David Olusoga
Historian and broadcaster
I’ve spent my life hogging the stereo. My funeral feels a good moment to finally let someone else choose the soundtrack.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
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At my late brother Martin’s funeral we played He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother by the Hollies. Martin lived a life that inspired me with the way he approached his learning difficulties and the love he showed us all with his Down’s syndrome. I often think that extra chromosome of Down’s syndrome is a chromosome of love, and you can’t have too much love in the world, can you?
The Guardian, Honest playlist, The Guardian, 1 January 2024 source ↗
Others on this question
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Ed Harris
American actor and director
Mr Tambourine Man.
Peter Capaldi
Actor and director
Johnny Cash’s version of Danny Boy.
Reggie Yates
British actor and media personality
Jump Around by House Of Pain, and Pull Up To The Bumper by Grace Jones: stuff people could dance to.
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