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What song do you want played at your funeral?

Hattie's Kitchen

10:01 / 28.12.02

Kind of morbid to bring this up just after Xmas I know, however one of my uncles died on Xmas Eve...our family has been going through the funeral arrangements (cremation) and I had to giggle when I found out that one of the songs my uncle requested to be played at his funeral is "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes".

It also reminded me of a story I read in the paper about a pensioner who requested the theme tune off the quiz show "Countdown" to be played as his coffin entered the crematorium. Fucking ace.

It got me thinking about what I would want played at mine, and I've narrowed the choices down to two faves of mine, "Victoria" by The Fall 'cos it rocks and 'cos it's my name obviously, and the fab "Groove Is In The Heart" by Dee-Lite.

So: what choon do you want to send you into the afterlife?

Anyone who mentions Celine Dion or something equally gusset-licking will be tracked down and scalped.

Hattie's Kitchen

10:04 / 28.12.02

Perhaps this should've been posted in "Music" instead...grief does strange things to you.

Mourne Kransky

10:47 / 28.12.02

I've always rather fancied Breathe by Ministry from The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste for the purpose. I can hear my grieving friends and relatives growling out:

breathe!

this is the world
it's got no future
is this this earth?

breathe! breathe, you fucker!

Might cheer em up and it would at least be a tune I had loved to roar along to on the walkman. Or perhaps Bowie's Ashes to Ashes would be a less challenging choice for the ululating bereaved.

John Taverner's Song for Athene would bring an echo of the Great Diana Grief-Fest and thus would catch the vibe of the utterly camp spectacle I expect Ganesh to arrange.

that

10:54 / 28.12.02

[obligatory whinge] No topic abstract? Oh, the humanity. [/obligatory whinge]

I don't know what I want played at my funeral. Something funny (peculiar and ha-ha), probably. I might go with 'Eyeball in my Martini' by the Cramps - not for any particular funereal reason, just it's sick and twisted and I'm fairly sick and twisted too. But if people want to play something more serious I'd go with the song that I chose to be played at my nan's funeral - 'For those gone on' by Pigeonhed. Or something by Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble.

11:12 / 28.12.02

I can only see my choice of song as being an opportunity for one last prank.

I'd like to have it start with something dreary, Joy Division or the Cure or suchlike, only to have it abruptly break into something highly offensive like Pop That Coochie by 2 Live Crew, or something.

Maybe i'd get them to play Pansy Division, just to get people asking questions.

The Return Of Rothkoid

11:26 / 28.12.02

Couple of things. Shall I go for four?

Why the fuck not? I'm dead. You have to respect my wishes. Take note, please.

1) Everything's Fucked: Dirty Three
2) The Easy Winners: Scott Joplin
3) Authentic Celestial Music: Dirty Three
4) Solace: Scott Joplin.

There you go. Simple.

The Return Of Rothkoid

11:27 / 28.12.02

And XoC: for a while, I toyed with Ministry's "So What", too...

Sax

14:02 / 28.12.02

Definitely The Pogues singing The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn (which I'm afraid I spelled wrong but don't have my Gaelic dictionary to hand) and Orbital's Somewhere Out There as everyone files out of the chapel to stand weeping at my grave.

Tamayyurt

14:37 / 28.12.02

Highway to Hell AC/DC, of course.

Tryphena Absent

16:12 / 28.12.02

Jan Gabarek's a good choice though of all the Norweigan musicians I'd probably go for Mari Boine. At my funeral I want a piece of Liszt played, something terribly romantic to make people sob, propbably Un Sospiro.

Tezcatlipoca

16:56 / 28.12.02

I think I'd have Hell by the TigerLillies playing at my end.

Fist Fun

18:01 / 28.12.02

Waterfall by the Stone Roses would be nice in a journey to a new place kind of way...depends when you die though.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:14 / 28.12.02

Sorry to hear about yr uncle, HK.

I've always maintained that I want the music from "Godzilla and teh Invasion of the Astro-Monsters", because it'd make people laugh. Then they'd feel guilty for laughing at a funeral. And that would be my final act of bastardiness and mischief from beyond the grave.

Either that or the obvious- "Lay Me Low" by Nick Cave. Not so much for its subject matter as for its wonderful use of the word "flugelhorn".

cusm

04:35 / 29.12.02

I don't really have a choice in the matter. As long as I don't manage to outlive all of my current conspirators, it'll be Oingo Boingo: Dead Man's Party followed by No One Lives Forever. We have traditions around these parts to uphold, afterall.

