What song would you like played at your funeral?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

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Recorded Marc Quinn said elsewhere, not written here
The Doobie Brothers – I Cheat The Hangman.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 May 2014 source ↗

Others on this question

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Ed O'Brien Guitarist
I sang in Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem in a choir as a kid. The final movement, In Paradisum, is one of the most beautiful, seemingly simple pieces of music. So I’ll have that, please.
Recorded The Guardian, Honest playlist, The Guardian, 31 May 2026 source ↗
Jacob Collier Musician and arranger
At the end of every show, I always blast September by Earth, Wind & Fire at full volume as people leave. It is the best song in the world and has a sense of total positivity, community, friendship, physicality and memorability. It feels like an extraordinary human experience, a sense of joy and celebration that we are lucky to be here at all. It reminds me why I am alive, and I’d like to give people that. The ultimate end to my big gig on earth!
Recorded The Guardian, Honest playlist, The Guardian, 30 November 2025 source ↗
Viv Albertine Australian-born British musician and writer
I am going straight to cremation like David Bowie, so there would be no funeral.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 October 2020 source ↗

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