Guest Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 so it'll probably "Abide with me" and "The Lord's my Shepherd" Phil The classic 'C + A' as we call it! (Crimond and Abide with me). Some people want these at their wedding! that's what we call it too! Universal crem/FD/organist/vicar code!! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Oooh, this thread has really got me thinking ....I'm not sure what I would like playing at my funeral....mmm.... perhaps Do Your Thing by Basement Jaxx.... .....or maybe Sing Sing Sing from the Benny Goodman Story CD I own (Excellent Jazz/swing CD by the way) ...or Strange Ones by Supergrass (the thought of the intro playing at a funeral tickles me!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Ooh, interesting thread! OH's Aunt and Uncle died within a few months of other, they were so in love and Aunty just didn't have the will to go on without Unc. They played Evergreen at her funeral - there wasn't a dry eye in the house. It was the perfect song for them Don't know what i'd have, have to think about that one .... OH wants 'Always look on the bright side of life'. But (morbid though it sounds) if he goes before me, I'd choose the Seekers - 'The carnival is Over'. Mind you, it makes me cry without a funeral Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I LOVE somewhere over the rainbow, (wizard of Oz if my all time fave film) I want to be buried (not cremated) 1) "Wind beneath my wings" (bette midler) playing as people are being seated 2) Would like someone singing "somewhere over the rainbow" at my funeral (as my coffin is being brought in) 3) hymn - The Lords my Shepherd 4) hymn - Abide with me 5) Time to say goodbye (andrea boccelli and sarah brightman) as coffin is being carried out the church Ive got it all planned !! Went to a funeral last week of a friend who died of cancer.....I was ok until we had to sing Abide with me....that song always gets me....I was sobbing ..these lines - "hold with thy cross before my closing eyes" "shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies" beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 We had Eva's somewhere over the rainbow at my dads funeral, but to lighten the mood at the end we had one of dads favourite artists Johnny cash, we played a boy called Sue, always made dad chuckle! Oh no the tears are starting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Just remembered an incident from a few years back. Mum used to own a restaurant and I offered to help out one day when she had a funeral booked. I was on the door, welcoming the guests, when Mum went behind the bar and switched the background music on. As the first guests arrived, they were greeted by the James Bond theme song 'Live and let die'. I'm not sure wqhether they noticed, but they did think it funny that I abandoned them to run and change the tune! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 A much nicer send-off anyway than the 'Blue is the colour, football is the game' track that was played as the coffin went out of church once. It wasn't our church, just a funeral I was playing for somewhere else and the departed man was in his 80s. Excellent choice.....a true Blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 A much nicer send-off anyway than the 'Blue is the colour, football is the game' track that was played as the coffin went out of church once. It wasn't our church, just a funeral I was playing for somewhere else and the departed man was in his 80s. Excellent choice.....a true Blue. it was nowt to do with Chelsea.. he died of hypothermia.... Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 A much nicer send-off anyway than the 'Blue is the colour, football is the game' track that was played as the coffin went out of church once. It wasn't our church, just a funeral I was playing for somewhere else and the departed man was in his 80s. Excellent choice.....a true Blue. it was nowt to do with Chelsea.. he died of hypothermia.... Phil Oh PHIL !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 [am i supposed to laugh at this sort of joke? ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 [am i supposed to laugh at this sort of joke? ] sorry - graveyard humour is an occupational hazard amongst vicars, crem staff and Funeral Directors... (we can't help it!) Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I'm going to be buried in our paddocks OH will hire a JCB and dig a big hole..... Music: My very dear and talented friend Nick Harper is going to play Riverside for me (if I go first). Check it out here: http://www.harperspace.com/nick-harper-downloads.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 In this surreal world I went literally from my Father's deathbed, last month, where he gave me a last request for his funeral, straight to cheering Esther on in her first professional theatre part, a pantomime. Oh yes I did! The show must go on! Phil, we must have very similar CD (record )collection. What an interesting topic, imagining how it must be conducting funerals, and then reading other people's ideas. Hope you don't mind if I add mine. In my morbid teens I thought of having "Funeral for a friend", Elton John...a really haunting start & then upbeat. Now I would choose a hymn, but I'm not too bothered on detail, except I must get around to arranging that I'd like a green burial, have been meaning to do this for ages. A few of you know already, my Father gave instructions for his funeral entirely to suit my Mother who finds formal occasions difficult...It was arranged that he would be buried in his Father's double grave (Grandma had died in Spain so the space wasn't taken ) but the service was to be at the graveside, nothing in the Church, as short as possible, no deliberate black, or hats or anything "because it's expected". No extra people, just us 5 children with Mother, and our partners and children. The request was for Charlot (19) to sing "He Who Would Valiant Be" (To Be A Pilgrim). (Ginette was a star & hastily emailed me the music & words ) Father had told Mother how important the words were to him when they started courting age 15 & 16, and that he would live his life by them (which he did). He was called up in WW2 soon after (communications) & told Army friends he was thinking of becoming a vicar or returning to printing for which he had trained. He did the latter & married the week of his return in July 1946. Anyway, the point was, that when Charlot started singing, everyone except me (I'd listened to her practice so was prepared) started blubbing. Mother felt she shouldn't have, but it was the best thing, and now that hymn is what has made the short service so personal and appropriate. Amazingly it rained all morning & then the sun shone on us for the service, not bad for January, just 2 weeks ago. Oh, and when Father