Songs for a Grandparent's Funeral —
Honouring a Grandma or Grandad

A grandparent's funeral is often a gathering of generations — children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, friends from decades past. The music needs to carry all of that. It should honour a long life without feeling like a formality. It should acknowledge grief while also celebrating what was built.

This guide covers the songs most often chosen for grandparents, separated by character and tone, with notes on what makes each one work.

The most requested songs for grandparents' funerals

These are the songs families return to most frequently when remembering a grandparent. They tend to share certain qualities — a sense of time, of something enduring, of a life deeply and fully lived.

• What a Wonderful World Louis Armstrong Perhaps the most natural fit for a grandparent who found joy in small things — in gardens, in grandchildren, in the simple fact of being here. Armstrong's voice has an inherent warmth and age that feels right.
• My Way Frank Sinatra Consistently one of the UK's most requested funeral songs. Works best for a grandparent who was known for their conviction — who did things their way and was proud of it. Less effective if it was not genuinely true of them.
• You Raise Me Up Westlife / Josh Groban For the grandparent who was genuinely a source of strength — whose presence made others feel capable and loved. The lyrics are direct about this relationship dynamic.
• Wind Beneath My Wings Bette Midler About someone who supported and sustained others from behind the scenes — the grandparent who was always there, always steady, without needing to be the centre of things.
• Time to Say Goodbye Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman Grand and ceremonial — suits a grandparent whose life had a certain formality or elegance, or a service that wants to feel significant and weighty.
• Over the Rainbow Israel Kamakawiwoʻole The ukulele version is gentle and hopeful — a song about a better place beyond this one. Works across generations and tends to land softly even on children in the room.

For a grandparent who loved traditional music

Many grandparents grew up with a different musical landscape — big bands, crooners, wartime songs, the music of a particular era. Honouring that is itself an act of respect.

• We'll Meet Again Vera Lynn For grandparents who lived through the war years, this carries immense cultural and personal resonance. Communal — the congregation will often know the words.
• The White Cliffs of Dover Vera Lynn A song about home and return — works particularly well for grandparents who had strong ties to a particular place, or who were part of the wartime generation.
• Fly Me to the Moon Frank Sinatra Lighter in tone than most funeral choices — works for a grandparent who had a twinkle in their eye, who liked to dance, who brought levity to things.
• Moon River Henry Mancini / Andy Williams Wistful and gentle — about a life of wandering and wonder. For the grandparent who was curious, who travelled, or who had a romantic quality to them.

For a grandparent of faith

Many grandparents had a faith that was central to their life — a faith that shaped how they raised their family, how they treated people, how they faced difficulty. Music that honours that faith is not only appropriate but meaningful. Our guide to traditional funeral hymns covers this in more depth, but key choices include:

• Abide With Me — possibly the most widely loved funeral hymn in Britain. For a grandparent whose faith was quiet but steady.
• The Lord's My Shepherd — the Twenty-Third Psalm set to music. Deeply familiar and profoundly comforting.
• How Great Thou Art — for the grandparent whose faith was expressive and joyful, not merely observant.
• Jerusalem — for those who loved England, who had a sense of duty and place. Also a powerful communal singing moment.

When grandchildren want to choose the music

Grandchildren — especially adult grandchildren — often want to be involved in the service. Giving them the music choice, or asking for their suggestion, can be a meaningful way to include them.

The result may be surprising. Grandchildren often know a side of a grandparent that parents don't — the one who played in the garden, who told stories, who had a private sense of humour with them. Their song suggestion may be different from what others would have chosen, but it may be more true.

"My granddad always sang this song slightly wrong in the car. We played the real version at his funeral and everyone laughed and cried at the same time. It was perfect."

For a long life — celebrating rather than grieving

When a grandparent reaches their eighties, nineties, or beyond, grief and gratitude sit side by side. The service can afford to feel more like a celebration — a recognition of a remarkable amount of living. See our guide to celebration of life songs for music that leans in this direction.

Songs that work particularly well for a long life well lived include:

• Simply the Best (Tina Turner) — for the grandparent who was, simply, the best.
• Don't Stop Me Now (Queen) — for the one who never slowed down, who was full of life until the end.
• Dancing Queen (ABBA) — for the grandma who loved to dance, who brought energy to every room.
• Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python) — only if it was genuinely them. When it fits, it is perfect. When it doesn't, it jars.

A song written about them

Grandparents are often the family historians — the ones who remember the most, who carry the stories, who connect generations. When they are gone, something irreplaceable goes with them.

A personalised memorial song can carry some of those stories into the service and beyond it — their name in the lyrics, the things they were known for, the memories that the grandchildren will carry with them. It is a way of saying that who they were was specific and irreplaceable, not just a role but a person.

Frequently Asked Questions