Yagg

06:33 / 29.12.02

"The Great Gig In The Sky."

rizla mission

11:19 / 29.12.02

I vowed recently that I'd have 'The Mighty Quin' played at my funeral.

moriarty

01:21 / 30.12.02

I'm going to be sent down the Rose City canal on a wooden raft, with my friends firing flaming arrows at me and the kids from metalworking class bang their shop made weapons along the shore.

Selected songs by Manowar, with a Motorhead tune for good measure.

Mazarine

01:45 / 30.12.02

At the moment, I think first "I Wanna Go to Sleep" by the Afghan Whigs, and later "Bury My Lovely" by the October Project, a sufficiently cheerful tune with nay too depressing lyrics.

The resistable rise of Reidcourchie

18:02 / 30.12.02

"Wait till I'm dead." By the Dogs Damour (sp?). Because I haven't quite mastered irony yet

pointless and uncalled for

18:11 / 30.12.02

Pachelbel's Canon on D minor and after a handful of mutterings by friends and rellies I'd like to have Cop Shoot Cop by spiritualized dropped at full blast.

Brigade du jour

19:42 / 30.12.02

Can't think of one, but just wanted to congratulate Hattie's on brilliant thread idea. Sorry bout your uncle, too, honey.

Be back later with fantastic ideas.

Brigade du jour

20:18 / 30.12.02

Actually, you know what? Still not sure about the actual music I want played, but I just want people to send me off properly and with joy and celebration. I don't want them moping and crying and being nice to family members they don't really like because that's what they think I'd want. I don't want that! I want them to get on with enjoying their lives, especially the younger people.

Mind you, if I get old before I die, and indeed spend several of my last remaining years wondering about the event in more detail, maybe I'd want a bit of wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Love from Indecisive Boy

Lurid Archive

20:23 / 30.12.02

Sympathy for the Devil.

11:41 / 31.12.02

Going Underground - the Jam.

Can't believe I don't have to jam-wrestle anyone for it.

Hattie's Kitchen

12:37 / 31.12.02

Ta for the messages (the black humour was much-needed), especially Stoatie and Felicia - have a good night at work (there's fuck all in the papers anyway). In time-honoured tradition, I shall remember to sing Ace of Spades at midnight, which is guaranteed to get me a few weird looks in G.A.Y. tonight.

Charles Darwin

15:54 / 31.12.02

Sorry about your uncle too HK.

The song I want played when my coffin is lowered into the grave is "Let's go deeper, I got to go deeper" by MC Hammer; where the whole song contains nothing but these 2 lines alone. My 2 cents worth.

gingerbop

20:24 / 01.01.03

BLUE MONDAY!!!(new order)

And so i want my funeral on a monday, and everyone to b dressed as a peacock. Aaah, i hope i'll be able to see it.... as everyone turns round, theyll accidentally smack everyone else in the face with their tails. :0)

Jub

21:13 / 01.01.03

"if you don't know me by now"....

The Return Of Rothkoid

21:31 / 01.01.03

You're trying to get people to accompany you? That's what Simply Red would do at a funeral, surely?

Jub

08:46 / 02.01.03

Rothkoid, sorry - don't get the reference to Simply Red. Why would they? Although Mick is a bit of a silly billy.

And I meant the Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes version.
;o)

The Natural Way

09:20 / 02.01.03

'Angels' by Robbie. Then everyone can stand, as the colour fades into a moody black and white, clenching their fists and crying, but, somehow, finding themselves able to soar above the pain. With Robbie.

grant

17:09 / 02.01.03

"Tusk," in the manner described here.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

18:10 / 03.01.03

Either "Man, it's so loud in here" by They Might Be Giants, the last song off of Modest Mouse's Lonesome Crowded West.

betty woo

23:39 / 03.01.03

I've already informed the appropriate people that I expect Spirit of the West's "Home for a Rest" to be played at my send-off. It's funny, slightly morbid and inspires folk dancing in most of my friends, all of which would seem appropriate for the moment.

Although I'm starting to rethink that in favor of "Tusk".

Cop Killer

23:47 / 03.01.03

If I Should Fall From Grace With God by the Pogues, it seems really fitting.

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