Songs For A Memorial Service: 40 Meaningful Choices Families Return To

The best song for a memorial service is one that sounds like the person you're honoring. The most chosen across thousands of services are "My Way" (Frank Sinatra), "Time to Say Goodbye" (Bocelli & Brightman), "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole), "Wind Beneath My Wings," and "Amazing Grace" — but the right list starts with their music, not a chart.

Below are forty songs families return to again and again, grouped by the moment and the person, followed by a short guide to choosing and sequencing them.

The Most Chosen Memorial Songs

These carry a service on their own — familiar enough that no one is confused, beautiful enough that no one forgets:

• "My Way" — Frank Sinatra
• "Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò)" — Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman
• "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" — Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
• "Wind Beneath My Wings" — Bette Midler
• "What a Wonderful World" — Louis Armstrong
• "Tears in Heaven" — Eric Clapton
• "See You Again" — Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth
• "Unforgettable" — Nat King Cole
• "Hallelujah" — Leonard Cohen (Jeff Buckley's version is most used)
• "Smile" — Nat King Cole

For A Parent

• "Dance With My Father" — Luther Vandross
• "Supermarket Flowers" — Ed Sheeran (written for his grandmother, chosen constantly for mothers)
• "The Living Years" — Mike + The Mechanics
• "In My Life" — The Beatles
• "You Raise Me Up" — Josh Groban
• "Song for Dad" — Keith Urban

For A Grandparent

• "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)" — The Judds
• "In the Garden" — traditional hymn
• "It Is Well with My Soul" — traditional hymn
• "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" — the Kamakawiwoʻole version again; it fits a life fully lived

Country

• "Go Rest High on That Mountain" — Vince Gill (written for his brother; the country memorial standard)
• "You Should Be Here" — Cole Swindell
• "Drink a Beer" — Luke Bryan
• "One More Day" — Diamond Rio
• "If Heaven" — Andy Griggs
• "When I Get Where I'm Going" — Brad Paisley & Dolly Parton

Hymns And Gospel

• "Amazing Grace" — sung, bagpipes, or solo violin
• "How Great Thou Art"
• "I'll Fly Away" — upbeat; a celebration-of-life favorite
• "Ave Maria" — Schubert
• "Precious Lord, Take My Hand"

Modern And Unexpected

• "Fire and Rain" — James Taylor
• "Let It Be" — The Beatles
• "Here Comes the Sun" — The Beatles (for services framed as gratitude)
• "Candle in the Wind" — Elton John
• "Spirit in the Sky" — Norman Greenbaum (celebration-of-life energy)
• "Landslide" — Fleetwood Mac

Instrumental — For Slideshows And Quiet Moments

• "Canon in D" — Pachelbel
• "Clair de Lune" — Debussy
• "Somewhere in Time" — John Barry
• Instrumental piano versions of any hymn above — they carry the melody without asking anyone to hold it together while singing

How To Choose: Three Questions That Settle It

Would they have chosen it? The strongest memorial songs are the ones the person actually played — in the car, in the kitchen, badly on the guitar. A technically "perfect" funeral song they never cared for will land flat next to the song everyone heard them hum.

Can the room survive it? Some songs are for the service; some are for later, alone in the car. "Dance With My Father" at full volume can undo a room in eight bars. That's not a reason to avoid it — it's a reason to place it deliberately, usually behind a photo slideshow where tears have somewhere to go.

Where does each song sit? Three to five songs is the working standard: one as guests gather (instrumental works well), one or two inside the service — typically behind a slideshow, reflection, or committal — and one as people leave. The exit song sets the feeling everyone carries out the door; many families deliberately choose something warm or even joyful there.

One practical note: if the service is in a house of worship, check the song list with the officiant first. Some congregations have guidelines about secular music inside the sanctuary, and it's an easier conversation before the program is printed.

When No Song Feels Like Enough

Sometimes you go through every list and nothing fits — because the person was too specific for a song written about someone else. Some families now have a tribute song written about their person: their name, the way they laughed, the phrase they always said, set to music in the style they loved. That's part of what we build at AI Ahas — personalized songs and keepsakes made from a family's own memories. If a written-for-them song feels right, it can sit alongside the classics above, usually as the slideshow piece.

However you choose, the measure isn't the chart position. It's whether, when the first notes play, the people who loved them close their eyes and see them.

Common Questions

What is the best song for someone who passed away?

The best memorial song is one that sounds like the person you lost — a song they loved, sang along to, or that captures how they made people feel. Among the most chosen are 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole), 'My Way' (Frank Sinatra), and 'See You Again' (Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth).

What is the most played funeral song?

'My Way' by Frank Sinatra is consistently ranked the most played funeral song in English-speaking countries, followed closely by 'Time to Say Goodbye' (Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman) and 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole).

What are the top 5 funeral songs?

The five most requested funeral songs are 'My Way' (Frank Sinatra), 'Time to Say Goodbye' (Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman), 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole), 'Wind Beneath My Wings' (Bette Midler), and 'Amazing Grace' — sung or instrumental.

How many songs should be played at a memorial service?

Plan for three to five songs: one as guests arrive, one or two during the service (often behind a slideshow or reflection), and one as guests leave. More than five can stretch the service; fewer than three can feel abrupt.

What is a good song for a celebration of life?

Celebration-of-life services suit uplifting songs: 'What a Wonderful World' (Louis Armstrong), 'Here Comes the Sun' (The Beatles), 'I'll Fly Away', 'Spirit in the Sky' (Norman Greenbaum), or the person's own favorite feel-good song — the one everyone remembers them playing.