My Way tops funeral music charts

Maybe you did it your way; maybe you want your friends and family to keep looking on the bright side of life.

Either way, there's a fair chance that you've already chosen the music you want at your funeral. More than a fifth of people who have actually arranged a funeral say they were explicitly told by their loved one what music to have played.

According to funeral provider, Co-op Funeralcare, pop is now the most requested music genre, and most funeral directors and arrangers say that hymns are declining in popularity the quickest.

Humour is becoming increasingly important, with over two fifths of people saying they 'want to raise a laugh' at their funeral. One in 10 UK adults said they'd consider having Queen's Another One Bites The Dust, with one in 20 considering The Jam's Going Underground.

Top of the chart, though, is that perennial favourite, Frank Sinatra's My Way, followed by Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman.

"It's good to see that people are putting so much thought and personality into what will be their swansong, as a way of making loved ones smile, shed a tear or laugh out loud," says Kate Thornton, broadcaster and former Smash Hits editor.

"I've been agonising over what song I'd choose, but the one I keep going back to is my favourite song of all time, Love and Affection, by Joan Armatrading, simply because it's beautiful and a lovely open letter to love in all its guises."

In terms of pop music, the most popular tracks are Wiz Khalifa's See You Again, Adele's Hello and Rihanna's Diamonds. And we're apparently getting more high-tech, with most funeral arrangers saying they are being given laptops and other devices with the play list already loaded.

And, says David Collingwood, Co-op Funeralcare's head of funeral operations, "Personalisation doesn't stop with the music; hearses, flowers, coffins and memorials can all be uniquely personalised to ensure a funeral reflects the unique personality of a person."

Most popular funeral songs
1. My Way - Frank Sinatra
2. Time to say goodbye - Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
3. Over the rainbow - Eva Cassidy
4. Wind beneath my wings - Bette Midler
5. The lord is my shepherd - Psalm 23/ Crimond
6. We'll meet again - Vera Lynn
7. All things bright and beautiful - Traditional
8. Always look on the bright side of life - Monty Python
9. Abide with me - Traditional
10. Unforgettable - Nat King Cole