Memorial Songs For Remembering Loved Ones Lost

 
Music accompanies all phases of life. Birth. Graduation. Marriage. Holidays. Death. Music is power. It communicates with our souls — our very being. Where words fail, music takes the lead.

Why Are We Listing Memorial Songs on a Wedding Site?

Unfortunately, life is complicated. Yes, a wedding day is one of the most important days for a bride. She has been planning it since her childhood. However, not every wedding is a fairytale wedding — at least not the Disney kind. Though you may have wished your father could walk you down the aisle, sadly, he has passed. Maybe you dreamed your mother would help plan all of the wedding details.

More than we’d like, life is not what is expected and special people close to us pass away, whether it be a parent, sibling, special relative, or friend. Memorial songs allow you to make room in your special day to celebrate the life and memories of your lost loved one.

When Can a Memorial Song Be Played at My Wedding?

At wedding ceremonies or receptions, a memorial song can be played in remembrance of a special person who has passed away. When is up to you? As always, we recommend chatting with your wedding planner and professional DJ.

When remembering a loved one during a wedding, we recommend having a special object at the wedding ceremony and wedding reception in their honor. An example would be to have a lit candle in remembrance.

How Do I Choose A Good Memorial Song To Play at My Wedding?

When selecting memorial songs, we suggest finding a song that was special between the wedding couple and the person no longer living. It can be any song you like. It doesn’t have to be a slow or sad song either. It’s a time set aside to honor your parent, friend, or family member. If you do not have a specific song in mind, we have listed our Top 100 Memorial Songs. Maybe one of these songs will We have songs from all genres to meet your needs. We have rap, rock, country, jazz, r&b, and much more.

Looking Down From Heaven

If you would like to think of someone who has passed away looking down on the bride and groom and/or looking over them, we would suggest the following songs: “Holes In The Floor Of Heaven” by Steve Wariner and “Angels Among Us” by Alabama. If it was a child that passed away, we suggest “Angels In Waiting” by Tammy Cochrane or “Tears In Heaven” by Eric Clapton. Eric Clapton wrote the song after he lost his son.

If you would like to remember a soldier, we suggest “Arlington” by Trace Atkins or “Live Like We Were Dying” by Tim McGraw. The song played for Princess Diana, “Candle In The Wind” by Elton John, would be great for remembering a classy woman.

People come and go, but their memories will live on. It is very difficult for you, as the wedding couple, to have a special loved one pass early and not be able to attend your wedding. Honoring them in song helps.

Top 3 Remembering a Father Songs

1. Dance With My Father – Luther Vandross
2. In the Living Years – Mike & the Mechanics
3. Thank You for Being My Dad – Jon Barker

Top 3 Remembering a Mother Songs

1. Two Of Us – Louis Tomlinson
2. Mama – Il Div
3. Supermarket Flowers – Ed Sheeran

Top 3 Remembering a Child Songs

1. Tears in Heaven – Eric Clapton
2. Heaven Bound Balloons – Granger Smith
3. Who’d You Be Today – Kenny Chesney

Top 5 Remembering A Friend Songs

1. See You Again – Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth
2. Drink A Beer – Luke Bryan
3. Broken Halos – Chris Stapleton

Top 3 Remembering A Loved One Songs

1. Sad Song – We The Kings featuring Elena Coats
2. Lay Me Down – Sam Smith
3. My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion

Top 3 Remembering A Military Person Songs

1. Arlington – Trace Adkins 
2. The Ones Who Didn’t Make it Back Home – Justin Moore
3. Some Gave All – Billy Ray Cyrus

What Music Is Appropriate for a Funeral?

What songs should you play at a funeral or celebration of life? We have some suggestions of how you can celebrate a loved one’s passing with one of these memorial songs.

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7. Tears In Heaven – Eric Clapton
Eric wrote this song after the passing of his son. Our favorite phrase in the song is as follows: “Beyond the door, there’s a peace I’m sure, and I know there’ll be no more, tears in heaven”.

