Stairway to Heaven or Highway to Hell?

Pop songs are the new dirges

New research released by Britain’s biggest funeral provider indicates pop songs are increasingly replacing hymns as funeral soundtracks. The post-mortem Top 30 faves include: “The X Factor winner Alexandra Burke’s ostentatious version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and Westlife’s syrupy You Raise Me Up,” reports the Times of London in a story that explores the trend. The tunes join “easy-listening evergreens such as Frank Sinatra’s My Way, Bette Midler’s Wind Beneath My Wings and Angels by Robbie Williams.” More than a quarter of funeral homes surveyed by Co-operative Funeralcare report more offbeat requests include AC/DC’s Highway to Hell, Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust and the theme from Top Gear.

Times Online