20 Songs by The Beatles that are suitable for a funeral
It can be a tough decision when it comes to choosing the perfect song to pay respect to our loved ones. When it comes to funeral music, our choice is a unique opportunity to show the personality and musical tastes of the deceased. Music also sets a suitable atmosphere for the procession. For many of us, music is a major part of our lives, and so it is only fitting that our favourite songs should be present at our funerals.
If your loved one was a big Beatles fan, if your mum or dad were great admirers of The Beatles’ music, then we’ve compiled twenty songs that we believe are suitable for funerals to try and make your choice as easy as possible.
The Beatles’ funeral songs
Sorrowful and slow
- Let it Be
- The Long and Winding Road
- Blackbird
- In My Life
- Yesterday
- Hey Jude
- Across the Universe
Mid-tempo tracks
- Free as a Bird
- I’ll Follow The Sun
- Two of Us
- Here Comes The Sun
Optimistic Love Songs
- All You Need Is Love
- With A little Help From My Friends
- Good Day Sunshine
- Hello, Goodbye
Left-field and Lesser-known choices for major fans
- Long Long Long
- A Day In The Life
- Here, There and Everywhere
- Because
- I Will
The Beatles’ funeral songs – sorrowful and slow
Let it be, The Beatles
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Purchase Let it be via Apple Music
Famous Covers
When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
Let it be, let it be
A-let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer
Let it be
For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be, let it be
A-let it be, let it be
Yeah, there will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be, let it be
A-let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
Let it be, let it be
A-let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow
Let it be
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be-e
Yeah, let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah, let it be
Oh, there will be an answer
Let it be-e
Let it be, let it be
A-let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be
One of the Beatles’ most famous songs, “Let it Be” is also the most popular choice when it comes to playing music by the Beatles at a funeral. Let it Be is the closest the Beatles’ got to writing a song in the Gospel genre: with organs and haunting backing vocals, this song will be at home in a church, and will set an appropriate mood for the procession. Paul wrote the song after talking to his deceased mother in a dream – the lyrics talk about heaven’s light and being watched over by our loved ones. If there was ever a Beatles song to be played at a funeral, then this is it.
If you’re asking yourself “what Beatles song is best for a funeral?”, then this is a good bet. Popular at both men’s and women’s funerals, this is a good choice of funeral music for Mum or Dad.
“And when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be”
The Long and Winding Road, The Beatles
Purchase The Long and Winding Road on Apple Music
Purchase The Long and Winding Road on Amazon Music
Famous covers
The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I’ve seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to you door
The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way
Many times I’ve been alone
And many times I’ve cried
Anyway, you’ll never know
The many ways I’ve tried
And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don’t leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don’t keep me waiting here
Lead me to your door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Another fantastic song from the “Let it Be” album, “The Long and Winding Road” is another Paul McCartney masterpiece. This track is a slow and sorrowful number that features a beautiful orchestral score, ideal for setting the tone of a procession. Hopeful, yet tinged with both happiness and sadness, the lyrics speak of travelling home to see a loved one no matter the obstacle. You could read it as a metaphor for the journey toward heaven, but we’ll leave the meaning for you to decide. With this funeral music, you can let your loved one know that there is a pathway “always leading to their door”. In other words – they are only a short journey away, and with any luck, you’ll see them again someday.
“The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I’ve seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to your door”
Blackbird
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Famous Covers
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free
Blackbird, fly
Blackbird, fly
Into the light of the dark black night
Blackbird, fly
Blackbird, fly
Into the light of the dark black night
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
A song covered and reimagined countless times, Blackbird is one of the most sincere songs that Paul McCartney ever penned. Although at first glance he seems to be singing about a bird in his garden, there is so much more to this song than that. What does Paul mean in the repeating phrase “you were only waiting for this moment to arise?” This is a real standout on the White Album – Blackbird is often taken as a metaphor for finding freedom and seems to tell the story of someone being released and moving on to better times. For this reason, we think that this song would be a great fit for a funeral, and fitting for a goodbye.
