What song would you like played at your funeral?

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The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

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Recorded Anna Friel said elsewhere, not written here
Weird Fishes by Radiohead.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 August 2019 source ↗

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David Hare Playwright and screenwriter
This week it’s I Fall In Love Too Easily by Chet Baker.
Recorded Rob McGibbon, The Definite Article, Rob McGibbon, 27 August 2011 source ↗
Bill Bailey Comedian and musician
Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads. When I first heard it at 15, it was different to all the punk I was listening to. When I was starting out in my career, it was all about: ‘How is this possible? How am I doing this?’ Now it’s: ‘Is this my life? How did I get here?’ The lyrics are all about returning full to nature. That’s how I imagine death to be. So that’s what I want at my funeral. And they’ll play Combine Harvester by the Wurzels as people are leaving the church.
Recorded The Guardian, Honest playlist, The Guardian, 19 February 2024 source ↗
Happy Day by Sarkodie. I’m half Ghanaian, and in Ghana funerals really are a celebration of life. You dance and sing; it’s just a completely different vibe to over here in the UK. I would hope at my funeral that everyone’s on their feet, having a good time.
Recorded The Guardian, Honest playlist, The Guardian, 28 November 2022 source ↗

More from Anna Friel

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Question How close have you come to death? Death & what remains
I nearly died by burst ovarian cyst in 2001. I was doing the front cover of a magazine and someone said, “Can you not pull your tummy in?” It turned out that I had been carrying two litres of blood in my stomach. I was rushed to hospital the next morning and nearly died of septicaemia. They had to give me two blood transfusions. Had it been an hour later it would have been bye bye.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 August 2019 source ↗

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