| Whatinthewhatthe? 29.06.2004 20:20 |
I know this is a near-morbid subject, but I would like to share an experience with all of you. My mum died this past April of a very fast-moving cancer. She was diagnosed in mid-January and died on 01 April. My father wanted her funeral to be something she would have approved of, so he asked me and my older sister and brother to each contribute a song to be played during the funeral. My older brother chose The Beatles' In My Life (I almost picked that), my sister chose (gag) Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings, and I chose Queen's These Are The Days Of Our Lives. My dad chose a song from a James Bond movie (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) titled We Have All The Time In The World (sung by Louis Armstrong). He could not recall the Queen song so I played it for him as a preview. He thought the song was "eloquent and very beautiful" (talk about flooring me!!!). Mine was the last to be played during the funeral. Hearing Freddie's voice bouncing off the walls of the chapel was so comforting at such a trying time for me and my family. You should have heard the weeping (not mine, I was smiling!) -- everyone, including the priest, were so moved by Freddie's singing they were still crying after the song ended. Afterwards, I had friends and family members telling me what a beautiful song that was. I told them "That was Freddie Mercury and Queen" and got smiles and sounds of recognition. BTW...my mum loved the song. She always said it reminded her of her father and things he would have said. It's the best tribute I could think of for my mum!! |
| SergeantPepperDG 29.06.2004 22:01 |
Aw... |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 29.06.2004 22:05 |
I forgot to add that Mum's "exit music" out of the chapel was the instrumental version of Guide Me Home. Dad thought that was a nice touch! |
| Adam Baboolal 29.06.2004 22:08 |
Simply beautiful... |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 29.06.2004 22:09 |
Thank you, dear -- it was! :-) |
| Lisser 29.06.2004 22:33 |
I think this is a wonderful story Lisa. |
| The Black Queen 29.06.2004 23:06 |
That is an absolutely beautiful story. |
| GonnaUseMyPrisoners 29.06.2004 23:22 |
Nice touch - you're a very thoughtful person, Lisa. |
| iGSM 30.06.2004 06:12 |
Well that is terrible to hear but certainly a fitting end. I'd like to have 'Dear Friends' at my funeral. Now I've just got to play the waiting game..*twiddles thumbs* |
| Lord Blackadder 30.06.2004 06:16 |
Theres is loads of Queen songs that could be played at funerals. I want Bohemian Rhapsody (last minute is perfect for one) or TSMGO at mine i think. |
| Gunpowder Gelatine 30.06.2004 06:22 |
That's so sad. A great choice in music, though. |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 30.06.2004 07:31 |
I was torn between TATDOOL and Who Wants To Live Forever but Dad vetoed the latter. It really tore him up (he remembered it from Highlander); he liked the movie (mostly for his hero Sean Connery) and he didn't want to associate a funeral with that. I thought the former was a better choice anyway! I think I would like the vocal version of Guide Me Home as the song at my funeral. I always cry when I hear it -- except for at Mum's funeral, which was odd -- but perhaps Freddie was helping in his own way? I like to think that! |
| Mr. Scully 30.06.2004 07:36 |
Guide Me Home is a perfect choice. I'd choose Show Must Go On though. |
| Simmer 30.06.2004 08:55 |
Sad but beautiful story... |
| Brandon 30.06.2004 10:18 |
I dunno. I think "Another One Bites the Dust" would be a nice ice-breaker at my funeral. That is, I'd like to put the "fun" back into funeral. |
| queenrocks! 10902 30.06.2004 13:45 |
At my funeral I wouldn't have any hymns I would have Queen. TSMGO & TATDOOL would be ideal but to make everyone happier AOBTD. |
| iron eagle 30.06.2004 16:27 |
at Great King Rats funeral a couple years ago-- WWTLF was played in the church during the service... his mother walked up to me later and said 'now i know why he loved Queen so much'-- --- |
| Little_Queenie 30.06.2004 16:33 |
