Have you ever thought about the song you would like to be played at your funeral? Some people choose something light hearted because they do not want to add to the grief of the bereaved. Other more self-indulgent people prefer to choose the saddest love ballad they can think of.
This may sound terrible to an American who doesn’t get the sick and twisted British humor, but my father and I often joke about funeral songs. We like to pick out the most sentimental love ballads we can think of and impersonate the chins of the funeral goers trembling with emotion. In reality neither one of us is likely to choose a sentimental love ballad when our time comes. When you die the people that love you feel bad enough. Why make them feel worse?
In Britain a love ballad by James Blunt is very popular at funerals. The song, which you can hear in the above video clip, is called Goodbye My Lover. According to a survey conducted by the Bereavement Register in Britain, Goodbye My Lover is the most requested song at funerals in the U.K. One thing is for certain, that particular love ballad certainly wouldn’t be my first choice. Nevertheless, I’m still going to joke about it with my father the next time I see him.