19 Celebration Of Life Songs For Funerals
Celebration of life is the time people come together to celebrate the unique personality and achievements of the deceased. Below is a list of songs that give a tribute to those who left us:
1. Ed Sheeran – Visiting Hours
This single is part of Ed’s fifth studio album = (Equals). It was inspired by the death of his friend Michael Gudinski, an Australian music promoter, back in March 2021. When Ed Sheeran went to attend his funeral, he was forced to quarantine for almost two weeks and during that time he could not have a conversation with anyone without sobbing. He wrote it at his house and sang it at his memorial.
Ed sings about wishing heaven had visiting hours so he could show up from time to time and share news of his newborn daughter Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran. He also wishes he could swing by and seek advice from him.
2. Ed Sheeran – Supermarket Flowers
The song is a tribute to Ed Sheeran’s grandmother. He wrote the song from his mom’s point of view as she mourns. He started the process when she was very ill and passed away at the end of him making the record. Initially, he didn’t want to release the record at all but it was his grandfather who convinced him to do so.
Ed’s message is that despite the heartache that he was feeling at that moment it is all because he loved her dearly. He sings about how his mum made the house neat clearing all the items she left behind before they head to say their final goodbye.
3. Taylor Swift – Ronan
Ronan is about a three-year-old boy named Ronan Thompson who died of neuroblastoma after an eight-month battle in 2011. His mother, Maya Thompson, wrote about his journey and the progression of his illness on a blog called Rockstar Ronan which she switched to using to write letters to Ronan about her life and his siblings.
Taylor stumbled on the blog at the time Ronan passed away. She invited Maya backstage at her 2011 Speak Now Tour where they exchanged contact information. Taylor then went ahead to write the song as a tribute. All proceeds went to fund charities that help fund cancer research.
4. Wiz Khalifa – See You Again
The track is a tribute to the late Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker who died in 2013 after a tragic car crash. The first verse is from the perspective of Vin Diesel and the 7 fellow cast members while the second is from Paul Walker. It ended up topping the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks plus becoming the longest-running rap number one since Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”.
Charlie Puth revealed that he came up with part of the chorus of the song by asking himself “What would Vin Diesel’s last text message be to Paul Walker the moment he died?”
5. Dani and Lizzy – Dancing In The Sky
The song is generally about someone passing away and wondering if they are happy in heaven. They also wonder what the person does with their free time in heaven, if there is art, music or invention and if the sun shines forever.
6. Taylor Swift – Marjorie
This is the 13th track off Taylor’s ninth album Evermore. It is a tribute to her late grandmother Marjorie Finlay. She was an opera singer and ended up inspiring Taylor Swift to walk down the path of music. She passed on in 2003 when Taylor was 13 and on a trip to Nashville trying to hand out demos and CDs to record labels.
Lyrically, Taylor describes the lessons that she learned from her grandmother and shares that they still live in on in her. She expresses how she regrets not spending more time with her grandmother but instead complained about the car ride. She has questions she would like to ask her such as her dresses from the 60s she wishes she asked her where she wore every single one of them.
7. Cole Swindell – Dad’s Old Number
Cole sings about calling the number that used to belong to his father when he was alive and finding out that someone else already owns it. He reveals how he used to call his father whenever he had a problem and how he felt he could fix anything. He also reveals that his dad was the first person he called whenever he had good news to share.
Cole apologizes to the new owner of his dad’s number for calling and hanging up before he could answer.
8. Ed Sheeran – I Will Remember You
This is the 17th track on the = (Equals) album released in 2022. Ed Sheeran sings about try coming to terms with the death of a certain lady and shares how much he is in pain. In addition to that, he has to talk to the lady’s son and share with him what she thought of her. He also shares some of the memories she shared with the lady and some of the memories that bring a smile to his face.
9. Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men – One Sweet Day
The track is the second single from Mariah’s album Daydream which was released in November 1995. She was inspired to write this song after losing her close friend and collaborator David Cole. He died in January 1995 due to complications from meningitis brought on by AIDS. The song was intended to be a eulogy for him and other loved ones she and her fans had lost.
Lyrically, Mariah sings about him being in heaven together with all the friends they have lost along the way and hope they will see each other eventually.
10. Beyonce – Heaven
Beyonce stated, “Heaven is about death and finding the strength in knowing that someone had an incredible life and that giving you some type of closure” Many speculated that it is about the miscarriage she had suffered but her Creative Director Todd Tourso stated that it was inspired by Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles losing one of her friends.
Beyonce sings about accepting to let heaven take a loved one.
11. Kygo & Rita Ora – Carry On
The track is from the film Pokemon Detective Pikachu. It is about carrying on with someone’s legacy after they have departed from this world. It is also about missing them and cherishing the memories that you created together.
12. Linkin Park – One More Light
The inspiration for the song came about after a friend of theirs who worked for the label passed away. She was diagnosed with cancer and passed on shortly afterward. Mike Shinoda stated that the point of the song is that when someone is going through something really traumatic, one of the most important things you can do is to let people know that you care.
The chorus of the song paints a picture of how mathematically the death of one person out of almost 8 billion people on the planet can seem insignificant but we all know that a death of a friend or someone we looked up to is a great loss.
13. Mariah Carey – Bye Bye
The song is from Mariah’s eleventh studio album E=MC². It deals with the death of a loved one and serves as an anthem for those who may have lost a loved one. Mariah wants them to get a chance to say goodbye, express the hurt they feel and show how much they miss them.
Mariah makes a reference to her father who passed away in 2002. The track peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
14. The Script – If You Could See Me Now
The song was dedicated to two of the band member’s parents who had recently passed away. Lead singer, Danny O’Donoghue had lost his father on the Valentine’s Day when the band’s writing process of their very first single. Mark Sheehan, the guitarist, lost his parents when he was 12 and it was a really dark point in his life.
Danny sings about how he will never be able to show his father his fame and success. Some days he doesn’t understand why God would take away such a good person. Mark wonders if his parents miss him as much as he misses them. He feels like his heart has gone cold since their death and even though a lot of time has passed he still gets emotional.
15. Alan Jackson – Where Her Heart Has Always Been
Alan describes the atmosphere at the exact moment when the lady in the song passed on. He describes how he could hear a bluebird clap its wings, the sun being brighter than normal and the morning light being soft.
16. Alan Jackson – Small Town Southern Man
The song takes us through the life of a Southern man. Alan starts out by describing where he was born and what his upbringing was like. He then reveals that the man fell in love with a woman from the same town. They got married and were blessed with four daughters and a son.
The Southern man worked very hard to take care of his large family to the point where he wore out his body. He ended up finding it hard to walk or stand. Finally, death came calling and he accepted it with open arms since he believed God has a place in Heaven for him.
17. Alan Jackson – Sissy’s Song
Sissy’s song was a tribute to Leslie Fitzgerald, a lady who worked for Alan’s family looking after the whole house. She had a motorcycle accident and she was in her mid-40s. Originally, it was intended to be played at just her funeral but when people at the label heard it, they encouraged him to release it.
The song is about heartbreak after the sudden death of a lady at a young age. She left behind a family that still doesn’t understand why it had to happen.
18. Maroon 5 – Memories
The song is a tribute to those who passed away and are no longer with us. It encourages those who were left behind to look back at the memories and cherish them. They should keep pushing ahead because sorrow is inevitable.
19. James Blunt – Carry You Home
In the track, James Blunt is a captain in the British Army. He travels to return his personal belongings of his fellow dead soldier to his wife. This is part of the album “All The Lost Souls”.