Dead beats

As reported by The Guardian, the Co-op has just published its second major survey of the music chosen at British funerals. Although many people still opt for traditional religious hymns or classical music, more and more people are opting for contemporary(ish) popular music.

The following list is the top ten secular pop tunes chosen for British funerals:

1. My Way, Frank Sinatra


2. Wind Beneath My Wings, Bette Midler


3. Angels, Robbie Williams


4. My Heart Will Go On, Celine Dion


5. Simply The Best, Tina Turner


6. I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston


7. You’ll Never Walk Alone, Gerry and the Pacemakers


8. Over The Rainbow, Eva Cassidy


9. Time To Say Goodbye, Sarah Brightman


10. We’ll Meet Again, Dame Vera Lynn

What an horrific selection. If any of those were played at my funeral I'd die... or rather, I'd get myself resurrected for the sole purpose of dying again to express my disgust that such horrifcally sentimental music was being played at my funeral.

Okay, You'll Never Walk Alone is the only song on this list that doesn't make me gag but it is hardly a favourite.

So, morbid question of the day: what music would I have played at my funeral? One option would be Satan by Orbital (live version circa 1999 or 2004), not for any ironic or anti-religious reasons (that's just an added bonus) but simply because it is my favourite song and I wish I had written it. And it's energtic and upbeat... in a scary, gnarly, angry kind of way.

If I were to pick something of a more melancholy tone then maybe some Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here, probably (again, no irony intended). Or maybe some of my own music. Would that be too narcissistic? Then again, if you can't be self-centered at your own funeral then when can you be? I'd rather people celebrate my life by hearing the works I produced rather than have some sappy bullshit eulogy. Who was Steve? Shut up and listen to this - this is who he was.

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Oh yeah, NaNo novel still going even though I am behind on my word count. Despite having made a plot outline, I am getting a little lost. I am now writing fragments completely out of sequence; when I get bored with the current scene or just stuck with what to do with it, I skip to a more interesting scene. This is probably a real bad idea. When I have to make that final push at the end of the month to reach the 50K target, I'll only have the boring bits left to write.

Even though I fully intend to try and complete the challenge, I really don't know if I am cut out for writing novels. I have ideas but I don't have any particular stories I want to tell. Even if I did, I don't know if I have the skill to tell them.