Songs for a Memorial Service
A working list of memorial and funeral songs — organized by mood, faith, and who you’re honoring — to help you build a service that actually sounds like them.
Choosing the music for a memorial service is one of the harder small decisions in a week full of hard decisions. There’s no single “right” song — the right one is usually the one that sounds like the person you’re remembering. Below is a working list organized by category, plus links to more specific guides if you’re planning music for a parent, a Christian or Catholic service, a slideshow, or you specifically want something uplifting instead of somber.
Looking for music for someone specific?
These go deeper than the general list below:
- Memorial service songs for mom →
- Memorial service songs for dad →
- Christian & hymn songs for a memorial service →
- Songs for a memorial slideshow →
- Uplifting funeral songs (if you want joy, not sorrow) →
- Celebration of life music →
Classic & timeless
| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| “Amazing Grace” | Traditional hymn |
| “Wind Beneath My Wings” | Bette Midler |
| “Unforgettable” | Nat King Cole |
| “Time to Say Goodbye” | Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman |
| “My Way” | Frank Sinatra |
| “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” | Israel Kamakawiwo’ole |
| “You Raise Me Up” | Josh Groban |
Reflective & tender
| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| “Tears in Heaven” | Eric Clapton |
| “In My Life” | The Beatles |
| “Fix You” | Coldplay |
| “Hallelujah” | Leonard Cohen (or the Jeff Buckley version) |
| “The Dance” | Garth Brooks |
| “See You Again” | Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth |
Country & Americana
| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| “Go Rest High on That Mountain” | Vince Gill |
| “I Can Only Imagine” | MercyMe |
| “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” | Willie Nelson |
| “There You’ll Be” | Faith Hill |
Every list on this page is, by definition, generic — the whole point of a memorial is that it’s not generic. A lot of families end a service with a song nobody else in the room has ever heard: an original piece written specifically for the person being remembered, using the details only the people who loved them would recognize.
Want something more personal than a playlist?
We’ll write and record an original tribute song using their name, story, and the moments that mattered — something you can play at the service or keep as a private way to remember them.