Lisa, your story literally made me cry. I read it a few times, it caused shivers down my spine... I think your Mum could never get a better song for her goodbye... I think about that a lot, I mean Queen music at funerals. And I want it too. Whenever I die I want Queen music with me till the end. I already told that to my folks and they said I'm crazy... Totally expected;) But anyway I made my mum promise if i ever die before the natural time, there'll be Queen with me, as always. |
| Pluto 30.06.2004 17:52 |
i want happy queen music at my funeral |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 30.06.2004 17:55 |
iron eagle wrote: at Great King Rats funeral a couple years ago-- WWTLF was played in the church during the service... his mother walked up to me later and said 'now i know why he loved Queen so much'-- ---Ellis told me about that. Very fitting for Tim. He was a great guy, I only met him at the 2001 US convention but after talking to him felt like I'd known him a long time. Really miss him! |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 30.06.2004 18:01 |
Thanks, guys and girls, for all your support. It was a really difficult time and bringing her death out into the open helps a lot. I miss her every day, and my dad moreso. I made him a CD of Queen's slower songs and he really likes them (which makes me wonder: why did he bash them years ago when I used to blast them out of my stereo daily??), especially Freddie's How Can I Go On. He said to me last weekend, "He really had a hell of a voice, didn't he?" -- gee, Dad, glad you finally noticed after thirty-one years!! :-)) Really, thanks for your comments, it totally lifts my spirits!!! |
| Anita Mercury 01.07.2004 04:29 |
I have told my friends for years that when I die, I want We are the Champions played at my funeral... and that everyone has to sing along... nobody seems to take me seriously though... I hope they actually do it! lol |
| frejorobri 01.07.2004 04:52 |
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| Whatinthewhatthe? 01.07.2004 07:37 |
Time is a great idea -- "time waits for no-one". Wouldn't it be a grand idea to have all Queen music at one's funeral? (Personally, I told my sister I would never forgive her for that Bette Midler song! UGH!) |
| Daburcor? 01.07.2004 08:41 |
I hope to have at least ONE Queen song played at every one of my funerals from now until after I'm long dead. ;) |
| Little_Queenie 01.07.2004 13:17 |
I want Hammer To Fall on my funeral. Though anyone I mention it to looks at me like I'm a complete maniac. "Time" is also a great choice. |
| Josuè 01.07.2004 14:35 |
What a lovely song to play in that case... really touching song, I love it. BTW, where can I find the instrumental version of Guid Me Home?? |
| FriedChicken 01.07.2004 15:12 |
On the Freddie Mercury box set |
| goinback 01.07.2004 20:37 |
Strange topic, since I've often thought I want "Goin' Back" played at my funeral (thought it's not really a Queen song). |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 01.07.2004 21:35 |
"Goin' Back" is also an excellent choice. A "fond memories" song like TATDOOL. |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 01.07.2004 21:38 |
"BTW, where can I find the instrumental version of Guide Me Home??" It's also the credits of the Freddie Mercury Video Collection DVD. I burned GMH from that for the "exit music". Very moving and very beautiful. |
| bean_the_queen 01.07.2004 21:47 |
For my funeral i would choose These are the Days of Our Lives. I find it a very uplifting and happy song. I think Freddie was celebrating his leaving. In My Defence is absolutely brilliant and that was the first take. That one too. |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 01.07.2004 22:00 |
Do you like In My Defence 2000? The video was fab, the ending always makes me cry -- and I like the instrumental version also! |
| Daburcor? 01.07.2004 22:27 |
I think I would have "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" and "The Show Must Go On" played at my funeral. They are my two all-time favorite songs (tied), And they'd be fitting for the occasion, I suspect. :P |
| Gunpowder Gelatine 02.07.2004 04:57 |
I'd love to have These Are The Days Of Our Lives played at my funeral. It just seems to have the perfect feeling to it. |
| Sonia Doris 02.07.2004 09:49 |
Queen music goes for everything. If they won't put at least three Queen albums, I'll rise as a zombie... hehe |
| viktoria 02.07.2004 12:04 |
