8. “The Porpoise Song” – The Monkees
I've been telling people for years that I want "The Porpoise Song" played at my funeral. I want it played loud! On a good sound system. I figure if I tell enough people, they'll have to actually do it. "The Porpoise Song" is a perfect slice of psych pop written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King for the Monkees. I hear that Cameron Crowe put it in one of his movies. That guy needs to stop raiding my record collection. I don't want people thinking about Tom Cruise at my
funeral! "Wanting to feel / To know what is real / Living is a lie / The porpoise is waiting / Goodbye, goodbye / Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye."
Selected by Jake of Glorious Noise
9. “In the Garden” - Van Morrison
Although not a religious person, this song always seem to make me feel spiritual. There are particular Christian references - but when Van says "No Guru, No Method, No Teacher" it says to me that meaning and
spirituality are within - not in any particular religion and any particular voice.
What makes this really work is the sense of community between all the members of the band and the audience. This sense of community grows from a
single 'Yeah' yelled from the audience at the softest part of the song, Brian Kennedy turning into Sam Cooke, and the rousing finale with everyone singing in unison. It's a rousing and spiritually lifting finale and at my funeral I know people will mourn, but in the end I want them to feel good.
Finally at the very end, a member of the band yells "Did you get healed tonight, did you get healed?" The audience screams "Yeah".
Selected by Mark Munroe of Musicrocker
10. “An Ending (Ascent)” - Brian Eno
This track, which turns up in the occasional movie or PBS documentary, has had a somewhat mystical relationship to me on a personal level. I bought this album by mistake, confusing it with Eno's soundtrack to "For All Mankind", but when this piece came on I very suddenly and inexplicably was almost reduced to tears. An amorphous instrumental featuring a ghostly and intensely beautiful electronic solo instument, that shifts in shape and tone while seemingly hovering in the air, it immediately flooded my consciousness with memories, future glimpses, and a torrent of emotion out of the blue. It immediately suggested death to me, but death as a transition and something that was as beautiful and natural as life, although something that was also profoundly sad. This first listening was accompanied by an unexpected and unusually vivid and poignant slideshow in my mind of people I had known and loved who had passed away. I also had a premonition of the death of a close friend whom I hadn't seen in years; years later, on the day I received word he had commited suicide, this track appeared out of nowhere on TV as a trailer for a science program. It was one of those moments when you almost believe there is a higher being somewhere, and they've orchestrated the whole thing to teach you some fundamental truth about life. I still find this piece beautiful beyond the ability of words to communicate and almost unbearably sad, for no sound reason other than personal ones. And since funerals are very personal things, and this piece has been embedded into my very psyche as a shorthand for death and transition itself, I'd like this one played.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - MT
"I Don't Wanna Go Down In The Basement" by the Ramones
2 - godoggo
The Looney Toons Song - "Th-th-th-that's all, folks!"
3 - uao
This, in some ways, is my favorite of your lists, Robert. I am impressed with the very thoughtful, considered, and personal replies regarding their picks for this topic.
Jake of Glorious Noise picked "The Porpoise Song". Believe it or not, I had long considered that one as a funeral song too. And the (Goffin/King) lyrics are evocative, although I am more partial to the first verse, especially the simple but subtly weighty first couplet:
My my the clock in the sky is pounding away; there's so much to say
Funny thing is, I'm no special fan of the Monkees (although I am a fan of Head), but this song gets me all choked up, too.
Drake: I'm very sorry to hear about your sister, I had no idea. I do believe music can transcend worlds though; I'm sure she could hear it.
A good topic; instead of glibly anointing best and worst, which is fun, music is also something to help us reflect upon difficult, personal things, and this was a good collection of reflections.
4 - El Bicho
If I only get one, I'll go with "In Heaven There Is No Beer," by Frank Yankovic. A perfect song to celebrate life, which is what I want everyone who comes to do.
5 - J. P. Spencer
"One More Chance" by Sandy Denny (the solo piano version; this song always blows me away) & "I'm Only Sleeping" by The Beatles with a knocking sound superimposed over the bass breaks (just to play with their heads).
6 - Tan The Man
"Rape Me" - Nirvana
7 - Pantagruel
Hey. That Porpoise song is pretty good. Never heard that one before..trippy!
