Music at a funeral or memorial service does something that words alone can't quite do. It bypasses thought and goes directly to feeling. The right song can make a room full of people who are barely holding it together finally let the tears come. Or it can make them smile through tears when they recognize something that was exactly right for the person being honored.

Choosing music for a service is one of the most personal decisions in the planning process. These 100 songs are organized by genre and mood to help you find what fits. The best choice is always the song that meant something to the person who died, not the song that's most traditionally played at funerals.

Classic and Traditional Songs

These have been played at services for decades because they're genuinely beautiful and carry weight:

  • "Ave Maria" (Schubert or Gounod)
  • "Amazing Grace" (traditional hymn)
  • "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen, covered by many)
  • "How Great Thou Art" (traditional hymn)
  • "Danny Boy" (traditional Irish folk song)
  • "Abide With Me" (hymn)
  • "The Lord's Prayer" (Malotte)
  • "Be Thou My Vision" (hymn)
  • "In the Garden" (hymn)
  • "It Is Well With My Soul" (hymn)

Pop and Rock Songs

Reflective and Gentle

  • "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton
  • "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel
  • "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel
  • "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper
  • "Yesterday" by The Beatles
  • "Blackbird" by The Beatles
  • "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles
  • "In My Life" by The Beatles
  • "Angels" by Robbie Williams
  • "My Way" by Frank Sinatra
  • "Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
  • "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole
  • "At Last" by Etta James

Uplifting and Celebratory

  • "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen
  • "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen (for the right person)
  • "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen
  • "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison
  • "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver
  • "Imagine" by John Lennon
  • "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day
  • "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley
  • "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley
  • "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan

Country Songs

  • "Go Rest High on That Mountain" by Vince Gill
  • "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley
  • "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw
  • "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe
  • "Angels Among Us" by Alabama
  • "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones
  • "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton
  • "If Heaven" by Andy Griggs
  • "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" by Steve Wariner
  • "The Dance" by Garth Brooks
  • "Go Rest High on That Mountain" by Vince Gill
  • "Believe" by Brooks and Dunn
  • "Wings of a Dove" by Dolly Parton

R&B and Soul

  • "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans
  • "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler
  • "Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston
  • "One Moment in Time" by Whitney Houston
  • "Rise Up" by Andra Day
  • "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke
  • "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King
  • "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers
  • "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers
  • "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye

Classical and Instrumental

  • "Clair de Lune" by Debussy
  • "Pachelbel's Canon in D"
  • "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber
  • "Air on the G String" by Bach
  • "Gymnopédie No. 1" by Erik Satie
  • "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven (1st movement)
  • "Largo" from Handel's Xerxes
  • "Nimrod" from Elgar's Enigma Variations
  • "Gabriel's Oboe" by Ennio Morricone
  • "Pie Jesu" by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Folk and Acoustic

  • "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman
  • "The River" by Bruce Springsteen
  • "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison
  • "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart
  • "Turn Turn Turn" by The Byrds
  • "Garden Song" by Dave Mallett (covered by many)
  • "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell
  • "Seasons of Love" from RENT
  • "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac
  • "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert

Modern Songs (Post-2010)

  • "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth
  • "Say Something" by A Great Big World
  • "Someone Like You" by Adele
  • "When We Were Young" by Adele
  • "Fix You" by Coldplay
  • "The Scientist" by Coldplay
  • "Supermarket Flowers" by Ed Sheeran
  • "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran
  • "Tears Dry on Their Own" by Amy Winehouse
  • "I Was Here" by Beyoncé
  • "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera

Songs for Specific Relationships

For a Parent

  • "A Song for My Son" by Mikki Viereck
  • "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens
  • "The Living Years" by Mike + The Mechanics

For a Child

  • "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle
  • "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan
  • "Forever Young" by Alphaville

For a Spouse or Partner

  • "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley
  • "Through the Years" by Kenny Rogers
  • "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra

Planning the Music for the Service

Most services use two to four songs: something at the start to set a tone, something during the eulogy or tribute portion, and something at the end as people leave. The final song is particularly important. If you want people to leave feeling lifted rather than bereft, end with something hopeful or uplifting. If the service has been more contemplative, end with something quiet and gentle.

When you're creating the program for the service, you can list the songs and their composers so guests know what they're hearing. Our funeral program generator makes it easy to include music credits alongside the order of service.

And if you're creating a digital memorial page, you can link directly to a Spotify playlist or include specific songs that capture who the person was. Music in the memorial page context can loop softly in the background as people browse photos and read tributes, creating an ambient atmosphere that feels genuinely personal.

The right song won't make grief easier. But it will make the service feel more like the person who died. And that matters more than most things.