Fleetwood Mac amongst pop and rock artists replacing hymns at funerals reveals Sheffield Grenoside Crematorium

A Sheffield crematorium has revealed pop and rock songs are replacing hymns in “The Funeral Top 10”, with artists like Fleetwood Mac, Leona Lewis, The Beatles and Joe Brown featured.
Harry Harrison
By Harry Harrison
Published 15th Jan 2023, 12:28 BST
Updated 15th Jan 2023, 13:26 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The Crematorium and Memorial Group (CMG), which operates Grenoside Crematorium in Sheffield, have revealed their most requested funeral songs during 2022. It has shown the traditional hymns or religious music are no longer regularly requested, as families are choosing pop or rock songs to say farewell to loved ones.

Sad, moving and reflective songs “dominate the Funeral Top 10”, yet the last few years has seen an uptick in positive songs. ‘Ave Maria’ by Leona Lewis took the No.1 spot, with Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Never going back again’ coming in second. Fleetwood Mac were the only artist to feature more than once and ended up with four songs in the top 10, three in the top 5.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Grenoside Crematorium Business Leader, Amy Groves, said: “We all live such different and unique lives now that it’s natural for people to want to make a funeral as individual and personalised as possible. The importance of music in our lives is demonstrated by our research which shows it’s the third most common topic for a family to discuss prior to a funeral. Popular music is now a major part of many funerals and we’ve invested in specialist equipment to ensure we provide the highest quality service.”

LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 21: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE) Stevie Nicks (L) and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac perform onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 21: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE) Stevie Nicks (L) and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac perform onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 21: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE) Stevie Nicks (L) and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac perform onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

What are the most requested songs?

Ave Maria – Leona Lewis

Never going back again – Fleetwood Mac

Man of the world – Fleetwood Mac

The Grenoside Crematorium has revealed the top 10 most popular funeral songs for 2022.The Grenoside Crematorium has revealed the top 10 most popular funeral songs for 2022.
The Grenoside Crematorium has revealed the top 10 most popular funeral songs for 2022.

The Chain – Fleetwood Mac

A hard day’s night – The Beatles

Albatross – Fleetwood Mac

I’ll see you in my dreams – Joe Brown

Somewhere over the rainbow – Eva Cassidy

A million dreams – Sassydee

Somewhere over the rainbow – Judy Garland

Personal favourites of the deceased are also more regularly chosen for their send-off, with The Beatles and Elvis Presley evident of a time when music began to play a bigger part in many people’s lives. The diversity of genres available to music lovers in the 1980’s and 90’s, such as R&B, new wave and indie, is also reflected in songs being chosen by such varied artists as Tina Turner, Blondie, and Oasis.

Related topics:Sheffield