Frank Sinatra s My Way is the most popular song played at funeral services, but other more arresting death-bed choices were revealed in a poll published in Britain.
Australian rockers AC/DC s Highway to Hell has stormed into the funereal charts along with Queen s Another One Bites The Dust, while Leonard Cohen s Hallelujah has a new lease of life after its recent success on a talent show.
More traditionally, hymns including The Lord Is My Shepherd and All Things Bright and Beautiful are among music chosen by people to accompany their final journey.
For classical music fans, Schubert s Ave Maria, Puccini s Nessun Dorma and Bach s Air On A G String are among the most chosen pieces to comfort their loved ones as they pay final farewells.
Television and radio music also features on the burial playlist: theme tunes from popular programs like Top Gear, The Benny Hill Show and even the Radio Four Shipping Forecast music, which many fall asleep to at night.
As more people choose non-religious funerals, so they incline towards contemporary songs with which they closely identify, said Lorinda Sheasby of the funeral company which commissioned the survey.
While hymns and classics may have been traditional favorites, pop songs now account for more than half of the music chosen as people s final soundtrack, according to the poll of over 30,000 funerals.
Here are some of the top pieces of music chosen in Britain, according to the poll commissioned by Co-operative Funeralcare.
Top 5 popular songs:1. My Way – Frank Sinatra/Shirley Bassey2. Wind beneath My Wings – Bette Midler/Celine Dion3. Time To Say Goodbye – Sarah Brightman/Andrea Bocelli4. Angels – Robbie Williams5. Over The Rainbow – Eva Cassidy
Top 5 hymns:1. The Lord Is My Shepherd 2. Abide With Me 3. All Things Bright and Beautiful 4. Old Rugged Cross 5. Amazing Grace
Top 10 classical pieces:1. Nimrod from Enigma Variations – Elgar2. Pie Jesu from Requiem – Faure3. Ave Maria – Schubert4. Nessun Dorma – Puccini5. Canon in D Major – Pachelbel
Other chart movers (no rankings):- Hallelujah covered by talent show winner Alexandra Burke- Bat Out Of Hell – Meatloaf- Spirit in the Sky – Doctor and the Medics- Highway to Hell – AC/DC