This song is especially popular at women’s funerals, so it would be a great choice for someone looking for funeral music for their Mum, or Grandmother.
In My Life, The Beatles
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Famous covers
There are places I’ll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I’ve loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more
“In My Life” was George Harrison’s favourite Beatles number because of the sincere message in the song. “In My Life” was John Lennon’s ode to memories – the lyrics talk of his changing life and having to say goodbye to how things used to be, and for this reason, this Beatles song is a great choice for a memorial. The song has a slow, sorrowful pace, but it is not overly melancholic. This song is more popular with men, so it would be a good choice for someone looking for funeral music for their Dad or Grandfather.
“There are places I’ll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain”
Yesterday, The Beatles
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Famous Covers
Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away.
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Suddenly, I’m not half the man I used to be.
There’s a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
Why she had to go?
I don’t know, she wouldn’t say.
I said something wrong.
Now I long for yesterday.
Yesterday love was such an easy game to play.
Now I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Why she had to go?
I don’t know, she wouldn’t say.
I said something wrong.
Now I long for yesterday.
Yesterday love was such an easy game to play.
Now I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm.
Yesterday is one of the most sorrowful songs in the Beatles catalogue, and so it is a good pick for someone looking for a truly sad Beatles song to play at a funeral. One of Paul’s earliest masterpieces, this track has been reinterpreted by countless artists over the years, but Paul’s original recording is still the best. It is a song about remembrance and wondering about times gone by – this song is fitting for a final goodbye.
“Yesterday
All my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday”
Hey Jude, The Beatles
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Famous Covers
Hey Jude, don’t make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
Hey Jude, don’t be afraid.
You were made to go out and get her.
The minute you let her under your skin,
Then you begin to make it better.
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.
Hey Jude, don’t let me down.
You have found her, now go and get her.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin,
You’re waiting for someone to perform with.
And don’t you know that it’s just you, hey Jude, you’ll do,
The movement you need is on your shoulder.
Hey Jude, don’t make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her under your skin,
Then you’ll begin to make it
Better better better better better better, oh.
Na na na nananana, nannana, hey Jude…
(repeat X number of times, fade)
Hey Jude is one of The Beatles’ most loved songs and is regularly sung by thousands of people the world over at mass gatherings: sports events, sing-alongs, and funerals too. It is a song penned by Paul McCartney and addressed to John’s first child, as John and his wife were going through a divorce. The song urges Jude that everything is going to be ok, and whilst he might be sad now, better days will come. This hopeful tune is a wonderful message to mark the passing of loved ones and is a suitable marker for their final goodbye. It is a message of hope and perseverance through tough times.
“And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders.”
Across The Universe, The Beatles
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Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai guru deva, om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox they
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai guru deva, om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing
Through my open ears inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe
Jai guru deva, om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
“Across The Universe” is the Beatles’ most spiritual song. Written during their retreat in India, this song was written by John Lennon at a time when he felt most in touch with God and the wider universe. Gentle and calming, sorrowful yet hopeful, this song would be a great pick to mark the passing of our loved ones as they pass on into the next life.
“Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me”
The Beatles’ funeral songs – mid-tempo tracks
Free as a Bird, The Beatles
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Free as a bird
It’s the next best thing to be
Free as a bird
Home, home and dry
Like a homing bird I’ll fly
As a bird on wings
Whatever happened to
The life that we once knew?
Can we really live without each other?
Where did we lose the touch
That seemed to mean so much?
It always made me feel so
Free as a bird
Like the next best thing to be
Free as a bird
Home, (home) home and dry
Like a homing bird I’ll fly
As a bird on wings
Whatever happened to
The life that we once knew?
Always made me feel so free
Free as a bird
Is the next best thing to be
Free as a bird
Free as a bird
Free as a bird
Oo-oo-oo
If you’re looking for funeral music by the Beatles that’s a little more upbeat, then you should consider the track “Free as a Bird.” Recorded in the 90s, almost a decade after the death of John Lennon, the remaining Beatles pieced together this track from demo tapes that John had left behind. The lyrics talk of freedom, being able to fly away from this world – a perfect metaphor for John, but also a fitting message for saying goodbye to your loved ones. This song is sincere, but also uplifting – not all funeral music needs to be sad, after all, it is a chance to remember our loved ones in a hopeful and optimistic light.