8 - drake
"The Porpoise Song," is a great selection... the way it was used in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky was inspired, especially given how the lyrics and plot line sync up.
The most interesting thing about the movie Head, to me anyway, was Jack Nicholson's participation (conceiving and writing the script)... he also is credited with putting together the soundtrack, editing together all the acid-trip snippets. Michael Nesmith, originally tasked with the job, was apparently tired and wanted to just go home.
9 - Eric Berlin
I love Vanilla Sky, drake, and Crowe has always been an expert at weaving music into film.
I don't know what kind of music I'd like at my funeral. Maybe just throw my iPod on shuffle and let 'er rock over the loudspeakers. Aquabats and Mozart and Mos Def and Cheap Trick... or something!
10 - Annie
tie: Nick Drake's "One of These Things First" and
Iron and Wine's "Each Coming Night"
11 - DJRadiohead
"Every Grain of Sand" by Bob Dylan comes to mind. Hmm... there are probably others but that's a good one.
12 - Baronius
Curiously, last night ABC News listed the 5 most popular funeral songs in England. I only recall four, in no particular order:
My Way
Angels
My Heart Will Go On
Wind Beneath My Wings
The other one may have been by Elvis.
13 - randy
Man, what a tough question. I'm sitting here musing about this... I would lean towards a song by my favorite artists. It would probably be a song by The Beatles or Steely Dan; other choices might include tunes by The Replacements/Paul Westerberg, Buffalo Tom, Hüsker Dü/Bob Mould, U2, Moody Blues, Carly Simon. "My Old School" might be a choice, just for the line, "And I'm never...going back...to my old...schooooooool". When Carly Simon sang about "these are the good old days", I think she was more prescient than she knew; "Anticipation" has always been a favorite song, and that line always resonated with me.
Oddly enough, a tune by Warren Zevon might be appropriate, like "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead."
I'll need to think about this further.
14 - Natalie Davis
Funny, I was considering Warren's version of "Knocking on Heaven's Door."
"Open up, open up!"
15 - Lana
I would want the following songs played:
Landslide-Smashing Pumpkins
Something in the way- Nirvana
Man Who Sold The World- Nirvana
Patience-Guns N Roses
Wild Horses-Rolling Stones
Stairway to Heaven- Led Zeppelin
16 - KYS
Cheesy? Maybe, but:
Life's Been Good
Just cause it has a great riff
17 - Scott Butki
Great list. I'll add more thoughts later tonite.
18 - Nancy
The last 5 minutes of the 1812 overture. With cannon.
19 - Melroseymson
"This Love" by Craig Armstrong would be just right for me. It's a very pensive and romantic song.
I might be a sensitive person but I don't want family and friends to be overwhlemed by oversentimental music. This song expresses me perfectly without being so.
I listen to this song all the time and it's one that those close enough to me would understand.
What beautiful lyrics:
This love
This love is a strange love
In that it can lift a love
This love
This love
I think I'm gonna fall again
And ever when you held the hand
And turn 'em in your fingers, love
This love
Now rehearsed we stay, love
Doesn't know it is love
This love
This love
Doesn't have to feel love
Doesn't care to be love
It doesn't mean a thing
This love
This love loves love
It's a strange love, strange love
This love
This love
This love is a strange love, strange love
I'm gonna fall again love
Doesn't mean a thing
Think I'm gonna fall again
This Love
It's very poetic.
20 - Omack
Temple of the Dog " Say Hello to Heaven" for me
21 - Omack
or " Simple Man"
22 - Emily
One must funeral song for me would be "I'm Walking on Sunshine" because I would prefer everybody at my funeral to celebrate my life rather than grieve for the end of it. I would want them to miss me of course, but I would want them to be glad that I had a happy life.
23 - Sarah
I'm so happy to see that i'm not the only one with this topic on my mind. I added Orange Sky, Knocking on Heaven's Door, Porpoise Song, and In the Garden to my list. Thanks so much for that!!! Some of my others are O'Death by Ralph Stanley, Time to Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman, Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum, and I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe.
24 - Zoe
Everybody Hurts by REM because its so typical of life. Everybody hurts at one point or another but they get through it.
25 - Cindy
Where can I find Mavis Staples In the Garden???