Fleetwood Mac have entered Co-op Funeralcare’s annual music chart of the most popular funeral songs with their 1977 anthem ‘The Chain.’
Lifted from their blockbuster 1977 album ‘Rumours’, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ is a new entry in the Top 10 for 2021 at no.7.
Penned by Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie and Stevie Nicks, the song’s iconic instrumental section has been used for the BBC and Channel 4's television coverage of Formula One for several decades and is a favourite amongst petrolheads.
Frank Sinatra’s My Way drops the top of the chart drawn up by Co-op Funeralcare, followed by Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, and Over The Rainbow by Eva Cassidy.(Sources. NME - Itv.com)
New entries in this year’s study are Ed Sheeran’s Supermarket Flowers, and You Raise Me Up by Westlife.
Hymns have officially dropped off the list Songs by Ed Sheeran and Frank Sinatra are more popular at funerals than traditional hymns, according to a new poll.
The Top 10 funeral songs for 2021
1) You’ll Never Walk Alone – Gerry and the Pacemakers
2) My Way – Frank Sinatra
3) Always Look on The Bright Side Of Life – Eric Idle
4) Simply The Best – Tina Turner
5) Supermarket Flowers – Ed Sheeran
6) Time to Say Goodbye – Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
7) The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
8) Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Eva Cassidy
9) We’ll Meet Again – Vera Lynn
10) This is Me – The Greatest Showman
‘My Way’ has held the Number 1 slot for a number of years apart from in 2014 when ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’ from the Monty Python film Life of Brian was the most popular. Edward Elgar’s stirring Nimrod was the most popular classical choice overall, although it failed to make the top 10.
Other popular choices included Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’ and Meat Loaf’s ‘Bat Out Of Hell’, while ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams is the most requested pop tune, said the Co-op.
Top 10 Rock Songs at Funerals
1. Led Zeppelin – “Stairway to Heaven”
2. Meat Loaf – “Bat Out of Hell”
3. Aerosmith – “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing”
4. Queen – “Who Wants to Live Forever”
5. Queen – “The Show Must Go On”
6. Guns N’ Roses – “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”
7. Pink Floyd – “Wish You Were Here”
8. AC/DC – “Highway to Hell”
9. Queen – “Another One Bites the Dust”
10. Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ topped the latest chart drawn up by the UK’s biggest chain of funeral directors, but for the first time since the biennial exercise began in 2002 not a single traditional hymn made it into the top ten, according to data from Co-op Funeralcare.
“We’re always encouraging people to be more open about their funeral wishes, making it clear to their loved ones what they would want for themselves when the time comes.
“Even knowing what song someone would have wanted can bring such comfort at an incredibly hard time.”
A survey of 2,000 adults by the Co-op found that one in four wanted music played at their funeral to make people laugh.