“Free as a bird
Home, home and dry
Like a homing bird I’ll fly
As a bird on wings”
I’ll Follow The Sun, The Beatles
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Famous Cover
One day you’ll look
To see I’ve gone
For tomorrow may rain
So I’ll follow the sun
Some day you’ll know
I was the one
But tomorrow may rain
So I’ll follow the sun
And now the time has come
And so, my love, I must go
And though I lose a friend
In the end, you will know, oh
One day you’ll find
That I have gone
But tomorrow may rain
So I’ll follow the sun
Yeah, tomorrow may rain
So I’ll follow the sun
And now the time has come
And so, my love, I must go
And though I lose a friend
In the end, you will know, oh
One day you’ll find
That I have gone
But tomorrow may rain
So I’ll follow the sun
An early Beatles number, this song was written by Paul long before Beatlemania took full effect. For Mum, and Dad, these early numbers may have brought back memories of the early 60s, well before the Beatles were writing psychedelic songs like “I am The Walrus”. This early song is simple and upbeat, bright and hopeful, and characterised by folksy acoustic guitar. The lyrics talk about leaving home and “following the sun” – this could be interpreted as a metaphor for following heaven’s light. Either way, this hopeful number is another great pick for a mid-tempo and happy funeral song.
“One day you’ll look
To see I’ve gone
For tomorrow may rain
So I’ll follow the sun”
Two of Us, The Beatles
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Famous Covers
I Dig a Pygmy by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids
Phase one, in which Doris gets her oats
Two of us riding nowhere
Spending someone’s hard-earned pay
You and me, Sunday driving
Not arriving, on our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going home
Two of us sending postcards
Writing letters on my wall
You and me burning matches
Lifting latches, on our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going home
You and I have memories
Longer than the road
That stretches out ahead
Two of us wearing raincoats
Standing solo in the sun
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going home
You and I have memories
Longer than the road
That stretches out ahead
Two of us wearing raincoats
Standing solo in the sun
You and me, chasing paper
Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going home
We’re going home
You better believe it
Goodbye
Another track from the Let it Be album, “Two Of Us” is an optimistic number about two people with memories “longer than the road that stretches out ahead.” Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s lyrics are sweet and sincere, describing everyday day events, like walking ‘hand in hand, wearing raincoats.’ If you want to choose funeral music to inspire happier moments of happy reflection, then this might be the song to choose.
“You and I have memories
Longer than the road
That stretches out ahead”
Here Come the Sun, The Beatles
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Famous Cover
Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright
Little darlin’, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter
Little darlin’, it feels like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright
Little darlin’, the smile’s returning to their faces
Little darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Little darlin’, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been clear
Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright
Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo
Here comes the sun
It’s alright
It’s alright
The first of our picks from the Abbey Road album, George Harrison’s “Here Comes The Sun” is a song about hope, a perfect choice for saying goodbye to our loved ones. Optimistic, happy, and upbeat, the message of this song is clear: “it’s alright,” George repeats, a soothing message to all in attendance.
“Little darlin, the smile’s returning to their faces,
Little darlin, it seems like years since it’s been here,
Here comes the sun, and I say,
It’s alright”
The Beatles’ funeral songs: optimistic love songs
All You Need is Love, The Beatles
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Famous Covers
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done
Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung
Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game
It’s easy
Nothing you can make that can’t be made
No one you can save that can’t be saved
Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time
It’s easy
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
There’s nothing you can know that isn’t known
Nothing you can see that isn’t shown
There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be
It’s easy
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
All you need is love (all together now)
All you need is love (everybody)
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
Love is all you need (love is all you need)
(Love is all you need)
Yesterday (love is all you need)
Whoa
Love is all you need
Love is all you need (oh yeah)
Love is all you need
(She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Love is all you need)
(Love is all you need…)
Written in the peak of The Beatles’ heady psychedelic era, whilst they were often found writing nonsensical lyrics – i.e. “I Am The Walrus” – but they could still pen beautiful love songs. Taken from the Magical Mystery Tour, and made famous in the Yellow Submarine film, John Lennon’s “All You Need Is Love” is a love letter to the human race. It is a positive message that aims to heal the world. A beautiful message, this song is a great pick for someone wanting to bring a sense of optimism to a funeral. Goodbye needn’t always be sorrowful, after all, funerals are also days about fond memories.
