Funeral songs, a list by genre

Choosing music for a funeral or memorial is one of the kindest things you can do for the people who will be in the room. The right song gives the body somewhere to put the grief that words have not yet reached. This page lists sixty songs that families and clergy use most often, grouped by genre. Pick three or four. That is all you need.

Traditional hymns and sacred music

These are the songs most older funeral-goers expect. They carry the weight of generations and are familiar enough that the congregation can join in without a printed lyric sheet.

• Amazing Grace
• How Great Thou Art
• Be Thou My Vision
• It Is Well With My Soul
• Abide With Me
• The Old Rugged Cross
• On Eagle's Wings (Michael Joncas)
• Here I Am, Lord (Dan Schutte)
• Be Not Afraid (Bob Dufford)
• Ave Maria (Schubert or Bach/Gounod)
• Panis Angelicus
• Pie Jesu (Faure or Lloyd Webber)

Contemporary worship

Common in evangelical and non-denominational services.

• I Can Only Imagine, MercyMe
• Blessed Be Your Name, Matt Redman
• 10,000 Reasons, Matt Redman
• In Christ Alone, Stuart Townend
• Goodness of God, Bethel Music
• How He Loves, David Crowder
• Held, Natalie Grant
• Just Be Held, Casting Crowns

Country

Popular in services across the South, Midwest, and rural West.

• Go Rest High on That Mountain, Vince Gill
• I'll Fly Away (Alison Krauss)
• Angels Among Us, Alabama
• The Dance, Garth Brooks
• If Tomorrow Never Comes, Garth Brooks
• If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away, Justin Moore
• Three Wooden Crosses, Randy Travis
• I Drive Your Truck, Lee Brice
• You Should Be Here, Cole Swindell

Classical and instrumental

Often used for the prelude as guests are seated.

• Air on the G String, J.S. Bach
• Nimrod from Enigma Variations, Elgar
• Canon in D, Pachelbel
• Adagio for Strings, Samuel Barber
• The Lark Ascending, Vaughan Williams
• Spiegel im Spiegel, Arvo Part
• Clair de Lune, Debussy

Modern pop and singer-songwriter

Most-requested at celebrations of life and at services for younger people.

• Tears in Heaven, Eric Clapton
• Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
• Fire and Rain, James Taylor
• Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen (Jeff Buckley or k.d. lang version)
• Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel
• Let It Be, The Beatles
• In My Life, The Beatles
• Time to Say Goodbye, Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
• What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
• See You Again, Carrie Underwood
• Supermarket Flowers, Ed Sheeran

Songs that work specifically for a parent

For more, see our piece on a eulogy for a mother or a eulogy for a father.

• Dance With My Father, Luther Vandross
• The Living Years, Mike and the Mechanics
• My Father's Eyes, Eric Clapton
• Mama Tried, Merle Haggard
• I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack
• A Song for Mama, Boyz II Men
• Wind Beneath My Wings, Bette Midler

How to choose

Three filters in order. First, would the person who died want it played. Second, would the room feel held by it. Third, can your venue actually play it. If a song passes all three, it is on the list.

For more on building the rest of the program, see what to put on a memorial program and our customs guide for the music rules of each tradition.

For local context, see places like our Nashville funeral planning page or browse the directory.

Common questions

How many songs are usually played?

Three to five. A prelude, one or two during, and a recessional.

Can we play a song that is not religious at a church funeral?

Most Catholic parishes ask that music inside the Mass be sacred. Protestant churches are typically more flexible.

Live music or recorded?

Either is fine. If you have a friend who sings or plays, that is the choice families remember.

What if their favorite song feels too upbeat?

Play it. If it sounds like them, it belongs.