Traditional hymns and religious or classical music are no longer regularly requested at funerals held at East Riding Crematorium near Bridlington, with families opting for pop or rock songs to say farewell to their loved ones instead.
The Crematorium and Memorial Group (CMG), which operates East Riding Crematorium, has revealed the most requested pieces of music for funerals held at the facility during 2022.
Sad, moving or reflective songs that family members believe pay tribute to their loved one continue to dominate the ‘Funeral Top 10’, yet there’s been an increase in more recent years of families choosing more uplifting pop or rock songs.
‘My Way’ by crooner Frank Sinatra takes the top spot at East Riding Crematorium, but is joined in the top 10 most requested songs by the likes of Bette Midler’s ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ and Ed Sheeran’s ‘Supermarket Flowers’.
Personal favourites of the deceased are also more regularly chosen for their send-off, with The Beatles and Elvis Presley evident of a time when music began to play a bigger part in many people’s lives. The diversity of genres available to music lovers in the 1980’s and 90’s, such as R&B, new wave and indie, is also reflected in songs being chosen by such varied artists as Tina Turner, Blondie, and Oasis.
East Riding Crematorium Business Leader, Jonathan Spalding, said: “We all live such different and unique lives now that it’s natural for people to want to make a funeral as individual and personalised as possible.
“The importance of music in our lives is demonstrated by our research which shows it’s the third most common topic for a family to discuss prior to a funeral. Popular music is now a major part of many funerals and we’ve invested in specialist equipment to ensure we provide the highest quality service.”
Top 10 most commonly requested music for funerals at East Riding Crematorium in 2022:
- Frank Sinatra – My Way
- Bette Midler – Wind Beneath My Wings
- Nat King Cole – Unforgettable
- Eva Cassidy – Somewhere Over The Rainbow
- Vera Lynn – We’ll Meet Again
- Sarah McLachlan – (In The Arms Of An) Angel
- Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World
- Gerry & The Pacemakers – You’ll Never Walk Alone
- Ed Sheeran – Supermarket Flowers
- Nat King Cole – Smile
The music at East Riding Crematorium is provided by a state-of-the-art audio system from specialist company, Obitus. Installed recently, it provides mourners with access to thousands of pieces of recorded music from hymns and classical compositions to the latest pop hits, whilst keeping a record of the number of times each song is played.
