[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 a loved one. Tracks to listen to while thinking of someone dear
- [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)
Over the RainbowHarold Arlen
It’s the song Dorothy sings in The Wizard of Oz, known in Japan by the title “Niji no Kanata ni” (“Over the Rainbow”).
The scene where the song is performed is a beloved classic worldwide and has been covered by many singers.
The lyrics express Dorothy’s feelings: she finds rural life in Kansas dull and feels that the people around her are all missing something, so she dreams of an ideal place beyond the rainbow.
It’s a song that longs for a place beyond the rainbow—somewhere no one can truly imagine—and it can convey a wish for peace in the world beyond death.
dearestKOH+
KOH+, the unit formed by Kou Shibasaki and Masaharu Fukuyama who played the lead duo in the hugely popular drama series Galileo.
Their song Saiai, created as the theme for the film adaptation Suspect X, is built around the theme of a requiem for a love that can never be fulfilled.
The lyrics mirror the emotions of the film’s characters, and Shibasaki’s gentle voice—so tender it even feels a bit unsteady—makes it achingly heartbreaking.
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.
Always With MeKimura Yumi
This is Yumi Kimura’s debut single, which served as the theme song for the film Spirited Away and became a massive hit alongside the film’s insert song, “Inochi no Uta.” Her warm vocals and the gentle timbre of the harp further enhanced the film’s mysterious atmosphere.
Death comes equally to everything in this world.
“Even if your body disappears from this world, I will never forget our shining memories.” Rather than merely mourning the departure of a loved one, this is a song that allows you to express gratitude for the memories they left behind.
Its rounded, softly textured sound is also perfectly suited to gently sending off someone dear as they move on to a new stage.
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)
Goodbyekariyushi 58
“Sayonara” was Kariyushi58’s first song to be tied in with a TV drama.
Life is full of farewells—parting from friends, from family, and even from the person you chose as your life partner someday comes a goodbye.
No matter how painful it is, life goes on, but it’s not something you can forget so easily.
In that case, don’t run away or force yourself to endure it—just keep saying “sayonara” until you can accept it.
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.