Thanks for sharing your story. I can absolutely understand why you chose that song. I used to sit and listen to it on lonely nights and it would almost make me cry. I think you it says far more than just the lyrics. |
| Daburcor? 02.07.2004 12:09 |
Indeed... It made me all misty eyed. |
| BornToBeKings 02.07.2004 15:03 |
At my funeral, I'd like to have TATDOOL played (maybe even as accompaniment to a photo/video montage somewhat akin to the TATDOOL video, sans musicians). Sometimes the most obvious choice is also the most fitting. And I'd work in Lily of the Valley somewhere as well. |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 02.07.2004 21:55 |
viktoria wrote: Thanks for sharing your story. I can absolutely understand why you chose that song. I used to sit and listen to it on lonely nights and it would almost make me cry. I think you it says far more than just the lyrics.You're welcome! Just the first five notes of Guide Me Home have me almost drowning in tears...but the instrumental at the funeral did not. Not even the playing of TATDOOL in the chapel. Usually seeing other people cry does me in, I end up doing the same, but I couldn't. The sheer beauty of Freddie's voice echoing off the chapel walls was magnificent -- glad I used the gold CD, LOL! -- I had never heard the song being more beautiful and poignant at the same time. I listened to it again the day after the funeral and it still did not make me cry...though seeing Freddie singing "I still love you" on the video gets me every time, almost 13 years later... |
| frejorobri 03.07.2004 03:09 |
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| NoOneButYou1975 04.07.2004 23:21 |
I think those songs (eh about Bette lol) ...at the funeral...i kinda made a memorial cd after a friend of mine died in may...and it had Music from Queen/Freddie ... |
| Brian_Mays_Wig 05.07.2004 00:30 |
When my cousin died in Jan, his wife asked me to be a bearer at the funeral. I had to say yes cos he was like my best mate. The morning of the funeral came and I thought to myself 'Be Strong' so I was, with the other bearers, we did our job and throughout the funeral I thought I did quite well, I held it together!! Then at the end of the service WWTLF started and I just broke! I aint been able to listen to it since! Still, Ill get over it! I think id like Elvis, My Way played at mine!! |
| PaulSands 05.07.2004 05:12 |
It was really spooky stumbling onto this thread. My mum died suddenly and unexpectedly on June 3 this year. She had always been a huge Queen and especially Freddie fan and it seemed appropriate to use their music to say our goodbyes. I helped carry her coffin in to the strains of Barcelona (she loved the place) and I almost choked then, after the service was complete and we began to file out, it was perfect when the electric piano intro for You're My Best Friend started up...of course the problem is everytime I hear these tracks now I become an emotional wreck |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 05.07.2004 09:03 |
BMW and Paul, my condolences to you and your families/friends. Death in a family is hard; losing a mum or dad is the hardest thing one ever has to face. My mum's been gone a little over three months now and I miss her dearly every day. Life changes in an instant but you have to carry on. This may sound strange but my dad is now a Queen fan because of the two songs played at mum's funeral. He's borrowed all of my Queen CDs and will be starting on the DVDs soon. He apologised for being so supercritical of them in the 70s, 80s and 90s but sees what I liked so much about their music. His hero was Frank Sinatra and he gave a super compliment to Freddie: "His voice was miles above Sinatra." Of course WE know that, but to hear someone from another generation say that is astounding! (And he could not believe Freddie's ability at the piano, he always thought it was a "session musician" -- OY!!!) |
| PaulSands 05.07.2004 11:20 |
But isn't it great to have such wonderful music as the soundtrack for your memories of loved ones...thank you for you sympathies Lisa and please accept my heartfelt ones back |
| Whatinthewhatthe? 05.07.2004 14:27 |
Thank you too, Paul! :-)) Made In Heaven would be lovely to hear at a funeral. So would Long Away. Hmmm.... The Beatles' In My Life sounds similar in content to TATDOOL...what does everyone think? |