asked me if perhaps Charlot would sing, because he did so love hearing her sing last summer in my garden, I said it was a shame that he wouldn't hear it. He said, well, I'll be there. So, I said, oh, well yes, you mean in spirit. "Yes, and in body", he chuckled, 4 days before he died. / Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Just remembering back to when a friend's teenage brother died, finally succumbing to the heart defect that accompanied his Down's Syndrome....must be 20 years ago. They chose He Ain't Heavy, He's My brother....by the Hollies. I still get blurred vision when I hear this piece. I'm not being flippant when I say that there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Sheila how moving, and how perfect to be able to give him the kind of send off he'd planned for. Good on Charlot for managing to get through the hymm, it must have been one of the most challenging performances of her life. My SIL died tragically of a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage at the age of 40, very, very unexpected and such a sudden death. Devastating to all who knew her. Her hubby, assisted by my hubby (she was his sister) planned the funeral, she'd never left any instructions, so they planned what they believed she'd like. I think the congregation (is that the right term for a crematorium) were a little stunned when they were treated to Elton John's "Crocodile Rock", but all those of us who knew her well could just picture her dancing around their kitchen cuddling her younger son who was little more than a baby whilst trying to jive with her 5 her old son to the words "little Suzy had so much fun...........". SIL, of course, was called Suzy. A very non-conventional song, but it said everything about the person she was, and brought back memories of laughter and happiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 When my hubby died 11 years ago at the young age of 33 (motorbike accident ) as i myself was only 26 i fortunately hadn't attended many funerals - only great aunts and grandparents who had perfectly traditional funerals - so i was surprised when my vicar suggested i chose some music and that it most certainly did not need to be traditional. I decided the funeral should start with - it's a hard life, by Queen (one of warren's fav groups) it has quite a rock intro and there were a few surprised faces as i hadn't told anyone what i had chosen. We played out with Vivaldi Four Seasons - Spring. Very special as it was the first track playing in the car when warren collected me from victoria station for our first date. Sort of bought things round in a full circle i felt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Even this threads got me crying. when my daughter was born and we were told we were likely to lose her I actually dreamed her funeral. Very surreal and luckily never came true. It was teardrop being mentioned that made me think of it as that was one of the songs in it. The other was dont rain on my parade. To be honest I'll never know why I chose those as it was a dream. I want moving on up by the primals at my funeral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 A couple of years ago I popped up to the local Crem to pop some flowers on my sister in laws grave & there was a Jamaican funeral going on. It was fantastic! The ladies were all in their church finery - we are takling electric blue & hot pink here! Huge hats,massive feathers in them ...they looked great They had a jazz band up there playing "When the Saints come marching in", & it was all jiggling hips & tapping toes (from them,not me ) Thats the way to do it - they looked like they really knew how to send someone off in style. And they were having fun - laughing,joking & smiling away Of course,they may have hated the person & were celebrating..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickpea Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 When my aunt died from breast cancer 13 years ago, they played 'All My Trials' by Joan Biaz, I was only 11 at the time, but it always struck me as being especially poignant, as she really did have a hard time of it at the end, she was only 42. It makes me blub everytime I hear it now. My brother has always expressed a wish to go out viking style, and have his body on a pyre and floated out to sea! Personally I want a green funeral, and would probably go down the Monty Python route as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJo Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 This is a bit morbid .... still, please note that I would like "Who wants to live forever" Queen, and used in the film Highlander. And after ... "Fallen" by Saragh Mcglauchlin, as performed in the film City of Angels, with Meg Ryan and Nick Cage. . Thanks for the prior arrangenetbs Rev Nev . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 This is a bit morbid .... still, Thanks for the prior arrangenetbs Rev Nev . I'll do you all a big block booking if you like - special rates!! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 My brother has always expressed a wish to go out viking style, and have his body on a pyre and floated out to sea! I did a sea-burial once - when I was up in Hartlepool - we didn't set fire to the coffin, though!! it was more of a scattering petals over the waves job!! I recently did a "green" burial in Windsor great royal park a couple of years ago - a young lad, 19 (son of some of my church members) who got run over whilst out organising a squash tournament in Prague... very moving.. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Well, this thread has cheered me up no end. Only joking. It has been really interesting to hear all the different ideas and moving stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Well, I'm sitting here crying (probably the wine!). My friend died a few years ago (38, wee ones 8, 6, 4, 2. I delivered 3 of them ) and they had Eva Cassidy - Somewhere Over The Rainbow. She used to sing it at other peoples funerals, and all I could hear was her voice. My ex-partner died shortly after this (38, wee Anna's dad) and we had Ride On - Christy Moore. 3 months later my dad died and we had Wind Beneath My Wings (he flew gliders). A bit sad writing this, but very special memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 This is a very thought provoking thread isn't it! I have always said to all my friends that I have one song in mind to be played when I am cremated. Burn Baby Burn by Disco Inferno. I love a party and this always has me bopping away. After that I want my ashes scattered in several places around the UK that are special to me. Like the Mon & Brec canal, Ben Nevis, and many others - mostly places where I have been really happy and some where I have also been sad. A xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
