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AP • Reuters

Pop Songs Challenge Funeral Favorites

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Aug 6, 9:24 am ET

LONDON (Reuters) - It's never
easy to say goodbye but when the time comes, more Britons are choosing a
pop ditty over a mournful dirge.

Contemporary pop songs rather than traditional hymns provide the music
for an increasing number of funeral services, the Co-operative Group's
Funeral Service said Monday.

Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings" from the 1988 tearjerker
"Beaches" topped the funeral chart in a Co-op poll conducted throughout
Britain.

"Perhaps mourners want to recreate the emotion of their favorite films
and ensure their loved ones receive a funeral worthy of a star," Lorinda
Sheasby of the Co-op, one of Britain's biggest undertakers.

The Co-op said 68 percent of its undertakers reported increased use of
pop songs.

Weepy Hollywood film ballads are the most popular choice.

In second place was Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," the theme from
the blockbuster film "Titanic." Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You"
was number three.

Other top 10 selections were "Candle in the Wind," sung by Elton John
at the funeral of Britain's Princess Diana in 1997, and "Angels" by Robbie
Williams.

There were also those who chose to bid a more whimsical farewell. Among
the more unusual requests were the Village People's "YMCA" and Wham's
"Wake Me Up Before you Go-Go," not to mention the Queen classic "Another
One Bites the Dust."

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From Reuters