[Music Funeral] BGM to Remember the Deceased | Spotlight on Requiems and Dirges Praying for Peace
In recent years, the term “music funeral” has become more common, and it’s increasingly popular to play music at funerals to honor the deceased.
It’s also said that more people are choosing songs in advance during their lifetime, entrusting their feelings to music as a way to express gratitude and love.
In this article, we introduce several recommended songs for remembering the departed and for use as funeral background music.
We’ve gathered a variety of pieces—songs that express feelings for the deceased, songs that convey gratitude for the past, classical works including requiems, and calm J-pop—so please use this as a reference.
- Songs to Play at My Own Funeral: Timeless Gems to Make Farewells Uniquely My Own
- [Songs of Bereavement] Songs about losing someone dear. Tracks to listen to while thinking of a loved one.
- [Thank-You Song] A song to convey your feelings of “thank you” to someone special
- [Bereavement Song] To you whom I can no longer meet... Tear-jerking songs about death
- [Memorial Song] A moving classic and love song dedicated to a beloved person embarking on a journey to heaven
- Masterpieces of requiems and dirges
- A song I want people who have lost a beloved partner to listen to
- Great songs recommended for people in their 80s: a collection of tracks with lyrics that touch the heart
- A gentle song. A classic that calms the heart. A song that makes you feel kind.
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- A nostalgic song—a timeless classic that somehow feels familiar and touches the heart.
- [Standard] A compilation of popular songs recommended for award ceremonies [Classical / BGM]
- [For when you want to cry or feel sad] Tear-jerking masterpieces that make you cry when you listen
[Music Funeral] Background music to remember the deceased | Also featuring requiems and dirges that pray for peaceful rest (31–40)
CanonJohann Pachelbe
This piece is one of Pachelbel’s most famous works.
Pachelbel was a German composer active during the Baroque era, and although more than 300 years have passed since this piece was composed, it is still loved by many people today.
“Canon” refers to a musical style in which the main theme’s phrase is passed along in imitation, like a game of tag—similar to “The Frog Chorus.” Pachelbel also favored a chord progression known as the “golden progression,” which makes it easier to create beautiful music, and he left behind masterpieces that capture people’s hearts.
This piece, too, has a cleansing, heart-soothing beauty.
planetariumOtsuka Ai
When it comes to Ai Otsuka, many people might strongly associate her with cute, high-energy songs.
However, one of her greatest strengths is also the kind of heartbreaking, moving ballads like this one that tighten your chest.
Just like this song, Ai Otsuka’s music—usually sung with a charming, cute voice—may resonate even more deeply and powerfully in your heart as a requiem on a special day.
I want to see you.Yoshida Yamada
A song by the duo Yoshida Yamada, formed by high school classmates, “Aitakute” was written by guitarist-vocalist Yui Yoshida in memory of his grandfather.
Several years after his grandmother passed away, he imagined what feelings his grandfather might be living with each day, alone in a large country home, as he composed it.
The lyrics, which convey “Even if we can’t meet anymore, this is still the place you can come home to,” really hit home.
They make you want to tell your feelings to someone important right away.
A Bouquet for YouUtada Hikaru
This song, Hikaru Utada’s “Hanataba wo Kimi ni,” became widely known partly because it was the theme song for the NHK morning drama series “Toto Nee-chan.” Given that it’s a morning drama theme, you might wonder if a song that mourns someone who has passed could really be used as a theme.
But if you listen closely and carefully, the lyrics fit well as a requiem.
It’s said that Utada wrote this song for her late mother.
Rather than being a song that makes you cry when you hear it, it’s one that calms the heart and helps you sort out your feelings.
Let me hear the poetry of the wind.Kuwata Keisuke
The theme song for the film “Life: If I Could See You in Heaven,” which is based on a novel and a true story about a windsurfer who succumbed to illness and passed away in his thirties.
It’s a ballad that conveys the profound love of a man who cherished the sea, the wind, and above all his family—love that endures even beyond the irreparable parting of death.
Its bittersweet yet somehow refreshing tone feels like the wind at summer’s end.
[Music Funeral] BGM to Remember the Deceased | Also Featuring Requiems and Laments Praying for Peace (41–50)
A Good Day to Set Out on a JourneyYamaguchi Momoe
Even among those born in the Heisei era, many of you probably know this song, don’t you? It’s one of the greatest of the greats by the legendary idol Momoe Yamaguchi.
It was written by another master of Japanese song, Shinji Tanimura.
It’s often thought of as a farewell song for setting off on a journey, but depending on the destination, it can also be heard as a requiem.
How many people have stood at a crossroads in life and made their choice after listening to this song? It’s truly a song Japan can be proud of.
If you’ve never heard it even once, it’s a must-listen.
YC&K
“Y” is a heartrending ballad from C&K, a male twin-vocal duo renowned for their astonishing high tones and solid vocal prowess.
It speaks of a beloved person with whom you vowed to stay forever.
How happy it is to spend ordinary days with someone whose presence makes even past quarrels feel precious.
Perhaps we only truly realize this when faced with an eternal farewell.
No matter how important someone is, the day will come when you must part.
A gem of a song that will make you want to express your feelings to your loved one right now.