6. One More Day – Diamond Rio
This is a great generic song for all the loved ones lost too early.  One More Day is themed around having just one more day with a deceased friend or loved one and what we would do if we had the day.

5. Gone Too Soon – Michael Jackson
This song was dedicated to the memory of Micheal’s friend Ryan White, who was expelled from school for having HIV/AIDS.

4. Arlington – Trace Adkins
This is a great military-themed song. Our soldiers are our heroes and should be remembered and never forgotten.  They have provided us our freedom.

3. When I Look To The Sky – Train
This song is a great current mainstream rock song. A great phrase in the song “When I look to the sky,  something tells me you’re here with me and you make everything alright”.

2. People Are Crazy – Billy Currington
This is our oddball pick but one of our favorites. The song is about a man meeting a second man in a bar and the second man passes away.  The chorus of the song is said by the second man at the bar – God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy.  The first man leaves a six-pack on the dead man’s grave out of respect.

1. My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
This was the main theme song of the movie Titanic. The song is about how to carry on after the death of a loved one.

Similar song lists for further reading:

• Angel songs
• Heaven songs
• Ceremony Unity songs

100 Memorial Songs To Play At Weddings

We have assembled a list of our favorites “in memory of” songs. The songs can be played during the wedding ceremony or the wedding reception. If we missed one that should be on the list, let us know in the comments.

Memorial dance song list curated by Matthew Campbell
Last Updated: February 23, 2021

