark Ascending (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
• Largo from the New World Symphony (Antonín Dvořák), sometimes sung as "Goin' Home"
• Ashokan Farewell (Jay Ungar), the violin theme from Ken Burns's The Civil War
• Danny Boy ("Londonderry Air"), on fiddle, pipes or piano at Irish funerals
• Amazing Grace on bagpipes
• Taps, played by a bugler at military honors

If you will share the service video online, an instrumental track that is cleared for memorial use avoids muted audio; our royalty-free funeral slideshow music can be played and downloaded free.

Upbeat Songs for a Celebration of Life

A celebration of life can end on a lighter note. These work well as the exit song or during the reception.

• Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)
• Three Little Birds (Bob Marley)
• What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
• I Hope You Dance (Lee Ann Womack)
• You've Got a Friend (Carole King or James Taylor)
• Stand by Me (Ben E. King)
• Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python), for someone with a sense of humor
• Free Bird (Lynyrd Skynyrd), a favorite exit for a rock fan
• I'll Fly Away, for a joyful Christian send-off

Play an upbeat song only once the family is ready for it. It reads as a tribute at the end of the service; at the start it can feel jarring.

Where Each Song Goes in the Service

Most funerals and memorial services follow the same shape, and each spot calls for a different kind of music. Use this as a plan, then write the songs into your order of service.

1. Prelude (10–20 minutes before the start): quiet instrumental music or soft hymns while guests arrive and sign the guest book. A playlist of five or six instrumental pieces is plenty.
2. Entrance or processional: one song as the family and casket or urn come in. Slow and dignified: Amazing Grace, Time to Say Goodbye, Nimrod.
3. Congregational hymn: one hymn everyone sings after the welcome or the first reading.
4. Reflection: a solo or recording after the eulogy or the readings. This is the place for the song most tied to the person.
5. Slideshow: one or two songs, about 3–4 minutes each. Plan on roughly 5 seconds per photo, so one song carries 40–50 photos.
6. Committal or graveside: something short, or Taps and bagpipes for military and service honors.
7. Recessional or exit: the family leaves first, and the song sets the mood for the reception. Hopeful or upbeat works well here.

Give the full list, in order, to the funeral director, the church musician and whoever runs the sound, with the version you want (artist and recording) and the exact cue for each one.

Live, Recorded or Sung Together

• Recorded music is the easiest. Bring the songs on a phone or USB stick and test them on the venue's sound system before the day; don't rely on streaming over the venue's Wi-Fi.
• A soloist or musician makes a hymn or Ave Maria feel personal. Churches and funeral homes can usually recommend organists, pianists, singers and bagpipers.
• Congregational singing works only for songs the room knows. Print the words in the program, and keep it to one or two hymns.
• Lyrics matter. Read the full words of any popular song before choosing it. Several well-known "funeral songs" have verses about breakups, sex or bitterness that the chorus hides.
• Livestream and online video. Playing a recording at a private service is common, but a livestream or a video posted on YouTube or Facebook can be muted or blocked for copyrighted songs. If the service is streamed, ask the provider how they handle music, and use licensed or royalty-free tracks in anything you post.

Putting the Music in the Program and the Slideshow

The program is where guests find the song titles and the hymn words. List each piece where it falls in the service, with the title in italics and the performer or composer after it, for example Go Rest High on That Mountain, Vince Gill. Hymns published in 1930 or earlier are in the public domain in the United States, so their words can be printed; for modern worship songs, ask the church, which usually holds a license for printing them. Our funeral program templates have an order-of-service page ready for song titles and hymn words, and the memorial service program guide shows how other families lay it out.

For the slideshow, the memorial video maker lets you pick up to two tracks from its music library or upload a song of your own; if the photos run longer than the music, the music repeats so every photo keeps its timing. The step-by-step funeral slideshow guide covers choosing and ordering photos.

Questions Families Ask

What is the most popular funeral song?

There is no official count in the United States, but Amazing Grace appears on nearly every list and is sung at services of almost every Christian church, indoors and at the graveside. For non-religious services, Time to Say Goodbye, My Way and Somewhere Over the Rainbow are among the most requested.

How many songs do you need for a funeral?

Usually three to five: one for the entrance, one hymn or reflection song, one for the slideshow, and one for the exit, plus a quiet prelude playlist while guests arrive. A short graveside service may need only one or none.

Can you play a non-religious song at a church funeral?

It depends on the church. Many Protestant churches allow it; Catholic parishes usually keep secular songs for the vigil, the slideshow or the reception rather than the funeral Mass. Ask the pastor or music director before you promise a song to the family.

What is a good song to end a funeral?

A hopeful one: I'll Fly Away, What a Wonderful World, Shall We Gather at the River or Time to Say Goodbye. The exit song is what people walk out with, so it can be lighter than the rest of the service.

Who chooses the funeral music?

The person's own wishes come first, if they wrote any down. Otherwise the closest family decides, usually with the officiant and the funeral director, who know what the venue allows and who can play it.