“All you need is love,
Love is all you need”
With A little Help From My Friends, The Beatles
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Famous Covers
What would you think if I sang out of tune?
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song
And I’ll try not to sing out of key
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
What do I do when my love is away?
Does it worry you to be alone?
How do I feel by the end of the day?
Are you sad because you’re on your own?
No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Do you need anybody?
I need somebody to love
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love
Would you believe in a love at first sight?
Yes, I’m certain that it happens all the time
What do you see when you turn out the light?
I can’t tell you, but I know it’s mine
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, get high with a little help from my friends
Oh, I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends
Do you need anybody?
I just need someone to love
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Oh, I get high with a little help from my friends
Yes, I get by with a little help from my friends
With a little help from my friends
This famous Beatles tune sends a message of togetherness and companionship, something that we all need in difficult times, especially at a funeral. Here Ringo tells us that we can get through anything “with a little help from our friends”. Can you write a more positive song? This is a great choice for Beatles’ funeral music for people wanting to bring everyone together on a sad day.
“No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends”
Good Day Sunshine, The Beatles
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Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I’ve got something I can laugh about
I feel good, in a special way
I’m in love and it’s a sunny day
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
We take a walk, the sun is shining down
Burns my feet as they touch the ground
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
And then we lie, beneath a shady tree
I love her and she’s loving me
She feels good, she knows she’s looking fine
I’m so proud to know that she is mine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
This is another one of Paul’s songs that is full of optimism, this song sends a message of hope and asks us to enjoy the small things in life. This song should be picked if you are wanting to send a positive message of celebration, remembering our loved ones in a positive light, like on a sunny day.
“I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I’ve got something I can laugh about
I feel good, in a special way
I’m in love and it’s a sunny day”
Hello Goodbye, The Beatles
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You say, “Yes”, I say, “No”
You say, “Stop” and I say, “Go, go, go”
Oh no
You say, “Goodbye” and I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
I don’t know why you say, “Goodbye”, I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
I don’t know why you say, “Goodbye”, I say, “Hello”
I say, “High”, you say, “Low”
You say, “Why?” And I say, “I don’t know”
Oh no
You say, “Goodbye” and I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
I don’t know why you say, “Goodbye”, I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
I don’t know why you say, “Goodbye”, I say, “Hello”
Why, why, why, why, why, why, do you
Say, “Goodbye, goodbye, bye, bye”?
Oh no
You say, “Goodbye” and I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
I don’t know why you say, “Goodbye”, I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
I don’t know why you say, “Goodbye”, I say, “Hello”
You say, “Yes”, I say, “No” (I say, “Yes”, but I may mean, “No”)
You say, “Stop”, I say, “Go, go, go” (I can stay still it’s time to go)
Oh, oh no
You say, “Goodbye” and I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
I don’t know why you say, “Goodbye”, I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
I don’t know why you say, “Goodbye”, I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
I don’t know why you say, “Goodbye”, I say, “Hello-wow, oh, hello”
Hela, heba, helloa, hela heba, helloa, hela, heba, helloa
Hela, heba, helloa, (hela) hela, heba, helloa, hela, heba, helloa
Hela, heba, helloa, hela, heba, helloa, hela, heba, helloa…
A song dedicated to meetings and goodbye, is their better song suited to saying a final farewell? This is another upbeat number that looks to cast a feeling of optimism. If you’re wanting to celebrate a loved one, and if you have a feeling you’ll meet them again someday, this might be the song to pick.