Song	Amazon Link
Adele Make You Feel My Love 2008, Soul
Alabama Angels Among Us 1993, Country
Alan Jackson Remember When 2003, Country
Alison Krauss The Lucky One 2001, Bluegrass
Alter Bridge In Loving Memory 2004, Rock
Angelina Jordan Million Miles 2020, Pop
Avenged Sevenfold So Far Away 2010, Rock
Barbra Streisand Memory 1981, Pop
Barry Manilow Memory 1982, Pop
Beatles Let It Be 1970, Rock
Bee Gees Wish You Were Here 1989, Pop
Bill Withers Lean On Me 1972, Soul
Billy Currington People Are Crazy 2009, Country
Billy Joel Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel) 1993, Pop
Billy Ray Cyrus Some Gave All 1992, Country
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Tha Crossroads 1996, Hip Hop
Boyz II Men It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday 1991, R&B
Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton When I Get Where I'm Going 2005, Country
Brett Eldredge Sunday Drive 2020, Country
Brian Fallon 21 Days 2020, Folk
Brooks & Dunn Believe 2005, Country
Carly Pearce Show Me Around 2020, Country
Celine Dion My Heart Will Go On 1997, Pop
Charlotte Church & Josh Groban The Prayer 2001, Pop
Chris Stapleton Broken Halos 2017, Country
Chris Young Drowning 2019, Country
Cole Swindell You Should Be Here 2016, Country
Corinne Bailey Rae Are You Here 2009, Pop
Craig Morgan The Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost 2019, Country
Dani and Lizzy Dancing in the Sky 2016, Pop
Darryl Worley I Miss My Friend 2002, Country
Daughtry Home 2007, Rock
Diamond Rio One More Day 2001, Country
Diana Ross Missing You 1984, R&B
Dream Academy Life In A Northern Town 1985, Pop
Ed Sheeran Supermarket Flowers 2017, Pop
Elton John Candle In The Wind 1997, Pop
Eric Clapton Tears In Heaven 1992, Rock
Escape Club I'll Be There 1991, Rock
Evanescence Breathe No More 2005, Rock
Fleetwood Mac Gypsy 1981, Rock
Foo Fighters The Last Song 2005, Rock
Garth Brooks The Dance 1990, Country
George Harrison All Those Years Ago 1981, Rock
Granger Smith Heaven Bound Balloons 2019, Country
Gwen Stefani Wonderful Life 2006, Pop
Hollywood Undead Coming Back Down 2011, Rock
Il Divo Mama 2004, Pop
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Somewhere Over The Rainbow 1990, World
Jack Johnson Go On 2008, Folk Rock
Janet Jackson Together Again 1997, Dance
Jeff Buckley Hallelujah 2015, Rock
Jewel Angel Standing By 1995, Pop
Jo Dee Messina If Heaven Was Needing A Hero 2010, Country
Joe Diffie Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox (If I Die) 1993, Country
John Michael Montgomery I Miss You A Little 1997, Country
Jon Barker Thank You for Being My Dad 2011, Folk
Jon Bon Jovi August 7, 4:15 1997, Rock
Josh Groban For Always 2001, Pop
Justin Moore The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home 2019, Country
K. Michelle A Mother’s Prayer 2013, R&B
Keith Urban Song For Dad 2002, Country
Kenny Chesney Who You'd Be Today 2005, Country
Killers Goodnight, Travel Well 2008, Rock
LeAnn Rimes Probably Wouldn't Be This Way 2005, Country
Lorrie Morgan If You Came Back From Heaven 1994, Country
Louis Tomlinson Two Of Us 2019, Pop
Love Street Lovers Not Far Away 2020, Pop
Luke Bryan Drink A Beer 2013, Country
Luther Vandross Dance With My Father 2003, R&B
Mariah Carey Bye Bye 2008, Pop
Mark Wills Wish You Were Here 1998, Country
Michael Jackson Gone Too Soon 1993, Pop
Mike + The Mechanics The Living Years 1988, Rock
NAS Dance 2002, Hip Hop
Nashville Cast feat. Lennon & Maisy A Life That's Good 2017, Country
Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole Unforgettable 1991, R&B
Norman Greenbaum Spirit In The Sky 1969, Rock
Oasis Stop Crying Your Heart Out 2002, Pop
P!nk Who Knew 2006, Pop
Patrick Droney Glitter 2020, Pop
Pearl Jam Last Kiss 1999, Rock
Pet Shop Boys Being Boring 1999, Pop
Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here 1975, Rock
Pretenders Back On The Chain Gang 1982, Rock
Puff Daddy & Faith Evans I'll Be Missing You 1997, Hip Hop
R.E.M. Camera 1984, Rock
Robbie Williams Angels 1997, Pop
Rush Afterimage 1984, Rock
Sam Smith Lay Me Down 2014, Pop
Sarah Brightman Time To Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro) 1995, Pop
Sarah McLachlan I Will Remember You 1995, Pop
Shinedown Call Me 2008, Rock
Sia The Greatest 2016, Pop
Simple Plan Gone Too Soon 2011, Pop
Sonic Youth 1 1992, Rock
Staind Tangled up in You 2008, Rock
Steve Wariner Holes In The Floor Of Heaven 1998, Country
Stone Sour Through Glass 2006, Rock
Sum 41 With Me 2007, Punk
Tammy Cochran Angels In Waiting 2001, Country
Tanya Tucker Forever Loving You 2017, Country
The Innocence Mission On Your Side 2019, Folk
The Script If You Could See Me Now 2012, Pop
Tim McGraw Humble And Kind 2015, Country
Toby Keith Cryin' For Me (Wayman's Song) 2009, Country
Trace Adkins Arlington 2005, Country
Train When I Look To The Sky 2004, Rock
Travis Smith Fishing in the Sky 2017, Country
Trisha Yearwood I'll Carry You Home 2019, Country
U2 One Tree Hill 1988, Rock
Vince Gill Go Rest High On That Mountain 1995, Country
Warren Zevon Keep Me In Your Heart 2003, Rock
We The Kings featuring Elena Coats Sad Song 2013, Indie
We Three Heaven's Not Too Far (Radio Version) 2018, Pop
Willie Nelson Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground 1981, Country
Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth See You Again 2015, Hip Hop
Yardbirds An Original Man (A Song for Keith) 2003, Rock

Have a favorite, not on our list? Be sure to share your song at the bottom of the list.

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