UK Funeral Directors Say Mourners Now Want Ed Sheeran Music, Not Hymns
Hymns are out, Ed Sheeran is in! According to new data from a group of UK funeral directors (via The Guardian), there were no traditional hymns among the top 10 most-played songs at funerals for the first time since they started tracking funeral spins in 2002. Instead, funeral goers are opting for more contemporary cuts like Ed Sheeran’s “Supermarket Flowers,” a song about his late grandmother.
The music played at funerals has been trending towards secular fare for a while now, as increasingly hymns are exclusively reserved for religious services. But popular ones like “The Lord’s My Shepherd” and “Abide With Me” usually charted in the top 10, but no longer! Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” holds onto the top spot and has for a while now, except once in 2014 when Monty Python’s “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” snuck into No. 1.
Check out the full list below. It’s very British!
1. Frank Sinatra – “My Way”
2. Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman – “Time To Say Goodbye”
3. Eva Cassidy – “Over The Rainbow”
4. Bette Midler – “Wind Beneath My Wings”
5. Robbie Williams – “Angels”
6. Ed Sheeran – “Supermarket Flowers”
7. Nat King Cole – “Unforgettable”
8. Westlife – “You Raise Me Up”
9. Vera Lynn – “We’ll Meet Again”
10. Eric Idle – “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”
Next time you have to arrange a funeral, think twice about that sweet “funeral jams” Spotify playlist so shit like this doesn’t happen. Might I suggest Phoebe Bridgers – “Funeral” instead?