Sometimes I make a playlist of songs to be played at my funeral. Not that some disaster or tragedy is coming my way (that I know of!) but I find it a good exercise for programming music for a special event. What’s more special than a funeral? (Forget weddings – we all know what to play at a wedding.) Besides, I always find it interesting (of sorts) to hear what people have played at their funerals – at their own choosing or their families’.
Recently an addition was made to my playlist (see an earlier version here) that kind of puts me at a crossroads, funeral music-wise. A friend introduced me to the song ‘Harps and Angels’ by Randy Newman. I like it. I like it so much, I think it would be brilliant to play. I like the ‘human’ tone of voice, and the wonder of the text. I especially like the ending. “There really is an afterlife, and I hope to see all of you there. Let’s go get a drink.” That pretty much sums up the whole funeral experience for me (whether you believe in an afterlife or not). The only problem is that it does not fit at all with any of the other songs…
I’d go for Annie Lennox’s Into the West, I think. Makes me sob buckets, although that’s not the reason!
The object is of course to make the OTHERS sob buckets!