Best songs for a funeral slideshow (UK and US)

What families choose most

Co-op Funeralcare publishes a funeral music chart every two years. The 2025 chart, based on more than 90,000 funerals, has these at the top:

1. Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò) — Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman
2. My Way — Frank Sinatra
3. Somewhere Over the Rainbow — Eva Cassidy
4. You'll Never Walk Alone — Gerry and the Pacemakers
5. The Best — Tina Turner
6. Supermarket Flowers — Ed Sheeran
7. Wind Beneath My Wings — Bette Midler
8. Abide With Me — traditional hymn
9. We'll Meet Again — Vera Lynn
10. You Raise Me Up — Westlife

SunLife's Cost of Dying Report 2026, which asked funeral directors, found Abide With Me is now the most played, ahead of Amazing Grace and My Way. Not all of these suit a slideshow: hymns are usually sung by everyone, and My Way or You'll Never Walk Alone often close the service. The ones that most often sit under photos are the reflective ballads: Over the Rainbow, Supermarket Flowers, Wind Beneath My Wings, You Raise Me Up.

Slideshow songs by mood

Songs from the decade they loved

A song from the years they were young often says more than any funeral classic. Some starting points, all in our list with links to official recordings:

Use the decade filter on the song list to see more.

Songs for mum, for dad

• For a mother or grandmother: Supermarket Flowers (Ed Sheeran), Wind Beneath My Wings, You Raise Me Up.
• For a father: Dance With My Father (Luther Vandross); My Way (Frank Sinatra); Take Me Home, Country Roads (John Denver).
• For a grandparent: We'll Meet Again (Vera Lynn) and What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) are familiar to every generation in the room.

In the US

We found no published US chart comparable to the Co-op's, so US lists are editorial. The US provider network Dignity Memorial suggests among others Amazing Grace, I'll Fly Away, Ave Maria, Tears in Heaven, I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe) and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Gospel and country carry more weight than in the UK.

Fitting photos to the song

• At about 5 seconds per photo, a 3-minute song carries 36 photos and a 4-minute song about 48.
• Start the first photo with the first note, and end on a strong photo as the song fades.
• Two contrasting songs (reflective, then uplifting) make a natural 6–8 minute tribute.
• More detail: how many photos for a funeral slideshow.

Playing it at the service vs sharing it online

Playing a recording during a UK funeral service is generally fine — CCLI notes that PPL and PRS for Music have waived performance licences for weddings and funerals — but recording or streaming the service, or posting a video with the song online, needs permission, and platforms may mute it. In the US, funeral homes normally hold a performance licence and need a separate one for streaming (NFDA). Details: will it play at the funeral home?