“You say, “Goodbye” and I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
I don’t know why you say, “Goodbye”, I say, “Hello, hello, hello”
Beatles funeral songs: left-field and lesser-known choices for major fans
Long long long, The Beatles
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It’s been a long, long, long time
How could I ever have lost you
When I loved you
It took a long, long, long time
Now I’m so happy I found you
How I love you
So many days I was searching
So many tears I was wasting, oh, oh
I could see you, be you
How can I ever misplace you?
How I want you, how I love you
You know that I need you
Hope I love you
Another song by George Harrison, “Long, Long, Long,” is often overlooked in the Beatles catalogue as one of their stranger songs. However, this song is full of emotion and is like a rollercoaster ride with highs and lows with soft organ pads and pounding drums. Melancholic through and through, if your loved one was a major George Harrison fan then consider picking this song to soundtrack their final goodbye.
“It’s been a long, long, long time
How could I ever have lost you
When I loved you”
A Day In The Life, The Beatles
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I read the news today, oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well, I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn’t notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They’d seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords
I saw a film today, oh boy
The English Army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
But I just had to look
Having read the book
I’d love to turn you on
Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up, I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
And somebody spoke and I went into a dream
I read the news today, oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall
I’d love to turn you on
A Day in the Life is the final song from the highly acclaimed album “Sgt. Peppers and the Lonely Hearts Club Band”. A song written by John Lennon, this song highlights the little and overlooked moments in our lives. Beginning gently with only John’s vocals and his lightly strummed acoustic guitar, this song is beautiful, sorrowful, and serene. Nevertheless, the crescendo in the middle is a spectacular part of the song, but might be best at funerals of only the biggest of Beatles fans.
Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up, I noticed I was late”
Here, There and Everywhere, The Beatles
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One, two, three
To lead a better life, I need my love to be here
Here, making each day of the year
Changing my life with the wave of her hand
Nobody can deny that there’s something there
There, running my hands through her hair
Both of us thinking how good it can be
Someone is speaking, but she doesn’t know he’s there
I want her everywhere, and if she’s beside me
I know I need never care
But to love her is to need her everywhere
Knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I’m always there
I need her everywhere, and if she’s beside me
I know I need never care
But to love her is to need her everywhere
Knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I’m always there
I’ll be there and everywhere
Here, there and everywhere
Another song written by Paul McCartney, “Here, There and Everywhere” is a quiet and understated song about the undying power of love. The message is a perfect one for a funeral and a fitting way to say goodbye.
“Everywhere
Knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes, and hoping I’m always there”
Because, The Beatles
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Because the world is round
It turns me on
Because the world is round
Because the wind is high
It blows my mind
Because the wind is high
Love is old, love is new
Love is all, love is you
Because the sky is blue
It makes me cry
Because the sky is blue
Another of The Beatles’ tracks with an air of spirituality, this track is a psychedelic ode to the Beach Boys and is full of rich vocal harmonies. The lyrics describe beautiful images of the natural world, and we think the best version is from the LOVE album. Minimal, soothing, and a little like if the Beatles had a go at being a church choir, this might be a good choice if your loved one liked the psychedelic side of the Beatles.
“Love is old, love is new
Love is all, love is you”
I Will, The Beatles
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Who knows how long I’ve loved you
You know I love you still
Will I wait a lonely lifetime
If you want me to, I will
For if I ever saw you
I didn’t catch your name
But it never really mattered
I will always feel the same
Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we’re together
Love you when we’re apart
And when at last I find you
Your song will fill the air
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do endear you to me
You know I will
I will
A positive love song talking about dedication, this song describes the lengths we will go to remember our loved ones. Light-hearted, optimistic, and upbeat, this sincere love song by Paul McCartney is a great choice for a funeral. Lesser known than some of the other songs on this list, this might be a good choice for someone who was a big Beatles fan and might appreciate digging into the archives!
“Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we’re together
Love you when we’re apart”
he darkness appears and the night draws near
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